Vegetarians vs Meat - Gods Punishment

[sublime001]

According to some faiths, eating meat is wrong. They believe that if you take life from an animal, you come back as that animal in your next life (source ISKCON). This made me think, is this really true ?

For those mathematicians out there, if this were true shouldn't there now be more veggies than non-veg ? Considering the majority of the worlds population is non-veg. By the way I am veggie but not due to religious beliefs, you never know what you're getting these days.

 

[Rainbow Mage]

Sublime I'm not sure there's any punishment for humans eating meat, anymore then they'd be punishment for animals eating each other. Things devouring each other are part of this existence of things, and it's also part of how all things flow into each other. I do believe, however, that vegetarianism is best, yes.

 

[Father Heathen]

Not to digress, but I don't understand why god(s) would create us as an omnivorous species, yet not intend for us to consume flesh.

 

[Koldo]

I didn't get it. Do i become the animal i eat in next life? Or does it count only if i kill it?

Anyway, i have eaten in this life many kinds of fish, cow, pork, and chicken meat.
What animal will i turn into? The one i ate the most? Or maybe a mix of all of them like a chimaera?

 

[Father Heathen]

The one i ate the most?

We would all come back as microbes, vegetarians included.

 

[Rainbow Mage]

I don't believe that humans can reincarnate into anything other then humans, because even though I do believe animals have a soul, it need not be the same type of soul a human has. It might also be due to my Buddhist and Kemetic beliefs, both of which say a human cannot reincarnate into anything other then a human.

 

[sublime001]

My main reason for raising this topic was to see the impact of the theory in practises, ie coming back as an animal. If this was the case would there be more vegetarians or about the same ?

 

[Koldo]

Do you mean to ask if people believed in this "theory" if there would be more or less vegetarians than now?

In this case,what happens to you if you don't eat any animal's meat? What becomes of you?

 

[Father Heathen]

We best resort to cannibalism to ensure the best reincarnation results.

 

[sublime001]

No not if they believed in the theory but if the theory were actually true. So it apply to all regardless of their religious faith or even if they were atheists

 

[sublime001]

We best resort to cannibalism to ensure the best reincarnation results.

Forget faith for a sec and think about the maths behind the theory.

 

[Koldo]

We best resort to cannibalism to ensure the best reincarnation results.

Ha, a nice solution.

No not if they believed in the theory but if the theory were actually true. So it apply to all regardless of their religious faith or even if they were atheists

It is the same situation as of now, isn't it? Someone is claiming this "theory" is real, and most people ignore it. Unless this "theory" can be proven then it wouldn't change anything.

Anyway, what happens to us if we don't eat any animal meat?

 

[Valjean]

First: ISKCON. This is an unorthodox sect with a culture and theology not typical of most other Hindu traditions. As far as coming back as the animal you ate, most people eat thousands of animals from dozens of species in their lifetimes. Do the ISKCONis hold that we'll be reincarnated as each individual animal, as a representative specimen of each species or some other scheme?

Second, "punishment" is largely an Abrahamic thing. In the Eastern traditions there is just the mindless, automatic, mechanical effect f Karma. Negative effects occur not from sin but from bucking your dharma.

Speaking generally again, spiritual advancement and "rebirth" is usually conceived of as a one way street. One is not born as a less conscious entity than he was before.

 

[Yerda]

Forget faith for a sec and think about the maths behind the theory.

What maths?

 

[sublime001]

Yes that is true, but what if the theory were true? Would there be more veg's ?

 

[sublime001]

What maths?

Would veg's = non veg's or would there be fewer/more veg's?

 

[Rainbow Mage]

Yes that is true, but what if the theory were true? Would there be more veg's ?

Not necessarily, because how would they know? A person isn't generally viewed as retaining their memories beyond rebirth.

 

[sublime001]

Not necessarily, because how would they know? A person isn't generally viewed as retaining their memories beyond rebirth.

Yes I agree they would not know, but a child born into a vegetarian family usually ends up vegetarian does he not ?

 

[Koldo]

You have to believe in this "theory" for it to influence your choice of being vegetarian or not. Even if this "theory" is true, if people don't believe in it then nothing changes.

 

[Penumbra]

According to some faiths, eating meat is wrong. They believe that if you take life from an animal, you come back as that animal in your next life (source ISKCON). This made me think, is this really true ?

For those mathematicians out there, if this were true shouldn't there now be more veggies than non-veg ? Considering the majority of the worlds population is non-veg. By the way I am veggie but not due to religious beliefs, you never know what you're getting these days.

My main reason for raising this topic was to see the impact of the theory in practises, ie coming back as an animal. If this was the case would there be more vegetarians or about the same ?

Forget faith for a sec and think about the maths behind the theory.

Mathematically, this is not able to be determined because it's not necessarily a closed system.

-One must consider that along with meat-eating humans turning into other animals, there may be other animals turning into humans.

-Our planet may not be a closed system. Assuming god populated the universe with life, there's not necessarily a reincarnation barrier between worlds. Humans and other animals may be reincarnating on other planets, and extra-terrestrials may be reincarnating as either humans or animals on our own planet.

-There may or may not be "fresh souls" being regularly added to the system to replace ones reaching Moksha and whatnot.