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“And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.” -Genesis 1:26
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the
paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the
shadow of death; I will fear no evil: for thou
art with me; thy rod and thy staff they
comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the
presence of mine enemies: thou anointest
my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all
the days of my life; and I will dwell in the
house of the Lord for ever.
psalm 23 - bible - psalm of david
“A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast: but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.” -Proverbs 12:10
“For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.” -1 Timothy 4:4-5
The practice of factory farming should bother us on many levels. We know that God loves all creation, even the animals. He works to preserve it and wants all life to flourish. He has asked us to benevolently steward creation in a way that honors and glorifies Him. Treating living things as inanimate objects oversteps the bounds of stewardship. We have the right to use animals for food, but we don't have the right to act in cruel, cavalier ways toward God's creation or inflict unnecessary suffering on any living creature.
These practices run deeper than just animal rights. They deeply damage the environment and harm people. The 10 billion animals processed in America every year affect the quality of our air, rivers and streams. According to the EPA, the agriculture and meat industries contribute to nearly three-quarters of all our water-quality problems. People are also affected. The fatty meat produced from these practices promote obesity and affect global hunger issues. Over 800 million people in the world are hungry or malnourished. The majority of corn and soy our world produces now goes to feed cattle, pigs and chickens.
I conclusion I think it’s not only important that we enjoy our food, but also that we respect it. We need to take the necessary measures to treat other living creatures with dignity as should a race that was created in the image of god.
A pig is being raised in a confined pen, packed in so tightly with other swine that their curly tails have been chopped off so they won't bite one another. To prevent him from getting sick in such close quarters, he is dosed with antibiotics. The waste produced by the pig and his thousands of pen mates on the factory farm where they live goes into manure lagoons that blanket neighboring communities with air pollution and a stomach-churning stench. He's fed on American corn. He's fed on American corn that was grown with the help of government subsidies and millions of tons of chemical fertilizer. When the pig is slaughtered, at about 5 months of age, he'll become sausage or bacon that will sell cheap, feeding an American addiction to meat that has contributed to an obesity epidemic currently afflicting more than two-thirds of the population. And when the rains come, the excess fertilizer that coaxed so much corn from the ground will be washed into the Mississippi River and down into the Gulf of Mexico, where it will help kill fish for miles and miles around. That's the state of your bacon - circa 2009.
Chick-fil-A's corporate mission, as stated on a plaque at company headquarters (and by Cathy), is to "glorify God." It is the only national fast-food chain that closes on Sunday so operators can go to church and spend time with their families; franchisees who don't go along with the rule risk having their contracts terminated. Company meetings and retreats include prayers, and the company encourages franchisees to market their restaurants through church groups. Howe Rice, a franchisee in Glen Allen, Va., hosts a Bible study group in one of his two Chick-fil-A restaurants every Tuesday. He offers a free breakfast to all who attend. "You don't have to be a Christian to work at Chick-fil-A, but we ask you to base your business on biblical principles because they work," says Cathy.
Ezekiel 34:2-4. Woe to the shepherds of Israel who only take care of themselves! Should not the shepherds take care of the flock? You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals, but you did not take care of the flock! You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally.
Originally posted by adifferentbreed
Animals are grown, raised and killed and then we eat them. Happens everyday. Just another slam for chik Fil A's donating food to a group the homosexuals don't like. Funny, they are the ones being singled out, again. Oh well, enjoy the star and flag fest as the other thread bleeds over here.edit on 10-2-2011 by adifferentbreed because: Spelling
Originally posted by LordBaskettIV
How is factory farming any different than a large city anywhere in the world? How can anyone support free range farming ect but then happily pack into a city. Are we not animals too?
Originally posted by v1rtu0s0
According to the bible, we are not animals.
Ecclesiastes 3
18 I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts. 19 For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity. 20 All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again. 21 Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth? 22 Wherefore I perceive that there is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his own works; for that is his portion: for who shall bring him to see what shall be after him?
Originally posted by TheRedneck
OK, redneck will weigh in on this one.
So if I were to decide to raise cattle, I would have a couple of choices:
- Buy a large amount of land, going deeply into debt... perhaps so deeply that traditional methods of raising cattle would be insufficient to pay the mortgage, or
- Raise only as many cattle as would fit on my place, meaning it would produce insufficient income to support me (turning the whole thing into a hobby rather than a job), or
- Increase the amount of animals I can raise on the limited land I have... factory farming.
There is one more option, which I choose: don't raise cattle.
Originally posted by LordBaskettIV
And to the OP, if god is not intimately aware that beings he created are animals, then chances are that passage was written and concieved by an uneducated man, and not god.
Originally posted by Illusionsaregrander
reply to post by TheRedneck
In business school, in ethics, they actually discuss in detail the problems with falling to the lowest common denominator when you compete only with price. Companies know they can be less evil, cause less suffering, treat their employees better, etc., and still make money. We studied how some companies paid their employees more, did all kinds of things that seem backwards business wise, but who generated enormous "goodwill" within their customer base that kept them profitable and afloat. These companies often just dont become mega corporations, and so people aiming for global dominance dont choose that.
Originally posted by Illusionsaregrander
. I think the OP brings up a good question. Its fair to ask why principled companies who claim religious values get down and dirty with the evil bastards who are going straight to hell and could care less. Its a viable strategy to ask people to pay more for products that are less evil. I pay more for less evil all the time. Lots of people do.
Originally posted by adifferentbreed
Animals are grown, raised and killed and then we eat them. Happens everyday. Just another slam for chik Fil A's donating food to a group the homosexuals don't like. Funny, they are the ones being singled out, again. Oh well, enjoy the star and flag fest as the other thread bleeds over here.edit on 10-2-2011 by adifferentbreed because: Spelling