Explore the general issues associated with the animal rights movement
Our responsibilities
Vegetarianism
Animal experimentation
Talk Introduction
Tonight we're going to FOCUS on Animal rights
As part of that we will be thinking about:
Vegetarianism
Animal experimentation
And our responsibilities when it comes to animals
that's quite a lot to cover in one night...so we might come back this at a
later date
We're going to start by watching The Simpsons - Lisa the Vegetarian
[The Simpsons Raiders of the lost fridge - Lisa the vegetarian]
The middle bit
In the episode we're just seen, Lisa decided that eating meat was wrong
What were her reasons?
She didn't want to hurt animals
What other reasons do people give for been vegetarian?
They object to modern 'intensive' farming methods
It's against their religious beliefs
They are on a low fat diet
For convenience, i.e., they live with a vegetarian
It can be less expensive
So who agrees with Lisa...eating meat is wrong!
Why? What made you decide that eating meat is wrong?
Do you eat eggs / cheese? What's the difference?
So who agrees with Homer...meat is good!
So what's so good about eating meat?
Studies show that meet eaters are more likely to have heart disease,
cancer or food poisoning
Does that bother you?
Would you be willing to kill an animal so you could eat it?
What do you think about the way animals are farmed?
In the video, Lisa also refused to dissect a worm - what would you do?
How did people react to Lisa's views?
In the propaganda video the boy says 'I have a crazy friend who says
it's wrong to eat meat...is he crazy?'
How did it make her feel?
Can any of you relate to that?
Lisa felt frustrated...it seemed that what ever she did or said 'the whole
world wants me to eat meat'
The Bible bit
If we look in the book of Genesis, this is what God said when he created
us
Genesis 1:26-30 "Then God said, 'let us make human beings in our image and likeness. And
let them rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the tame
animals, over all the earth, and over the small crawling animals on the earth'
So God created human beings in his image. In the image of God he created them.
He created the male and female. God blessed them and said, 'Have many children
and grow in number. Fill the earth and be its master. Rule over the fish in
the sea and over the birds in the sky and over every living thing that moves
on the earth.'
God said, 'Look, I have given you all the plants that have grains for seeds
and all the trees whose fruits have seeds in them. They will be food for you.
I have given all the green plants as food for every wild animal, every bird of
the air, and every small crawling animal' and it happened
Based that reading, how do you think God wants us to treat animals?
What do you think it means when it says 'rule over the fish'?
What are we allowed to eat?
Later in the bible we read about Noah and the ark
Do you all know that story?
Genesis 9:1-5 "..God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, 'Have many children;
grow in number and fill the earth. Every animal on earth, every bird in the
sky, every animal that crawls on the ground and every fish in the sea will
respect and fear you. I have given them to you.
'Everything that moves, everything that is alive, is yours for food. Earlier I
gave you the green plants, but now I give you everything for food. But you
must not eat meat that still has blood in it, because blood gives life. I will
demand the life of any animal that kills a person, and I will demand the life
of anyone who takes another person's life"
So what changed?
It says we are allowed to eat meat...God has given us all of the animal's
for food
So does that mean we can treat animals cruelly?
When somebody gives you something they expect you to look after it
Do you think God would agree with the way we treat animals?
Conclusion
We all need to realise that this a tricky subject
On the one hand the Bible tells us that God made us to be
vegetarians...but later we could choose
But none of that means we should cause animals to suffer needlessly
Going to finish by reading from Romans 14 The Message Page 390 "What's important is that you keep the holy day, keep it for God's sake; if
you eat meat, eat it to the glory of God and thank God for prime rib; if
you're a vegetarian, eat vegetables to the glory of God and thank God for
broccoli. None of us are permitted to insist on our own way in these matters"