By Day of Greenleaf, the Founding Yaiyr
Both the Nasarean “Old Testament” and Nasarean “New Testament” portions of our Bible – The Holy Megillah: Nasarean Bible of The Essene Way – make clear that vegetarianism is required of all Nasareans, and also make clear that vegetarianism is so important for planetary well-being that even non-Nasareans should be encouraged to embrace it.
The Nasarean “Old Testament” describes how the early vegetarian era called “Eden” was intentionally subverted by Luciferians for their own purposes. By introducing killing and meat-eating, the Luciferians were able to slow down and weaken the vibratory “Shield of Light” – related to the “aura” – of the human being so as to be able to influence the thoughts, feelings, and actions of, even, in some cases, to enter the bodies of (“demonic possession”), particularly weakened humans. The Megillah teaches that as long as humans eat a vegetarian diet, our “Shield of Light” should be strong enough to prevent entry to disembodied demonic entities.
The Nasarean “Old Testament” also describes one particular plan of the Luciferians: by inserting animal sacrifice and meat-eating into the religions and Bibles of the world religions, the Luciferians believed that the followers of those religions would be unable to actually put into practice the loftier teachings of their scriptures – such as “Loving one another” or “being nonviolent”– and would thus be unable to ascend to higher heavenly realms and thereby effectively escape from the reach of the Luciferians.
The Nasarean “New Testament” (Holy Godspell) portion of The Holy Megillah makes clear that both the Lord Christ Yahshua and the Lady Christ Miriam upheld the ancient Nasarean teachings on vegetarianism. They taught that vegetarianism is a prerequisite to baptism as a Nasarean, and that it is also an ABSOLUTE REQUIREMENT OF DISCIPLESHIP IN THEIR OWN PERSONAL CIRCLE OF DISCIPLES. They asked that future Nasareans not weaken this requirement of initiation into our religion, and we, the modern Nasarean Religion of The Essene Way and all of our authorized churches and affiliated ministries, will faithfully follow their instructions.
Although the Lord Christ and Lady Christ required vegetarianism for membership in the Nasarean Religion of The Essene Way, they also instructed their disciples to provide some introductory lessons for non-members. We, the modern Nasarean Church, do exactly that: though we require vegetarianism for initiation as members, we make available some introductory lessons on the Essene Way to sincere seekers that are not yet ready or willing to become vegetarian.
Besides any health and ecological benefits of an appropriately designed vegetarian diet – and those benefits are many and are listed at the end of the following Commentary on Doctrine Eleven – the most important reason for Nasareans to be vegetarian is related to LOVE AND KINDNESS in the context of HUMAN SPIRITUAL EVOLUTION.
The evolutionary level of each Human Being – each humanly-embodied soul – is demonstrated by its degree of loving kindness in any area of life, including but not limited to the dietary aspect. VEGETARIANISM IS AN IMPORTANT INTENTIONAL MOVEMENT of the VIBRATION OF MERCIFUL COMPASSION toward those ANIMALS THAT OTHERWISE WILL BE SLAUGHTERED (MURDERED) AS WE STEAL THEIR BODIES TO FEED OURSELVES A MEAL OR TWO, their entire incarnation ended to sustain our own incarnation for a day or two. That “most important” reason for Nasarean vegetarianism is, in short, LOVE EXPRESSED AS KINDNESS.
It is because of that “most important” reason for Nasarean vegetarianism – just given in the above paragraph – that Nasareans do not hunt or fish, not even if we are abstaining from eating that meat ourselves.
COMMENTARY ON DOCTRINE ELEVEN
In regard to that “most important” reason for Nasarean vegetarianism: imagine a mother deer grazing with her child in a field of green grass on a beautiful sunny day; … and then, in front of that child, the mother deer gets shot by a hunter. Whether or not the hunter intends to eat the meat, to end her incarnation – or that of a daddy, child, or any other deer – is very unfair, extremely unkind, ending what might have been years of joyous life, for a few meals or, as is true of many hunters, just sick fun…. Brothers and Sisters: The “thrill of the kill” will only make you spiritually ill.
Truly, getting “jollies” – having fun – blowing a hole through the head of a sweet deer (or other animal) while it nonviolently grazes grass, is not conducive to the higher spiritual vibrations that deserve to be called “heavenly.” So, do not expect to experience being in truly heavenly vibrations until that sort of entertainment is well behind you, beneath your level of spiritual evolution.
Nasarean vegetarians are the first to acknowledge – as does our Nasarean Bible – that vegetarians have not reached the furthest levels of dietary non-violence. We realize that vegetarianism is simply a step – an important step – in the ongoing process of spiritual evolution that will eventually result in our living in bodies that do not need to be fed by even plant bodies, living on heavenly essences that kill nothing. OUR TEACHING IS NOT THAT VEGETARIANISM IS THE END OF THE PROCESS OF EVOLUTION INTO NONVIOLENCE/AHIMSA (ahimas means non-injury/harmlessness and is an essential element of yoga); rather, we teach that vegetarianism is the appropriate next step for a meat-eating human who chooses to become a spiritual initiate, a yogi, a relatively evolved human being on the way to progressively-more heavenly vibrational expressions in body, mind, and soul.
While vegetarianism is a doctrine of the Nasarean Religion of The Essene Way, non-Nasareans that choose vegetarianism may reap many benefits, including personal health. Before I end this commentary, I will share information that supports that assertion. But I am not yet ready to leave the ‘most important reason’; I want to share a bit more on MERCIFUL COMPASSION toward those ANIMALS THAT OTHERWISE WILL BE SLAUGHTERED (MURDERED) AS WE STEAL THEIR BODIES TO FEED OURSELVES A FEW MEALS, their entire incarnation – years of potential life – murderously ended to sustain our own incarnation for a few days.
