Meat is Murder
by Elaine Carter
In this past weeks episode of Running Russell Simmons his Executive Assistant, Simone Reyes who is an animal activist, joined a PETA (People For The Ethical Treatment of Animals) protest. She packaged herself in blood to represent how animal flesh is displayed in trays in the grocery store. The theme of the protest was “Meat is Murder.”
I think consumers get hypnotized by the neatly presented packs of meat on display in the meat case and forget that meat comes from a living breathing being that suffered it’s entire life to be put on our dining tables.
The truth is billions of chickens, cows, calves, pigs, turkeys and other livestock are raised in factory farms. Living beings are not designed to live their lives on an assembly line. Most animals in factory farms live in huge warehouses and never see the sun or set foot on a blade of grass. They are stuffed into extremely overcrowded conditions. On top of that, they also spend their entire lives living in their own waste which has the potential to breed disease.
Each animal will endure a painful death. People don’t think that animals are smart or have feelings. But for any of us who have pets or ever had a pet, you know there is a bond of love that can form between humans and animals. So there is an order of intelligence for that to happen. Farm animals have feelings and intelligence too. Pigs and chickens have been found to have the same mental capacity as dogs (equivalent to a 3 year old human).
I know what people say… God put animals on earth for us to eat. BUT! I think God would strongly disapprove of how inhumanely animals are treated and killed. Ask this question…What would Jesus do? Would Jesus confine tens of thousands of animals in a single enclosed structure for their entire lives? Is it natural for animals to have a hormone dispensing chip placed behind their ears to deliver regular doses of growth hormones and antibiotics? How is it not cruel to boil chickens alive which sometimes can happen when they are being de-feathered in scalding water? Is it right for man to also genetically modify what God has created? God meant for animals to roam freely, enjoy the sun and socialize with one another. If an animal has to sacrifice it’s life for humans, the least we could do is make their lives as naturally and comfortably lived as possible.
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