Animal Rights: My Pagan Value

My posting for Pagan Values Blogging Month isn't going to be popular. Why do I think this? My expectation is that many will discuss values of fairness, truth, equality and Earth-reverence. That is all wonderful of course and certainly part of what I have to say. But for this piece, I want to get specific. I want to ask questions, of myself and you. If I believe in "fairness" and "Earth-reverence", how am I working these into my day on a practical and mundane level. What do I "value" in the world so much that it becomes one of my core "values."

Animal rights is this core value for me. In my practice of service and compassion, I look to the way the world around me treats animals as a gauge for the ethics that build up around me and form my worldview. Let me make something clear first- I don't mean "animal welfare." I wager that most in the Pagan paths will have some sort of animal welfare value. Animal welfare is the lessening and regulation of harm to animals on a global industrial level. Animal rights means the absolute elimination of animals from the global industrial system. It means the demise of all injustice to animals for human exploitation and greed. It means recognizing that animals are their own sentient beings with the right to be free of the excessive pain and suffering we inflict upon them.

I won't spend a lot of time going through the fact sheets and tossing pie charts and research reports at you. We know that animals suffer- this post is only to showcase why it matters. In the interest of food for thought (excuse the pun), here's a few quick numbers. According to the USDA, 59 billion animals were killed for food last year. over a lifetime, this translates into more then 15,000 animals per-lifetime in the average American diet (per estimated number of omnivores). Additionally each year, millions are killed for the fashion industry to make clothing and accessories from fur, leather and wool. Millions more are killed for useless animal experimentation for cosmetics and pseudo-science. The numbers are staggering, yet we think of it little throughout our days. We see killings by war in the news around the clock, yet there has been a war waged against animals since the dawn of human history. Perhaps its time we rethink our relationship to them. My friend Raven says it simply and best:

"The undeniably torturous conditions in which billions upon billions of animals are raised for food, clothing, entertainment, and cosmetic chemical experimentation (testing) is something every person should consider as they go about their lives."  -Raven Digitalis, Author

So, its obvious to see why many would consider this a value in their lives. But why is it a Pagan value? Though sort of long, I implore you to read this quote from Emma Restall Orr (author, head of The Druid Network and vegan)  in an interview I conducted with her several years ago on veganism within Paganism:

"My feeling is that it is all too easy to feel empathy with nonhuman animals in a sentimental way, and sentimentality is a very poor basis for ethical decisions.  I am not a vegan because I love animals.  In truth, I don't particularly like animals, or no more than I like trees, stars, rivers, pebbles: I respect their nature.  A sound ethical basis, I think, has to be based upon honour, not sentiment.  If Paganism is a nature-reverencing religion (and for the majority in Britain it is), then we need to live in a way which does honour nature.   

How we honour nature is for each seeker to explore, for 'honour' is as potent and profound a word as love, and anyone who has lived and loved and lost knows that it takes a lifetime or more to understand what love really is.  Honour, for me within my own tradition of Druidry, is about neither controlling or being controlled by another (of any species), but learning how to live with others, in peaceful company. 

By nature, like many I would include human nature as well as nonhuman nature, and of course by our living we are bound to restrict others' freedom, prioritising our own needs.  However, just because we are bound to intrude upon another's freedom, we need not shrug and give up our attempt to live with perfect honour.  It is enough to say that through our actions we will do all we can to cause the least unnecessary harm.   

Poignantly, that means thinking carefully about what our needs are, and what our desires are.  If we are doing something for pleasure, not out of necessity, it is less justifiable to cause suffering.  For most of us, in Western culture, eating meat or dairy produce is not necessary.  With a little knowledge and a shift in skills, it is absolutely possible to be well nourished without being complicit or responsible for that unnecessary harm. 

However, veganism is not just about animals, nor is it just about food.  All industrial agriculture, nonfood uses of animal products and other ways in which our species causes damage to the environment, affecting others, creating unnecessary harm, needs to be considered.   

Further, for many Pagans, there is a powerful foundational belief that our individual actions are affective : we do make a difference.  That is the basis of magic, that through our will or our relationship with the spirits of nature, ancestors, the gods, we can create change around us.  If that belief is there within our religious or spiritual perspective, then it accompanies an obligation, surely, to make sure that every action, every decision, is affecting the world we live in positively."

The environmental factors that Emma refers to are the devastating affects of industrial factory farming (mostly) and the greenhouse gas emissions that come from them. A few years ago, the United Nations released a report stating that animal agriculture made up more CO2 emissions than all cars, trucks and planes combined. You can read the entire report in PDF here. Regardless of how we feel about animals, we cannot ignore the blatant environmental abuse inherent within the business of animal agriculture. As a Pagan value, I know I can be more effective in this way by not eating a burger, than I am by changing my light bulb. When these issues are of concern, the measure of effectiveness in what we do matters.

