Veg-Rel introductory welcome message

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Welcome to VEG-REL, a discussion group on Vegetarianism and spirituality,

but with a special interest in that "category" of spirituality known

academically as "religion."

 

The word "religion" has been defined in many ways and in many formats

throughout the long history of human life on this terrestrial orb. The

pragmatist philosopher, John Dewey, in A Common Faith, says that it is

impossible to give a single coherent definition of all that we commonly

call religion, because there are no universally common characteristics

of religions (that are found in all religions). Not all that we call

"religion" has a Supreme Being, or a Creator, and not every faith

is committed to a universal message. For some, the search for one's

finest and truest self is "faith," faith that there is meaning in that quest

(a faith, one can see from observing the people in the world, that is not

shared by everyone, not even by a majority of humans alive today).

 

In the context of living our lives, we who are vegetarians are met with

value and cognitive systems that we call "religion" or "religious," and

semantic confusion arises. Core reading for the discussion list here is

John Dewey's "A Common Faith." No one is actually expected to agree

with Dewey, but many here will find his writing inspiring and insightful.

 

Historically, this list began from a series of requests from Christian

vegans to discuss their areas of common concern, but the list has broadened

to a wider scope after searching the vegetarian audience for their sense of

proportion in this area. We hope that respect will abound and that the

NOBLER values of faith, science, and inquiry will prevail, and that respect

for our fellow species-mates will find its way into discussions on our

similarities and differences.

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