{"id":96780,"date":"2019-12-23T17:17:29","date_gmt":"2019-12-24T00:17:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=96780"},"modified":"2019-12-23T17:17:29","modified_gmt":"2019-12-24T00:17:29","slug":"meat-free-or-vegan-christmas-appropriate-way-to-celebrate-birth-anniversary-of-a-founder-of-a-world-religion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2019\/12\/23\/meat-free-or-vegan-christmas-appropriate-way-to-celebrate-birth-anniversary-of-a-founder-of-a-world-religion\/","title":{"rendered":"Meat free or vegan christmas \u2013 appropriate way to celebrate birth anniversary of a founder of a world religion"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Senaka Weeraratna<\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n

Christmas is a\nreligion-based festival that promotes peace and kindness. Love thy neighbor is\na key utterance of Jesus Christ. But can these values be sustained if we fail\nto extend them to all living beings. Are animals also not our neighbours?\nMorally entitled to our love and affection?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This moral issue arises\nevery time Christmas dawns for celebration. Innocent animals in their millions\nare put to death to celebrate the birth\nanniversary of one man, renowned as the \u2018Prince\nof Peace\u2019. Can this be morally justified? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some\nsay that Christ was a vegetarian. If so, he will be turning in his grave, if he\nwas aware of the pain and suffering caused to animals by man\u2019s inhumanity to\ncelebrate his birth anniversary. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If animals can speak they will call Christmas\na \u2018day of infamy\u2019 as they are forced to sacrifice their lives for a human feast\non a colossal mind boggling scale all over the world.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In every sense of the word Christmas\ncelebration generates an Animal Holocaust, not much different to the Holocaust\nof the Jews during World War Two.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nmoral challenge is to celebrate Christmas on the footing of Ahimsa which means\nnon \u2013 violence and peace. Reject merry making through causing death to millions\nof innocent animals. Strive for peaceful co \u2013 existence between humans and\nanimals. Meat is murder. Strive for a meat free Christmas and save the lives of\ninnocent animals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We must remember that the vast majority of\nanimals killed to sustain \u2018feasts\u2019 and celebrations on religious occasions are\nproducts of intense factory farming. On factory farms, baby animals are\nroutinely subject to invasive surgical procedures without the mercy of pain\nrelief. Millions of \u2018meat\u2019 chickens are concealed in industrial sheds, never to\nsee daylight or feel the earth beneath their feet. In commercial hatcheries,\neconomically \u2018worthless\u2019 day-old male chicks are crushed to death as \u2018waste\nproducts\u2019 of the egg industry. Even the dairy industry is not free from heinous\ncruelty towards new-born male calves. They are dispatched for slaughter no\nsooner they are born while their mother cows weep for them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Civilizational Values<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Christmas is an apt time for reflection on our\ncivilizational values because it is the season where hundreds of thousands of\ninnocent animals undergo extreme suffering, exploitation, and death. Millions\nof turkeys are slaughtered for Christmas dinner, along with ducks, geese, pigs,\nlambs and chickens. In western countries, puppies and kittens are given away as\npresents, then often neglected or discarded by new owners when the novelty has\nworn off.  Rabbits and foxes have their fur stripped from them to be\nturned into clothing and accessories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The undeclared war that is being waged\neveryday against countless millions of non-human animals all over the world\ntakes on an aggravated turn during the Christmas season. These practices are\ndeeply unsettling to anyone who values compassion and respect for the life of\nothers. We cannot remain silent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vesak<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In contrast, Vesak, the Buddhist festival\ncelebrating the birth anniversary of the Buddha is free of violence towards any\nliving being. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Humans\ndread violence and death. Likewise, all living beings including the so – called\nfood animals dread violence and death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Compassion\nmeans sympathizing with the suffering in other beings because one sees\nsuffering in oneself, and wishes every sentient being, including oneself, to be\nfree from suffering and be happy. If there is a single definition of what makes\none a true Buddhist, it is whether you endeavor to practice compassion or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is clearly spelt out in the Karaniya\nMetta Sutta. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