With all of this information aside, many of us still use theology to justify our habits. Just as many right-wing Christians use the Bible as backup for hate speech, so too do many followers of Earth-based traditions use vague metaphysical references to justify the killing of animals for human benefit. Nearly all Pagan traditions honor death as  a part of life. Further, life is seen as growing from what has passed, what has since died. This seems to be the prime justification for animals used as food in particular. Through this language, it is assumed that the vegan Pagan doesn't want animals to be hurt or to die at all. This is simply not the case. I recognize that pain is a part of life and that we must all die at some point. However, this really is completely irrelevant to the issue at hand that forms the basis of all animal rights view points: unnecessary pain and suffering. When animals are exploited for human gain when an alternative exists, it is unnecessary. Life feeds life, but pain and suffering don't have to. Since we do not need to eat animals to live, raising them to be killed is not necessary. The American Dietetic Association has determined that veganism is an appropriate diet for all stages of life and includes all the nutrients and calories we need to live a healthy balanced life. Again, its a matter of necessity. From the logic of pain and suffering being a natural occurance, it stands to reason that I can abuse my partner or push a rude coworker down the stairs. Pain is a part of life so its fine, right?

The other theological backup used to justify the abuse of animals is ancestral. Our Pagan ancestors ate meat, had fighting animals for entertainment and several cultures used animal sacrifice as a form of religious observation. Our Pagan ancestors also lived in straw huts and died in mass when winter rolled around. We have advanced. We use the knowledge of things that benefit our lives for the better (or we should anyways). No longer are we seemingly at the mercy of the gods for our every need and desire. In our advancement, we have been gifted with the intellect to make choices that can hinder or encourage our growth. Yes, animal agriculture might be something that was a growth in ages past, contributing to colonization and city-building. Now that we know that its not in the best interest of our planet or bodes to use animals in this way, we must make a choice once again. Do we continue to eat ourselves to death and destroy the planet with every burger and milkshake? Or do we instead adopt habits that serve to sustain our planet and the people within it?

As human beings in a "modern" culture, we are raised with a certain sense of entitlement. One thing that my spiritual path has taught me is that there is more going on in the world than me. There are things out there greater than me and things out there that need me to be as great as possible. What I mean by this is stewardship. I believe that Pagans can be some of the best stewards for the Earth. Our connection with our environment (both seen and unseen) is a uniqueness rivaled by few other paths. Because of this, we have a responsibility to ourselves and our surroundings to be the best guardians of the planet and the creatures within that we can be. Because of our access to information and our blessed array of choices, we have the chance to truly practice compassion for all.

The question then becomes, what are we willing to risk? The easy response is that there is little to risk by not embracing compassion for all animals. Those few risks include some awkward social situations (family dinners) and the occasional tough selections when visiting a steakhouse restaurant. The risks of not embracing compassion for animals are great. We risk our bodies, and the ability to not only live, but to truly thrive. We risk the land and soil, poisoned by unsustainable farming practices. And worst of all, we risk a loss of connection. When I can look any animal in the eye with peace and say "I don't eat you", I am connecting on the deepest levels- the levels of survival, integrity, and honor.

I have been vegan for 6 years (this week!) and was vegetarian by the age of 14. My last medical physical was 6 months ago. My doctor actually used the words "a perfect picture of health" to describe me and even joked that if I kept on doing whatever it is I'm doing, I'm likely to be around past 100. Just a few weeks ago I ran my first 5K race and finished in fabulous time. I have energy, I'm strong, and I feel alive at every moment. Isn't this what it means to be a Pagan? To be alive in the world, to be fully embodied? As a Witch, shouldn't I be interested in taking in the most powerful and healthy energies that I can? To do any less would to me feel like an injustice to my practice, to my life force, and to my Craft. I think of george Bernard Shaw when he wrote in 1951: "We are the living graves of murdered beasts Slaughtered to satisfy our appetites." I want to be more than a slave to my appetite. If I'm to work my Will in the world, I must practice mastery over what I take into myself, especially on the physical levels.

For these reasons and so much more, animal rights in my Pagan value. It's not a popular value and that's mostly why I need to write about it. I have a personal vow that I won't discuss animal rights with my family or coven, because it can be a heated topic. My passion isn't helpful when it hurts my relationship with others. Instead, I say that I'm simply here to be within my own practice and willing to respond to questions when they're asked of me. If you ask, I will answer. For those struggling with trying to adopt compassionate practices, I urge you to be patient with yourself and your process. Making changes doesn't always come easy. Learn where you can and act when you can. I am learning and acting in new ways every day. I hope you'll join me in doing the same.

PS-
If you read this far, please consider watching the video below. I went veg in 2001 because of it and many more have as well.