Religious Reasons

BUDDHISM

Why do Buddhists advocate vegetarianism? The main reason is because they have mercy for other living beings and cannot bear to eat their flesh. The law of karma states "we must eventually suffer the consequences of our evil actions." A Buddhist sutra says: "The bodhisattva fears the original action; the myriad of living creatures fear the consequences." This means that one who is bodhisattva knows the serious consequences of his or her actions by doing evil things.

In Buddhism, "Mercy" is an important way of learning how to be a better person. Without being merciful, it is contradictory with being a Buddhist. Having a merciful and compassionate heart will show up in all aspects of one's life; but the simplest and most direct way is to follow a vegetarian diet. Think of the intense pain of accidentally stepping on a nail is, so how can one have the heart to eat the flesh of creatures who have suffered the pain of being slaughtered, skinned, dismembered, and cooked? Being unable to eat the flesh of these poor creatures is an expression of mercy. The choice not to kill is out of kindness, and not to eat meat is a decision of compassion.

CHRISTIANITY

"Thou shalt not kill, for life is given to all by God, and that which God has given, let not man take away. For I tell you truly, from one Mother proceeds all that lives upon the earth. Therefore, he who kills, kills his brother. And from him will the Earthly Mother turn away, and will pluck from him her quickening breasts. And he will be shunned by her angels, and Satan will have his dwelling in his body. And the flesh of slain beasts in his body will become his own tomb. For I tell you truly, he who kills, kills himself, and whoso eats the flesh of slain beasts, eats of the body of death. For in his blood every drop of their blood turns to poison; in his breath their breath to stink; in his flesh their flesh to boils; in his bones their bones to chalk; in his bowels their bowels to decay; in his eyes their eyes to scales; in his ears their ears to waxy issue. And their death will become his death."

( Jesus Christ, "The Essene Gospel of Peace" vol. 1)

It is widely known that Jesus, his brother, and the twelve apostles were all vegetarians, and all the early followers of Jesus (The Ebionites) were also vegetarians. In fact, the only act of aggression by Jesus was at the temple where animal sacrifices were taking place. It says that Jesus drove out everyone form the temple and turned over the tables of the dove merchants. He said "Get out of here! My house will be called a house of prayer but you are making it a den of robbers, do not shed innocent blood in this place."

The Bible does not simply say, “Thou shalt not kill humans.” It says broadly, “Thou shalt not kill.” When there is no food, someone may eat animal flesh in order to keep from starving. That is another thing. But it is most sinful to regularly maintain slaughterhouses just to satisfy the human tongue.

Traditional Christian abstinence from animal flesh is usually associated with its esoteric sects and the search for spiritual growth through physical discipline.The spiritual truth; "Do unto others as you would have done unto you" can be found within the sacred scriptures of every major world religion. At the heart of Christianity, this truth can be found in the qualities of love, mercy, compassion, pity and peace.

When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden.

-- Gen 3:6-8 (NIV)

In Genesis, it is doctrined that the first sin was committed by Adam and Eve eating something that they were not permitted to eat, an apple from the Forbidden Tree. Only after they had committed this sin, did they become ashamed of being naked. This example proves that there is an interrelation between what we eat and how we think, that our diet has an effect on our conscientiousness.

How can a person who has the perfect love of God within them repeatedly participate in any violent act or in causing pain or suffering to any of God's creatures (human or non-human)? To a growing number of Christians, there exists no means of reconciling the institutionalized violence of the meat industry, and its inherent disrespect for life. Far from being a substitute religion or a modern day heresy, vegetarianism is increasingly advocated on Biblical grounds. To many, it is not merely an objection to the conduct of the world, but a physical statement of faith.

Richard H. Schwartz, Ph. D. is one of the leading advocates for Jews to become vegetarians and follow the Torah by having compassion for animals, living in a healthy way, caring for the environment, and feeding those who are hungry.In one of his articles on the WUJS (World Union of Jewish Students) web site,http://www.wujs.org.il/activist/features/articles/veg.shtml, he explains why Jews should become vegetarian.

"While Judaism mandates that people be very careful about preserving their health and their lives, animal-centered diets have been linked to heart disease, stroke, several forms of cancer, and other illnesses. This has contributed to recent soaring medical expenditures in the United States and major change in the health care system, with insurance providers having a major voice in medical decisions.

While Judaism mandates compassion for animals, most farm animals are raised for food today under cruel conditions in small confined spaces where they are denied fulfillment of their instinctual needs. Judaism stresses that we are to share our bread with hungry people, over 70% of the grain grown in the United States is fed to animals destined for slaughter, as 15 to 20 million people worldwide die annually because of hunger and its effects.

In Jesus' day, preaching baptism for forgiveness of sins in place of animal sacrifice placed one clearly among the vegetarian sects of Judaism who were attempting to usher in the new age of Isaiah 11. Isaiah 11, of course, declares that God's will is for compassion, for an age when even the lion lies down with the lamb, and there is no bloodshed at all. The talmudic sages indicated great concern about preserving the environment and preventing pollution.

It is stated : "It is forbidden to live in a town which has no garden or greenery" . The rabbis express a sense of sanctity toward the environment: "the atmosphere (air) of the land of Israel makes one wise".

