And the lion shall eat straw like the ox

by Anony Mous 15 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Anony Mous

  The above verse is often quoted by JWs both in general as a response to the idea of a deathless paradise and/or those promoting vegetarianism or veganism.

  A letter in Animal Frontiers co-signed by nearly a thousand scientists is now warning that meat is crucial for a healthy lifestyle and livestock farming is too important to 'become the victim of zealotry'.

  They stated the fact that most humans require the nutrients from eggs, meat and dairy and that plant based alternatives are at least 4x more expensive (which implies much higher energy consumption in the process) and not scalable and outright dangerous to global health to support a large population shift towards them.

  They also called out several recent papers for misleading information and even called for the outright retraction of one that said meat substitutions are a viable alternative.

  Not sure what the modern JW view on this is, I know many people in the borg promoted it back in the day. Just goes to show that science does not support the notion of a global vegan diet.
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  no-zombie

  As most of us are aware, there is a big differences in the foods allowed between vegetarianism and veganism. However a bigger difference exists, in the motivation of their practitioners.

  Vegetarians are motivated by the (debatable) health benefits of eating only plant based products. Where as vegans are motivated by a ethical or religious decision not to harm animals. This concept is not new, as this philosophy as a part of the 2300 year old, Indian Jainist movement, who's adherents often wear masks to prevent in accidentally inhaling small insects.

  Of course, very few of the Witnesses who practice veganism are aware of the fact that they are following the core teaching of a pagan faith, but non the less it is true. However, like wearing wedding rings and having a pinata party, everything can be allowed if its been washed a few times and put in a new box.

  But crazy as this may all be to animal eaters, veganism is not as ethically extreme as it once was. As there is now a community of modern thinkers who want us not to eat vegetable products either, due to the 'fact' that plants may actually be conscience at some level too. These ones view the eating plants alive or putting them into boiling water, may actually be cruel. As a result, they see the developing a food industry based on vat grown, single celled organisms would be a much more humane option for the globe to practice, while at the same time stopping the strip mining of the natural biosphere to produce cultivatable farmland.
  

  While many people already happily live on beer (my attempt at humor here), veganism in all its forms, is just another 'belief' trying to be normalized into mainstream Western culture, by branding everything else as either morally toxic or physically poisonous.

  As for me, the sooner we all start eating Soylent Green, the better. At least it was meat, at some point in its life cycle.
  
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  road to nowhere

  What vegans overlook is animals, particularly ruminants, convert rough plant matter into protein humans can digest. Rough forage can be grown on land unsuitable for most crops.

  Also overlooked is fertilizer is largely a petroleum-based product.
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  BluesBrother

  The question was, What is the JW view on diet? .... the dubs are allowed to eat anything that doesn’t contain blood. As a movement they are not vegetarian. I swear I saw a quick scene in a video depicting New World living where they were enjoying a barbecue.

  As to the merits of meat eating or not , you can find an expert to support any view you like. I know that in Asia many people have been vegetarian for millennia and in good health. The majority view of science , as far as I know, is that it takes more of the world’s resources to raise a cow than to grow crops .

  The debate will continue......
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  ExBethelitenowPIMA

  What about the 100% carnivores that are all showing results?

  everyone without exception who goes 100% carnivore loses wait and inflammation and health problems reduce.

  it’s the toxins in the plant based foods that is causing so many health problems
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  FedUpJW

  I'm a vegetarian by proxy.

  Cows eat grass and corn, I eat beef, therefore I am eating grass and corn by proxy.
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  Anony Mous

  @Bluesbrother: I’ve seen people claiming that you can’t eat rare steak because of the heme (which they say is blood). Medium and beyond done steaks are an abomination in the face of the lord imho.

  As far as cultures that don’t eat (much) meat (such as India and Africa) this is mostly by necessity and not by choice. They generally still eat dairy, animal fat and eggs when available. Those regions, as a result, also have high mortality across the board, especially amongst children and infants. Many may be dependent on insects, rodents or “bush” meat and the associated diseases (eg the Spanish flu and many Coronavirus variants spring from Chinese regions eating wild birds and bats as a protein source)
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  enoughisenough

  so what is the issue? finding fault with what the Bible is saying?...Manna wasn't meat and it sustained...but if you don't believe in God or the Bible, why bother qoute scripture?
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  Zilgee

  Also climate affects your body. In hot climates eating meat has negative effects. Oxidative stress, inflammation. Eat food as per climate.
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  blondie

  What has the WTS said about vegetarianism today. "As shown in the foregoing, the question of becoming a vegetarian—or remaining one—is strictly a matter for individual decision. But he must recognize it as only one way of eating. He should not criticize those who choose to eat meat, just as one who eats meat should not condemn a vegetarian. Eating meat or refraining from it does not make one a better person." The WTS dances around whether jws will be vegetarians in the "paradise on earth" and individual jws do making Isaiah 11:6-8 literal. About 1991, the WTS changed that that scripture was only describing a spiritual paradise when beastlike men would not be a danger to meek like humans. It was quite upsetting to many older jws. Some jws say that eating fish will be okay because fish don't feel pain, or that rugged jw hunters feel they will still be able to hunt, both were elders who did not like the idea they would have to give up hunting and fishing. It just shows how the WTS talks out of both sides of its mouth.