Sue from Round Lake, IL

I am an Episcopalian and a vegan. I went vegetarian for spiritual reasons (not Christian, since I didn't know of any precedent or respected tradition to support it at that time) about 9 years ago. I gave up eggs and dairy as soon as I found out how battery hens and veal calves are kept in close confinement, along with other agricultural practices that I didn't want to support, and could live just as well without supporting. But shortly afterward, I discovered two clergypersons: J.R. Hyland (an evangelical pastor who wrote the "Humane Religion" magazine articles and God's Covenant with Animals), and Andrew Linzey (an Anglican theologian, who wrote a pamplet, "Toward a Prophetic Church for Animals", Animal Gospel, Animal Theology, and many others). Andrew introduced me to the Anglican Society for the Welfare of Animals. That was when the (mis)treatment of animals became a Christian concern for me. And I wondered about the gap between God and religion -- and if there would be any way to close it. I stand with one foot in the Church and one foot in the Animal Rights community.

Church members tend to think of animal rights as being a secular movement, not recognizing that there might be activists sitting in their pews or standing at their altars, and praying their prayers. I advocate on behalf of the Church to the "anti-religion" detractors who publicly blame practicing Christians for various injustices and abuses perpetuated over history against both humans and non-humans out of some sense of "domination theology" and adherence to a bloodthirsty God, and to a Bible that accepts social wrongs such as human slavery. They aren't aware of recent paradigm shifts, or that they have people of faith as close allies in their cause. And I advocate for the animals to anyone in the Church who is willing to listen with an open heart, and without a vested interest in animal use. On a good day, it is energizing. But over the long term, when left to the benign neglect of silence and the general tolerance of my own faith community (tolerated as long as I keep silent on any topic that might be perceived as controversial or offensive in some way), it is spiritually draining.

One problem with being invisible, is a non-acceptance on both secular and religious fronts, and loneliness at the core of one's being. One solution to that is to find allies across the Church who are either like-minded, or who are openly supportive, or who are willing to "coalition" on common causes where our diverse interests intersect, such as Global Warming, non-violence, and humanitarian aid. The exploitation, oppression, abuse, and violence inflicted on literally billions of animals in this country each year, particularly under accepted standard industry practices that are (mostly) legal but hidden from public scrutiny, are as much a peace and justice issue as domestic abuse, human trafficking, or any other type of human oppression and violence that Episcopalians are already vocal about. The difference seems to be that there is a perceived benefit by humans who are the dominant culture of this world, in using animals for food, fur, entertainment, sport, and science. We accept or defend: killing them if they are worth more to us dead; killing them if they have no use to us at all; killing them if they eat our food, or the food of our livestock, or our livestock in the case of predators who become victims of our "management". And if we can earn money by some sort of animal use, we vehemently defend our exploitation-of-choice.

We don't live peaceably with nature, with wildlife who have the audacity to encroach on our suburban sprawl, or with the animals who are bred for our use, even if we can talk about "Stewardship of Creation" on a superficial level once a year at our annual "pet blessing" services. We don't even have one prayer for animals in any of our authorized prayer books. If people believe they benefit in some way at the expense of animals, or that animals are "the least of these" on the back burner of a long list of world problems, who is willing speak out on their behalf? Who will challenge people and institutions to seek the most humane or cruelty-free alternatives that are available, to make personal changes in the way they choose to live, to support charities that don't exploit animals or fund animal torture, to get active supporting animal protection legislation, and to create a serious Christian standard of what it means to be "Stewards of All Creation" which includes the overlooked captive and domestic ("property-status") animals. And we must focus attention on inanimate resources like fossil fuel, water and soil. But animals should not be neglected in the process.

Taking a stand for animals isn't a matter of "either/or", or even a matter of spending money that could otherwise go toward helping people in need. It is a matter of "both/and", and a willingness to become informed, to look beneath the myths that industries and marketers perpetuate to make us feel comfortable about our choices, taking a look at who's profit interests are threatened whenever activists are ridiculed or denigrated in an attempt to discredit their message and sway public opinion, making connections in the underlying causes of all suffering, all oppression, all violence, and then caring enough to do whatever is within our power to break the silence, and to stop supporting those things. For more information, visit: "Meat Eating and Global Warming" links to various articles Number of animals used/killed for various purposes (mined from various sources on the Internet) GC2003 Resolution D016 Anglican Society for the Welfare of Animals Episcopal Network for Animal Welfare