It's that time of year again . . .

So, which is more cruel: to shoot an animal square in the heart or vital organs and allow it to die within minutes? Or to keep it in deplorable, unnatural, and overcrowded conditions for years, only to kill it by sticking an electric prod up it's anus and electrocuting it (which often takes several attempts and is excruciatingly painful)?

We get several vegetarian magazines and one of them recently had an article that says that most polls show that people become vegetarians, not because they have a problem with eating meat, but because they have a problem with the deplorable conditions in factory farms and slaughterhouses.

 

That may be, but the problem is that there are those who cannot differentiate killing deer for food and killing deer for the pleasure of killing something.

 

We don't.

Obviously, we fillet what we can. After that, the heads and tails go right into the crab traps, which we put out as soon as we can, and everything else goes into the garden.

 

Good point! Somehow fishing is allowed, but hunting is not. I used to hunt when I was growing up and never felt sorry for the quail or squirrel we shot and ate. As an adult I just don't want to hunt anymore, but I certainly don't begrudge anyone who does. In fact, my nephew is a avid hunter.

 

You EVIL man! Don't you even wait for mosquito season! :laugh:

 

Uhh, "Bambi" was released in 1942. It's hardly guilty of "animal rights junk".

That said, what hunter would willingly or knowingly shoot a doe who has fawns? Responsible hunters typically would not. In most cases, shooting a doe during fawnign season is illegal.

 

Sag, I do tend to get very sensitive on "right to life" issues, and I extend quality of life issues to animals. As another poster later on down the line mentioned, the quality of life and the manner of execution in commercial meat places is very disturbing to me, and I already mentioned the biblical reasons I feel that hunting for sport and not for food is wrong.

Anyhow, I know I can come off strong sometimes. So while I mean what I said about my beliefs, I do think that I "spoke" to you in a condescending tone. For that I apologize and hope that you'll give the matter of animal treatment and God's expectations of us in that matter further consideration, even if only in your own private thoughts.

 

I hear avids are hard to kill.

WHen does avid season start, anyway?

 

Wait, Gina, did I read yoru post correctly, that you're okay with an animal getting shot for food, but you're not okay with an animal getting slaughtered in a slaughter house for food? Seems a little inconsistent.

 

Thanks for your posts, JDF. I still need to talk to my oldest daughter some more, but she is very hesitant to eat meat and her reasons are as you stated. I myself did the same for a few years.
We are in a new area of the country and I do need to get busy and learn the area and how to manage a healthy diet for a growing teen, while trying to find a place that sells kosher meat or farmers that farm according to biblical principles and get our meats from there if possible.
I need to make the family more sensitive to this issue...I'm guilty of not always living up to what I believe, and that contributes to the problem.

I just don't get why Christians are so often the WEAKEST on this issue. Common sense tells me that we should be the strongest voice for caring for the earth and for creatures correctly. Most hunters I know that are Christians do have a healthy dose of respect for the land and for animals, and that's awesome, but self-sufficient people are also growing very rare. Then again, if someone is raised in a city and knows nothing but Wal-Mart and that meat comes on a piece of plastic wrapped foam, I guess it would be hard to make the issue have much meaning for them.

What can be done about it though? Education is usually key to any problem. How many people here think that churches would be willing to accept and distribute a well-written pamphlet on biblical treatment of our earth, our duty towards creation, and how it relates to our diets? I'm starting to get tempted to write something of that nature, or at least include it in something I'm working on. What think ye?

 

In a sense, yes. That is correct.

I think more people should do their own hunting for food.

I am against the way many mass producers of meat raise and slaughter animals. There is a right way and a wrong way.

I believe animals that are raised for food should be raised with care and treated properly. When they are slaughtered, they should be slaughtered in a way that causes the least pain and fear for them. For those who hunt, it should be done with a sense of gratefulness, and they should not cause unneeded pain and fear to that creature for "fun" or waste parts that can be used. Not only do I believe that is scriptural, I believe it is healthiest for the consumer and the earth.

 

Please follow along...

 

I have issues with the "catch and release" fishing as well. To poke a hole in a fishes mouth for fun is equally cruel.

 

As an avid hunter, I can't help it they've chosen to regulate my foraging into seasons.

 

See, we can agree on stuff

To be honest I never gave either hunting or fishing much thought in the past. This thread has opened up issues and questions I haven't thought about before. We were just out fishing with the kids on Sept. 27th (catch and release), and after looking into tests done on fish, they do feel pain and the hook. Studies done show a fish suffers. We were going to buy my son a fishing rod for Christmas, but I told my wife that is now out of the question.

 

Living in southern california, that would be difficult, unless I want to live off a diet of rattlesnake, opposum, and coyote.

Perhaps the reason I feel differently is because one if my kids did 4H and FFA for 6 years. The only thing I've learned about livestock is they simply don't care about the things we care about. I'm all for humane treatment of animals, but much of what we think of humane is subjective, not objective.

 

I can't believe what I'm reading on this thread.