The world being made especially for humans doesn't line up with reality and facts

[Rainbow Mage]

Well just put yourself into the situation of the animal and then ask yourself if YOU would be afraid or not...

 

[fallingblood]

Well just put yourself into the situation of the animal and then ask yourself if YOU would be afraid or not...

That doesn't work. I simply can't put myself in a position that I can not actually know. However, you can see from animals when they are afraid. All the time I worked on a farm, I only saw the animals afraid when we were really helping them. I remember being slammed into the side of a trailer by calf (which I'm glad it was just a calf) because it was afraid. However, it was also sick and needed to be moved so we could help it.

I've hit cows with cattle prods a quite a few times, and never did I detect fear. Annoyance sure, but not fear. And the fact that I can with stand the shock of a cattle prod, I don't think it could be considered abuse or torture to use on a cow.


Honestly though, I think most of the work hands on the farm were more afraid than the animals ever were.

 

[EverChanging]

You slap a cow with a cow prod, then show them the prod, and they don't act in fear, that's a pretty good signal. You can tell when a cow is afraid. Working on a farm, you need to know something like that.

The extremes that are shown are rare. And yes, they shouldn't be acceptable, and most don't. One reason, it gives a less of a quality product. A stressed out cow, that nearly dies from exhaustion does not give a quality product. And that means less money. Farms are a business.

What exact environmental consequences are you referring to?

I have a problem with all of it as a business. I do not find it acceptable to take the life of a non-human animal unless there are very strong reasons. Cultures that hunt for survival come to mind. Factory farming made into a business has disconnected us from nature and what is actually involved in taking another life.

Environmental consequences are fairly obvious. It takes acres and acres of land to be cleared in order to raise cattle, and those cattle in turn emit large amounts of Co2. Besides this, many resources are used up in actually feeding and raising these animals. It takes a lot of power to run factory farms and raise animals, so that's more Co2 into the air. Massive amounts of food and water are used just to feed the animals. It is very different from hunting for survival or necessity. And that's not even to mention all of the chemicals and hormones pumped into the meat you're eating. How do you think that will affect your body and the environment?

 

[ninerbuff]

How do you think that will affect your body and the environment?

Well our kids are getting bigger by each generation, that's pretty sure.

 

[Rainbow Mage]

Well our kids are getting bigger by each generation, that's pretty sure.

They're also getting shorter. I'm pretty young and all the guys my age and younger are very short.

 

[EverChanging]

Well our kids are getting bigger by each generation, that's pretty sure.

Yes, and also becoming unhealthy and obese and in some cases starting their period at an earlier age, etc. There's a lot wrong with our food.

 

[BruceDLimber]

You seem quite literalism [sic] to me, Bruce.

Then you apparently don't even understand what the term means because we are about as far from being "literal" as you can get!

And I still don't see the point of recognizing Dharma religions yet failing to understand what Dharma is all about. Maybe it is different with, say, Bahais from India?

The Baha'i teachings are common world wide, India included!

Perhaps you simply don't understand what WE teach about them, so a bit more study of our teachings might prove helpful.

Peace,

Bruce

 

[Rainbow Mage]

They have several books out Luis on Baha'i views on the teachings of Buddha and Krishna. Not all Baha'is are as ignorant of dharma. There are people in the Baha'i faith who are religious scholars, etc.

 

[LuisDantas]

Then you apparently don't even understand what the term means because we are about as far from being "literal" as you can get!

Sorry about the typo.

I beg to differ, anyway. You quote scripture so often, and you insist so much on its infalibility. You emphasize the need to believe in God so often. I am even surprised that you don't want to be considered a literalist.

The Baha'i teachings are common world wide, India included!

Maybe so, but is their interpretation uniform? I very much doubt it. Specifically, I would expect Bahais of a Dharmic background to be less worried about scriptures and, to a degree, about belief in God.

Perhaps you simply don't understand what WE teach about them, so a bit more study of our teachings might prove helpful.

Everything is possible.

 

[Rainbow Mage]

Maybe so, but is their interpretation uniform? I very much doubt it. Specifically, I would expect Bahais of a Dharmic background to be less worried about scriptures and, to a degree, about belief in God.

From what I've seen nothing about Baha'i beliefs is very uniform, except who they view as their authority- the UHJ, Baha'ullah, Abdul Baha, and Shoghi Effendi. They decide a lot at local meetings. Baha'is in the US are more like what you'd expect Christians to be like because most of them come from Christian backgrounds.

 

[LuisDantas]

Just to be clear, I don't see differences in interpretation as a problem. They're much more like a solution, really. That is something else that I learned from Dharma.

 

[BruceDLimber]

Maybe so, but is their interpretation uniform?

What you don't realize is that except for those interpretations made by the two individuals explicitly appointed to interpret our scripture ('Abdu'l-Baha and Shoghi Effendi), NO ONE is an official "interpreter," and EVERYONE has the right to his or her own interpretation of our scriptures (though not the right to expect others to accept it).

So I seriously doubt their interpretations are "uniform," nor is this a problem for us.

Peace,

Bruce