Why are few spiritual leaders vegan 🌱

[Agoodenough]

Beautiful article. I found it so interesting and wanted to share it. So I hope you like it too... Ali 🙂

onegreenplanet.org/animalsa...

🙂

[GoGo_JoJo]

Great article. 👍 100% with it, we get the leaders the herd wants hence many are worse than ever currently 😕 be the change! 💪👍

[Agoodenough in reply to GoGo_JoJo]

It’s great isn’t it. I loved reading it and I agree 100% as well. I went to an interesting talk on spirituality and veganism in London which was along the same lines as this article.

[Hidden]

interesting and the comment change comes from within is what is happening at the moment...✅

[Agoodenough in reply to Hidden]

Absolutely!

[grace111]

I knew when i was rationalising eating meat when i thought of the fatted calfs in the bible. however i do feel that what i read was a bit selfrighteous. There are people who dont eat meat who are not in the least spiritual. We dont want to sound like the "Tax collecor"

[Hidden]

An interesting article Ali.

[Agoodenough in reply to Hidden]

Glad you found it interesting.

[Hidden in reply to Agoodenough]

It certainly was Ali

[JAS9]

I don't intend to start a big debate or try to convert anyone. I'm just sharing something from my religion with you. Here are a few (translated) quotes from Abdu'l-Bahá, the son of the founder of the Bahai Faith, and who led the Faith from 1892 until his death in 1921:

"As humanity progresses, meat will be used less and less, for the teeth of man are not carnivorous. For example, the lion is endowed with carnivorous teeth which are intended for meat and if meat be not found, the lion starves. The digestive system of the lion is such that it cannot receive nourishment save through meat. The eagle has a crooked beak; the lower part is shorter than the upper. It cannot pick up grain; it cannot graze; therefore it is compelled to partake of meat. The domestic animals have herbivorous teeth formed to cut grass which is their fodder. The human teeth, the molars, are formed to grind grain. The front teeth, the incisors, are for fruits, etc. It is therefore quite apparent according to the implements for eating, man's food is intended to be grain and not meat. When mankind is more fully developed, the eating of meat will gradually cease."

"The food of the future will be fruit and grains. The time will come when meat will no longer be eaten, as our natural food is that which grows out of the ground. The people will gradually develop up to the condition of this natural food."

He also wrote: "Briefly, it is not only their fellow human beings that the beloved of God must treat with mercy and compassion, rather must they show forth the utmost loving-kindness to every living creature. For in all physical respects, and where the animal spirit is concerned, the selfsame feelings are shared by animal and man. Man hath not grasped this truth, however, and he believeth that physical sensations are confined to human beings, wherefore is he unjust to the animals, and cruel.

And yet in truth, what difference is there when it cometh to physical sensations? The feelings are one and the same, whether ye inflict pain on man or on beast. There is no difference here whatever. And indeed ye do worse to harm an animal, for man hath a language, he can lodge a complaint, he can cry out and moan; if injured he can have recourse to the authorities and these will protect him from his aggressor. But the hapless beast is mute, able neither to express its hurt nor take its case to the authorities. If a man inflicts a thousand ills upon a beast, it can neither ward him off with speech nor hale him into court. Therefore is it essential that ye show forth the utmost consideration to the animal, and that ye be even kinder to him than to your fellow man.

Train your children from their earliest days to be infinitely tender and loving to animals. If an animal be sick, let the children try to heal it, if it be hungry, let them feed it, if thirsty, let them quench its thirst, if weary, let them see that it rests."

[Agoodenough in reply to JAS9]

Thank you for your reply. I think you said it all very well in a nutshell.

[JerMan22 in reply to JAS9]

That's from about 100 years ago, and we're just now finally gaining some traction. What will the world look like in another 100 years?

[Agoodenough in reply to JerMan22]

Very true. It’s an exciting time of change. I loved reading the article and really appreciated the insightful contribution from JAS9.

[Hidden in reply to JAS9]

I read that with interest JAS9 , thank you for sharing😀

[JAS9 in reply to Hidden]

I'm glad that you and some others found it interesting. Abdu'l-Bahá was very much ahead of his time in this and more. I'm never quite sure how much to share; we Bahais aren't supposed to be pushy about our religion.

Just one more thing: We don't have clergy of any kind, and there is no leader, so what Abdu'l-Bahá wrote about this is what we all follow. No one can ever change it.

[Agoodenough in reply to JAS9]

I will have a look into this as I know very little about it and find this approach interesting 🙂

[JerMan22 in reply to JAS9]

JAS9, if you don't have clergy or a leader how do things get decided? I mean it sounds good, but...?

[JAS9 in reply to JerMan22]

The short answer is that we have annually elected bodies (no campaigning allowed). Local Spiritual Assemblies decide minor local things, National Spiritual Assemblies often deal with bigger issues. Then the International.... etc. But nobody is a leader the way the Pope (or even a priest) is. I'll send you a private msg with more details so I'm not bothering everyone here.

[grace111 in reply to JAS9]

Did you know that the pope eats meat?

[JerMan22 in reply to grace111]

It certainly doesn't surprise me. I was raised Catholic, went to Catholic grade school and high school, was an altar boy for 2 years. My mom taught in the grade school and played the church organ. My dad was a deacon. Based on my experiences, my humble opinion is that the Pope is as fallible as any human. (Parents are rolling in their graves about now.)

[Hidden]

I did not find it pushy but just informative and it made sense. I'm glad you shared it.

I am so pleased I changed from being a pescatarian to a Vegan. I've been properly Vegan (I was finishing Nescafe Mocha sachets up until around end of September) since around beginning of October, best thing I've ever done.

[JAS9 in reply to Hidden]

It's been 10 months for me, and yep it just keeps getting better.

[Hidden in reply to JAS9]

Its definitely a good thing to do😀

[JerMan22]

As I've mentioned, I was raised Catholic. After that, I bounced around a bit, sort of browsing religions. I almost joined several, but never really did. The closest I came was the Seventh Day Adventist church. That's where I picked up the vegan habit, so I just wanted to point out that they have many veg'ns in leadership roles.

[sunny369 in reply to JerMan22]

reminds me of the CHIP program (plant based diet for health) I took part in at a Seventh Day Adventist Church quite a few years ago.

[andyswarbs Volunteer]

Leaders of all types fall prey to putting rubbish in their mouths, sometimes at exceedingly high prices. Intellect does not protect one from the hazards of what goes in the mouth, nor does it seem an awareness of god(s). Culture goes deep inside the brain and comes out as cognitive dissonance.