Calling oneself 'Ethical Vegan' as religion

[Guest guest]

Nancy Fidel cited:

>4. A cause, a principle, or an activity pursued

>with zeal or conscientious devotion.

 

To do so, to publicly identify 'being vegan' as 'one's religion'

would I think be a political action, but perhaps not a problematic

political action, and the logic would be to cite veganism as

'a principle'.

 

Nonetheless, the American Vegan Society REPEATEDLY claims

that 'veganism is not a religion' (then it elaborates).

Yet, as an organizing principle, ahimsa and the

thoroughgoing, analytical, systematic commitment

to nonviolence in every area of one's life is pretty comprehensive,

and perhaps more analytical, more devout, more disciplined

than the practice of many nominal Catholics, Sunday Christians,

ethnic Jews, and even unconverted vegetarians.

 

But since the language is deliberately vague,

ethical vegans DO have opportunity to exploit

this vagueness to call themselves 'vegans' publicly.

 

However, I see that self-designation and public presentation

and as a personal behavior, leaving open lots of discussion

and analysis about what one's personal behavior implies,

if anything. Perhaps it implies that these persons consider

their primary moral identification to be with veganism.

 

But in my book 'that's what these people do'.

 

The specific academic definition I use for religion

(an alum of the Harvard Divinity School)

is 'that which binds the community fundamentally'.

In this case the social-scientific analysis

only minimally applies to practicing vegans

because we don't collect (except perhaps

on the Internet and through our organizations,

the American Vegan Society and NAVS,

the North American Vegetarian Society)

our collected wisdom, nor do we exercise

profound and fundamental ennobling influence

upon one another to discourage unwise behaviors.

Examples of the inability of any vegan movement

to do this -- outside what some would call

'a real religion' -- is in the frequent citation of

'Famous Vegetarians' without any broader concern

for whether these people are desirable or undesirable

examples, and the debate about the role of PETA

in defining 'veganism' for all vegans.

 

We could also use Paul Tillich's definition,

'ultimate concern' or 'that which concerns us ultimately'.

 

In our case, that means 'to do no wrong to any person,

regardless of species or other particulars'.

 

Yet traditional and 'historical religions' include

a great many vegans who find not only

no contradiction of principled veganism with

their 'faith's teachings', but a more complete

fulfillment of them.

 

Yet, for many vegans, such devout retrenchment

is dubious and fraught with problems of confusing

identification. Didn't the Christian teachers, for instance,

often (Let your yea be yea) direct the adherents to

work for clarity and precision, not for obfuscation,

and not to give mixed messages?

 

The question is, what is really good.

IMO there's lots in self-styled vegans which is not vegan,

but they won't allow us to say that. Veganism is about

not harming any person, regardless of species.

Self-harm is a violation of that principle. Growing into

more maturity in that principle requires constant

self-cultivation. We CAN do that, I think, by reflecting

upon the principle and its applications, and we COULD

do that apart from strong identification with any particular

religious tradition, its practices, and its teachings,

but IMO we will always be in dialogue with our

contemporaries, and that will include some interest

in discussing some of the ethical teachings of

the respective religious traditions.

 

But being in dialogue with a tradition does not make

one either its adherent nor its member (one of them).

It connotes interest in who the people are and the

logic and integrity and character of the teachings.

 

I only wish that others were moved, inspired, and

ennobled by vegan teachings, and not turned off

by screaming protesters yelling about what's wrong

without showing what's right.

 

Keith Akers, author of Vegetarian Sourcebook,

wrote a beautiful flyer (call it a 'tract' if you will)

on how vegetarianism differs from all (other?) causes.

He said something like, 'Every political and social

protest movement endeavors to show what others

are doing wrong, but vegetarians endeavor to

demonstrate, with their lives, what they are

doing correctly. The emphasis and intent of

vegetarianism are different.'

 

And I would suggest that when we live in ways

which do inspire, that's good -- and worthy of

being called 'religion'.

 

But I don't do that, and I don't know many others

who do that either.

 

Yet I realize that many professing vegans look cynically

at religion, not only in the ways religionists think about

and systemically oppress animals, but in other issues also.

 

The cultural and psychological backdrop of a movement

to call 'veganism' a religion cannot be ignored, since

historical origins shape what a movement is.

(Yet, again, the American Vegan Society which gives

us both the popularization of the word AND its pronunciation)

 

 

Nor is it ignored by the strongest architects of such a movement.

I would suggest that it's a core part of how they think day by day

(regarding 'religion').

 

However, I do think that such a movement has historical merit,

and if one sees veganism as THE most fundamental organizing

principle of one's life, so be it. Call a religion a religion, even if

that brings us into critical judgment from others who don't like

religion OR veganism (or us, for that matter).

 

Finally, as someone who worked on the US Census 2000

(last year), I realize that not all state censuses ask the

same questions, the US Census had short and long forms,

and the US Census didn't explore the topic of

'religious identification'.

(Dealing with ethnicity was volatile enough, remember?)

 

Maynard S. Clark

PO Box 38-1068

Cambridge, MA 02238-1068

 

 

 

 

NOTE:

 

http://www.healthfinder.gov/text/orgs/hr0114.htm

 

Freya Dinshah, President

American Vegan Society

P.O. Box 369

56 Dinshah Lane

Malaga, NJ 08328

 

856-694-2887 (Voice)

856-694-2288 (FAX)

 

The American Vegan Society (AVS), formed in 1960, promotes veganism as a

way of life through public education. Veganism goes beyond vegetarianism in

excluding all animal products such as dairy products or woolen clothing.

The AVS makes publications available to members by mail for a fee, conducts

cooking classes, and holds an annual convention. Educational efforts

promote the study of alternatives to animal commodities, discuss the

ethical and health advantages of veganism, and describe the world

ecological benefits of the vegan program.

 

Print Resources

AVS publications include a magazine and books and pamphlets on vegan diet

and philosophy. Serial publication: AHIMSA (magazine), quarterly--news

stories on AVS activities, articles on veganism, recipes, products, and

publications listings.

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Am I the only one that doesn't understand anything he writes about?

 

 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

 

MSClark (Maynard S. Clark)

[Guest guest]

--- fidyl wrote:

> Am I the only one that doesn't understand anything

> he writes about?

 

No, you're not. I'm just as confused as you are. Is

there a difference between a Vegan and an Ethical

Vegan?

 

Thanks.

 

-Kelly

 

 

 

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