Feeding the Children of Abraham:

The use and abuse of animals occurs in many, variegated forms. Though this ab/use is horrible in all of its manifestations, nowhere does it approach the scale and magnitude of meat production. Today's methods of flesh production mean the deaths of billions of animals each year. Concerns arise not only from the horror of extinguishing so many lives, but also from the inhumane conditions food animals are subjected to from the moment they are born.

The shift of animal agriculture to animal agribusiness over the past fifty years has meant a radical change in the lives of food animals. The nostalgically remembered family farms, where small groups of animals have access to sunshine, fresh air, and exercise are, for the most part, long gone. In their stead we find huge, windowless buildings, filled with rows and rows of crated or caged animals. Climate and light are artificially manipulated, more for increasing productivity or reducing losses than for any benefit to the animals. Nearly the whole process of raising these animals is automated; in some cases the amount of human attention given to the animals is about five minutes a day.9 The details of factory farming have been elaborated by others; it is enough for our purpose to recognize that food animal production today is an exercise in cruelty from the rearing of the animals to their deaths in the slaughterhouse.

It is not just the animals who suffer through factory farming. We are beginning to see more and more clearly the environmental damage that results from animal agriculture. Modern factory practices consume tremendous amounts of energy and resources, pollute the air and water, and destroy and degrade soil and plant life.

Human life suffers too. Today's animal rich diet is responsible for a host of easily preventable, but thoroughly debilitating diseases. These diseases not only plague each individual sufferer, but they also burden society through increased health costs and lost productivity. This human suffering also becomes manifest in those who work in the slaughterhouses and meat-production plants. These people, often minorities, women, and migrant workers, participate in one of the nation's five most dangerous jobs, for some of the lowest pay in the food industry.10 It seems meat production costs the lives of both its animal victims and those that eat their flesh.

The animal suffering, environmental degradation, and health consequences of a meat diet are undeniable. The enormous costs of such a lifestyle illustrate why vegetarianism/veganism should be at the forefront of the animal rights movement. The variety of deleterious points found in factory farming also make it the most susceptible issue to confront on religious grounds. As we will see, the three monotheistic faiths all contain teachings and traditions which advocate kindness to animals, respect for the planet, concern for one's health, and concern for the well-being of others. Whereas many animal apologists in these traditions have written almost exclusively on ethical concerns for vegetarianism, this paper will examine this group of core issues, aiming to make a more solid and well-rounded case.

The People of the Book

I have purposely limited this examination to the three "monotheistic" religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. I take these three faiths as a block for several reasons. Most importantly, these faiths hold the largest numbers of believers throughout the world. Islam in particular is quickly gaining scores of new members and is spreading to virtually every corner of the globe.

Not only do these religious movements have the greatest number of adherents, but are also those most traditionally opposed to animal rights and most permissive of meat eating. In other words, it is within these traditions that the greatest amount of work needs to be done, and where the greatest results may be reaped.

These three faiths are also the most represented and encountered where vegetarianism and the movement for animal rights are flowering in America and Europe. If an activist runs into a religious argument against animals, it will likely originate within one of these traditions. That the Jewish and Christian legacies are strong in the West is well-known, but Islam is also emerging as strong, vital force in the West.

There is a final reason for considering these three together: their common background. They share a collective origin, recognize some of the other's prophets, and so on. Muslims emphasize these common roots when they identify themselves, Jews, and Christians as ahl al-kitab, people of the Book. Though the beliefs become more exclusive (or inclusive, if you prefer) as one moves from Judaism to Christianity to Islam, several shared points remain nonetheless. These similarities may then help to identify common areas of animal concern among the three, or may allow strong arguments from one faith to be extrapolated to deficiencies in another.

Activists should also bear in mind the variety of emphasis and issues of importance found in these different faiths. It is not entirely accurate to speak of a Judaism, or a Christianity, or an Islam. Instead, the general religious designations of Christianity, Islam, and Judaism each encompass a range of disparate movements. Sometimes the differences between groups are slight; often, however, there are major points of contention among them. So while I have attempted to provide activists with general points that are applicable to all branches within a given faith (as well as some more specific items), the range of belief among the groups will limit the efficacy of some arguments. The savvy activist will strive to become better acquainted with the various sects within each faith, and will identify and employ those religious arguments for vegetarianism or animal rights that carry the most weight with each group.

Judaism and Vegetarianism