murder by numbers

[Guest guest]

Hi all,

 

There was a rumor floating around that Tipper Gore had become a

vegetarian. I don't think there's any truth to it. Back in the '90s,

there was a rumor briefly floating around that Hilary Clinton had

become a vegetarian.

 

Dennis Kucinich's veganism got attention in the veg*n press (e.g.,

Veg-News), but was not discussed at all by the mainstream media, except

to mention that he wouldn't try to impose his morality upon everyone

else. I have a problem with this mentality, which even animal activists

fall prey to, from time to time. In the Animals' Agenda, several years

ago, for example, columnist Lawrence Carter-Long wrote a column asking

" Should the Vegetarian Proselytize? " To me, the answer is obvious!

 

Why doesn't the media mention the vegetarianism of any celebrity?

Possibly because people become vegetarian for any number of reasons.

Back in 1982-83, when Sir Richard Attenborough's biographical film

" Gandhi " was released, someone wrote in to the Los Angeles Times and

pointed out that while it was a good movie, Attenborough failed to

mention that Gandhi was a vegetarian. The letter writer said this would

be like making a movie on the Pope and forgetting to mention that he's

Catholic!

 

Another letter writer wrote in, responding to this first letter, and

tried to dismiss Gandhi's vegetarianism by repeating the old myth that

Hitler was a vegetarian, too. Vegetarian historian Rynn Berry of the

North American Vegetarian Society (NAVS) debunks this myth in his 2004

book, Hitler: Neither Vegetarian Nor Animal Lover. I gave a copy of

Rynn Berry's book to Dixie Mahy a couple of years ago, and she gave it

a favorable review in the SFVS newsletter. Roberta Kalechofsky of Jews

for Animal Rights wrote an article entitled " Nazis and Animals:

Debunking the Myths " , which appeared in a 1996 issue of the Animals'

Agenda.

 

I agree with Rynn Berry's assertion that the evidence (Scriptural,

theological, historical, etc.) that Jesus was a vegetarian is

circumstancial at best, but nonetheless compelling. I discussed this

point with Dixie some time ago. If Jesus really was a vegetarian, the

ancient world would have taken notice: just like they did with

Pythagoras. (The chapter on Pythagorean vegetarianism, from my book

They Shall Not Hurt or Destroy is attached as a Word document.)

 

Jesus was a rabbi in the Jewish tradition, which upholds vegetarianism

as a moral ideal. (The chapter on Jewish vegetarianism, from my book

They Shall Not Hurt or Destroy is also attached as a Word document.)

There is nothing in the synoptic gospels of Jesus to suggest a

fundamental break with Judaism. Jesus was called Rabbi, meaning Master

or Teacher, 42 times in the gospels. The ministry of Jesus was a

rabbinic one. Jesus related Scripture and God's laws to everyday life,

teaching by personal example. He engaged in healing and acts of mercy.

He told stories or parables--a rabbinic method of teaching. He went to

the synagogue (Matthew 12:9), taught in the synagogues (Matthew 4:23,

13:54; Mark 1:39), expressed concern for Jairus, " one of the rulers of

the synagogue " (Mark 5:36), and it " was his custom " to go to the

synagogue on the Sabbath (Luke 4:16).

 

Jesus blessed the meek, repeating Psalm 37:11, saying they would

inherit the earth. Here, Jesus refers to Isaiah's vision (11:6-9) of

the future Kingdom of Peace, where the earth is restored to a

vegetarian paradise (Genesis 1:29-31). Jesus taught his followers to

pray for the coming of this Kingdom, in what is now known as " the

Lord's Prayer " . Jesus said he did not come to abolish the Law and the

prophets, instead he insisted upon the moral standards given by God at

the beginning (Matthew 19:1-12; Mark 10:2-12; Luke 12:24-28)

 

Jesus repeatedly upheld Mosaic Law: Matthew 5:17-19; Mark 10:17-22;

Luke 16:17. He justified his healing on the Sabbath by referring to

commandments calling for the humane treatment of animals as well as

their rest on the Sabbath (Luke 13:10-16, 14:1-5). He recalled a Jewish

legend about Moses' compassion as a shepherd for his flock (Matthew

18:11-13; Luke 15:3-7,10) Jesus taught that God desires mercy and not

sacrifice (Matthew 9:10-13, 12:6-7; Mark 2:15-17; Luke 5:29-32), and he

opposed the buying and selling of animals for sacrifice (Matthew

21:12-14; Mark 11:15; John 2:14-15). I agree with secular scholar Keith

Akers (author, The Lost Religion of Jesus) that Jesus did not come to

abolish the Law and the prophets (Matthew 5:17-19; Mark 10:17-22; Luke

16:17), but only the institution of animal sacrifice, and that the

gentile world (beginning with the apostle Paul) mistook this for a

rejection of the entire Mosaic framework.

 

It was Paul, then, and not Jesus, who broke from Judaism, and created

a separate religion. Bertrand Russell refers to Paul as the " inventor

of Christianity. " Again, I agree with vegetarian historian Rynn Berry

of the North American Vegetarian Society (NAVS) that the evidence

(Scriptural, theological, historical, etc.) that Jesus was a vegetarian

is circumstancial at best, but nonetheless compelling.

 

Enjoy reading the attachments!

 

Best wishes!

 

---Vasu

 

vasumurti