Judaism is clear in mandating concern for animals. The Bible tells us explicitly, "The righteous man regardeth the life of his animal." In Exodus, God insists that "If thou see the ass of him that hateth thee laying under its burden, thou shalt surely not pass by him; thou shalt surely unload it with him." The Code of Jewish Law states, "It is forbidden, according to the law of the Torah, to inflict pain upon any living creature. On the contrary, it is our duty to relieve pain of any creature, even if it is ownerless of belongs to a non-Jew."

The Talmud explains that the obligation to relieve an animal from pain or danger supercedes rabbinic ordinances related to the Sabbath. The Talmud further insists that "A person should not eat or drink before first providing for his animals."(5) Indeed, the Shulchan Aruch tells us it is so important that our animals not go hungry while we eat, that a person is legally authorized to interrupt the performance of a rabbinic commandment in order make sure this has been done.

JAINISM

Jainism is one of the ancient religions of India. Absolute non-violence of thought and action is the very fundamental principle of the teachings of Jainism. Truthfulness, not to steal, equal right for all irrespective of cast, race, gender, age and religion, compassion and love for all living beings, and vegetarianism etc. are but different manifestations of the very principle of non-violence. Jainas follow in the tradition of 24 Tirthankaras: the Master Preachers who enlightened the path to Salvation. The last and the most recent Tirthankara is Lord Mahavira who lived and preached during the period 599 - 527 BC.

Jainas believe that not only human and animal beings, but earth, water, air, fire and the vegetable kingdom are also sentient and living beings. For Jainas to pollute, to disturb, to hurt and to destroy means commit violence, which is a sinful act. According to them hunting is one of the seven serious offences or vices. It is prohibited for every Jaina whether a monk or a laity. Prohibitions for hunting and eating are the fundamental conditions for being a Jaina.

For thousands of years Jainas have been vegetarians. All their twenty-four teachers -- the tirthankaras, or messiahs -- came from the warrior caste. They were all meat-eaters. They were professional warriors. What happened to these people? Meditation transformed their whole vision. A new phenomenon happened, they developed a feeling of love towards existence. They became absolutely one with the whole. Vegetarianism is just a small part of that great revolution.

Allah (God) is everywhere, thus His spirit dwells in us, and just as I wouldn’t want any dead animals in my home, where I live, Allah (God) does not want dead animals in His temple (your body), where His spirit dwells...

The option to be vegetarian has always existed in Islam, whether or not it was actualized at any time or place. The great Sufi Râbi‘ah al-‘Adawîyah of Basrah was an early Muslim vegetarian. In recent times, the renowned Sufi shaykh Bawa Muhaiyaddeen was a notable vegetarian Muslim. Nowadays there are more and more Muslims in different countries choosing to be vegetarian.

"A Muslim may be a vegetarian. However, he should not regard eating meat as prohibited."

The belief that one who is striving for spiritual attainment should abstain from all animal products, and this means the killing and eating of them also. All life is sacred, and all life comes from Allah (swt), and we have no right to destroy it. Killing animals is the destruction of life, and therefore in direct defiance of the Supreme Law of the Universe.

It is impossible for a vegetarian to contract colon cancer, because vegetables, fruits and grains pass through the colon. There have also been many reports of diseased fish being caught with cancerous gills that are cut out and then sent to market to be sold. These are the reasons why a Muslim vegetarian abstains from not only the forbidden, but even that which is lawful.

"The Holy Prophet Muhammad (S) was asked by his companions if kindness to animals was rewarded in the life hereafter. He replied: 'Yes, there is a meritorious reward for kindness to every living creature'." (Bukhari)

VAISHNAVISM

All Vaishnavas are vegetarian, it is a major part of the religion to have compassion for animals and not to eat the flesh of other living beings. Food is also offered to Krishna , prepared from milk products, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and grains. Meat, fish, and eggs are not offerable, a few vegetarian items are forbidden--garlic and onions. Once the food is offered to Krishna, it is then called prasadam.

Ayurveda is the oldest known scripture that contains information on biology, hygiene, medicine, and nutrition. The Vedas consider the human body a divine gift, a chance for the imprisoned soul to escape from the cycle of birth and death. The importance of healthy living is also mentioned by Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad-gita (6.16-17), "There is no possibility of becoming a yogi, O Arjuna, if one eats too much or eats too little, sleeps too much or does not sleep enough. One who is temperate in his habits of eating, sleeping, working, and recreation can mitigate all material pains by practicing the yoga system."

There are three classes of food, those of the quality of goodness, the quality of passion, and the quality of ignorance. The healthiest are the foods of goodness. Foods of the quality of goodness [milk products, grains, fruits, and vegetables] increase the duration of life; purify one's existence; and give strength, health, happiness, and satisfaction.

Foods that are considered to have the quality of passion disturb the mind and can be described as: too bitter, sour, salty, pungent, dry or hot. But foods that have the quality of ignorance, such as meat, fish, and fowl, are described as "putrid, decomposed, and unclean," , these foods produce only pain, disease, and bad karma. In other words, according to Ayur veda, what you eat affects the quality of your life.