May all cultivate mett\u0101<\/em> (loving – kindess) towards all beings on an equal footing<\/strong>, those who live above,\nbelow, or across. May all be unhindered and without enmity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just as a mother would\nprotect her only child with her life, may this protection affect all beings on an equal footing.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether standing, walking,\nsitting or lying down, may all sustain this mett\u0101<\/em> mindset (what the Buddha called Brahma Vih\u0101ra<\/strong><\/em>)\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Any true celebration of peace and goodwill\nrelated to religion must be based on unimpeachable non-violence and respect for\nthe lives of all living beings including non-human sentient beings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An invaluable precedent from Sri Lanka<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is an invaluable precedent in Sri\nLanka i.e. Vesak, where reverence and compassion for all forms of life is\nstressed and consequently on Vesak day an age-old custom is legally enforced \u2013\nclosure of slaughter houses and ban on sale of meat. A majority of the people\nabstain from flesh food consumption as part of the Buddhist religious tradition\nand practice on that occasion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We can set an example to\nthe rest of the world by doing likewise on Christmas day. The biggest\nbeneficiaries would be the innocent animals. It is time that due consideration is\ngiven to their paramount interest in living until their natural life span ends\njust as much as we humans do to each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Christians in Sri Lanka should strongly consider\ncommencing a new tradition of kindness and goodwill to all living beings by\nleaving meat off their plate on Christmas day. Instead of blindly aping western\ntraditions mired in killing and bloodshed during Christmas, why not follow a\nmore distinctive Buddhist tradition of total non-violence when celebrating the\nanniversary of the birthday of the founder of a world religion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Justice for Animals Sri Lanka was formed in 2019\nunder the auspices of Sri Bodhiraja Foundation led by Ven. Omalpe Sobhitha\nThera to give voice to the suffering of animals, because they cannot articulate\ntheir suffering. The cause of animals has to be highlighted loud and clear not\nonly for their sake but also for our sake because it reflects on ourselves. Our\nsense of justice, compassion and sharing the planet earth with all those who\ninhabit it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Environmental damage<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Becoming a vegetarian or vegan has countless\nbenefits. Studies have shown that meat eating takes a heavy toll on the\nenvironment. A person who consumes a diet high in meat is responsible for\nalmost twice the climate-killing carbon dioxide emissions of a dedicated\nvegetarian.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In respect to the environmental cost per\ncalorie, the effect of beef consumption, for example, is horrific. The rearing\nof beef cattle necessitates 160 times more land and leads to 11 times more\ngreenhouse gas emissions vis-\u00e0-vis crops like wheat, rice or potatoes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps the most compelling argument for\nchoosing a vegetarian lifestyle is that abundant studies have shown that\nvegetarians have lower incidences of heart disease, lower BMI and lower blood\npressure than their meat-eating colleagues. Colon cancer is directly\nassociated, according to the latest medical research, with eating red meat,\nmuch as cigarettes are with lung cancer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Around\n5 million Brits in UK\nwill have a meat-free Christmas dinner for the first time ever. This is\naccording to new research released by The Vegan Society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According\nto the study, more British people are open to the idea of having a vegetarian\nChristmas than they\u2019ve ever been. Eight percent of respondents said this year\nwill be their first meat-free holiday dinner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is never too late to start such a fresh\nendeavor this season. It will save lives.  What can be more holy and\nnoble than that?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/www.livekindly.co\/5-million-brits-first-meatless-christmas-dinner\/ <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Extend the spirit of goodwill to animals this\nChristmas by avoiding meat altogether on Christmas Day. That will be an unique\nand truly noble gesture.\n\nSenaka Weeraratna\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Senaka Weeraratna Christmas is a religion-based festival that promotes peace and kindness. Love thy neighbor is a key utterance of Jesus Christ. But can these values be sustained if we fail to extend them to all living beings. Are animals also not our neighbours? Morally entitled to our love and affection? This moral issue […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-96780","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-forum"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96780","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=96780"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96780\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=96780"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=96780"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=96780"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}