From A Recovered Vegetarian

In my late teens, I was a lacto-ovo-vegetarian. For those that don't know what that is, it is someone who doesn't eat meat, but does consume eggs (ovo) and dairy (lacto) products. I lived in the fairy tale world that because I didn't eat actual animal flesh, I wasn't supporting the killing of animals. Now, it's highly unbiblical to be against the killing of animals and consumption of meat. We live post-fall. Not only is meat a gift from God, but it's really practical, given the curse upon Adam. It simply takes more calories to produce plant source food than these foods (fruit, vegetables, nuts, etc.) contain. I got that statistic from Joel Salatin, who was probably trying to point out the selfishness behind (vegan, or no animal products whatsoever) vegetarianism from a producer/consumer relationship standpoint, and it may be that those calories come, in part, from fossil fuels in our day & age, but I digress.

Anyhow, when you consider that only the female of a species produces eggs or milk, and that birth rates of any species are roughly 50% female and 50% male, it becomes quite clear that there will be an over abundance of males if you are only after eggs and milk. What is to be done with them? They become meat. This takes us back to my previous post: How do you want your meat, eggs, and milk to live prior to it gracing your table? Do you want them raised by someone who views them as God's creation, or evolutionary underling widgets?

But back to this post: it is my personal belief that, if indeed it takes more calories to grow a vegetable than the vegetable itself contains, then vegan vegetarians are selfish for the reasons stated above. I agree with Joel. Furthermore, I believe that lacto-, ovo-, or lacto-ovo-vegetarians are either naive (thinking they aren't killing animals), cowardly (being against the killing of animals, yet supporting the industry but not wanting to be the one who actually eats them) or both. When I run across a lacto-ovo-vegetarian that is willing to run a farm for roosters and bulls, caring for their needs and expecting nothing but the enjoyment of their company in return, I will be otherwise convinced. Should this ever become a trend, I will also buy vast amounts of stock in fence production companies.

My apologies if this post comes across as overly dogmatic, but it is my blog, afterall. Not that it is my usual custom to be dogmatic, but that it is my right to express my opinions--and unashamedly so--on my own blog. Right? Maybe I should edit the purpose of my blog over there on the left to include "sorting out some thoughts currently swimming through my head" ?? And if you're a vegetarian of any variety, you really mustn't concern yourself with what I think. I promise "Naive!", "Selfish!", and "Coward!" really aren't swimming through my head when we converse. That is more an evaluation of me in my teen years than anything else.