Here is a stunning statistic from John Robbins’ Pulitzer-prize nominated book, Diet for a New America: Each year in the United States alone, over one hundred million cows, pigs and sheep are killed in slaughterhouses. An additional four billion birds (e.g. chickens and turkeys) are slaughtered annually. THE ABOVE STATISTICS REPRESENT A LINE OF DEAD ANIMALS STRETCHING OVER 750,000 MILES – A LINE APPROXIMATELY THE DISTANCE TO THE MOON, BACK TO EARTH, AND BACK AGAIN TO THE MOON!
From the very beginning of Yahshua’s incarnation on Earth, the emancipation of the animal world from the human dinner plate was central to his teaching. The theme of animal liberation is mentioned in the authentic version of his birth. That beautiful excerpt makes clear the fact that Yahshua’s mission of love on Earth embraces not only human beings, BUT ALL BEINGS! In The Holy Megillah: Nasarean Bible of The Essene Way, we read:
71. And while they were in Bethlehem, the time came for Mary to give birth to the Lord.
72. Yea, her firstborn child was birthed in a grotto where they had gone to sleep for the night, for there was no room for them at the inn.
73. And the nearest Nasarean brethren were outside the city at the farm owned by Joseph, and Mary could travel no further.74. Lo: the grotto was used as a stable for animals.
75. And there was in the grotto a male and female of each of the following animals: sheep, fowl, camel, dog, cat, owl, and horse.
76. The animals were arrayed as a greeting party for Joseph and Mary and the soon to be birthed Christ child.
77. Yea, they were arrayed in a manner that symbolized The Path of Discipleship, which begins with The Four Pillars.
78. For, behold: it was by walking this path that Joseph and Mary came to this magical moment of the birth of the Christ.
79. First came the sheep; they symbolize Sincerity.
80. Second came the rooster and hen; they symbolize Diligence.
81. Third came the camels; they symbolize Perseverance.
82. Fourth came the dogs; they symbolize Loyalty.
83. Fifth came cats that belonged to a visitor from Egypt.
84. This visitor was staying in the inn and had brought the cats to be companions for his mother; for, lo, her husband had died.
85. These lap-cats symbolize Friendship.
86. Sixth came the owls; they symbolize Wisdom.
87. Seventh came the horses; they symbolize Royalty.88. And behold: the grotto was filled with blazing light, as bright as the Sun in its glory, though it was the middle of the night.
89. Yea, for the Lord comes as a light in the darkness, to illuminate the Way.
90. Behold: the angelic voices of cherubim filled the air with heavenly praises and songs celestial.
91. Thus it came to pass that Jahday, our God Immanent, the Only Directly Emanated Son of Jah, took incarnation as Yahshua, and was born amongst the animals.
92. For, lo: He came not only to bring salvation to humankind but also to the animals, this being accomplished by the redemption of humankind from the bloody diet of ignorance and selfishness. [Boldface added to verse 92 by Day for emphasis of our theme]
93. And this redemption is to be accomplished by the regeneration of humankind as sons and daughters of God and Goddess in the Essene Way.
Miriam the Magdalene links our karma to our behavior, including our behavior to animals:
Near a slaughterhouse in Bethany, Miriam and several of Her Companions conversed with a small crowd.
Miriam said: “The heart of the heaven bound feels and prevents all creature’s woes as its own.
Hell swallows those that swallow meat.”
~~~
A bystander asked: “Do not all of us eat?
Even your disciples must eat.”
Miriam replied: “Look around you: bodies are swallowing bodies.
Heaven-bound humans swallow plants.
But I tell you truly, in the higher heavens no bodies are swallowed; for, those that swallow bodies will be swallowed. Until you have attained the body that is not swallowed, you will be swallowed.”A disciple asked Miriam: “Should I cease even now to swallow?
Should I even now cease to swallow plants?
For, I want to follow your teachings and attain the blessed life.”
Miriam replied: “The baby crawls before it walks.
Yea, and the baby walks before it runs.
The humans of this world are not called to shed their bodies before their time.
Yet neither were humans intended by Elohim to eat meat. Therefore, let the heaven-bound of this world be swallowers of plants.
Yea, and for those that wish, the food gifts of animals that are well-cared for is permitted, which gifts are the milk of the flock and the eggs of the hen, as in The Ten Commandments of Nasarean Moses.
But do not be a swallower of flesh.
For, I tell you truly: Hell swallows those that swallow meat. Repent and be saved!”A mocker laughed and said: “Your religion is not for me!
I will never pass up a juicy slab of roast goat!
The bloodier the better!
And God himself enjoys a good animal sacrifice!”Miriam replied: “Better than ten thousand animal sacrifices is to save even one animal from being sacrificed or eaten.
The true God weeps for the creatures you kill.
And many think they serve God by sacrificing animals to him, when, in truth, they serve a demonic beast that poses as ‘God’.
Let the mocker beware: hurt comes to the hurtful!
The hurt you cause in the morning will overtake you in the evening.”
A woman in the crowd said: “I must feed my daughter so that she will live.
I fear for her future should I withhold meat.”
Miriam replied: “Only she who is kin to all creation truly lives; consider the rest dead.
Even so, we will teach you to eat as we Nasareans eat; your daughter will live and let live.
Only those daughters that let live, truly live heavenly lives.
Yea, I tell you truly, those that are kind to all creatures need not fear their own futures.”
Even before the births of Yahshua and Miriam, the fall of humankind in Eden was linked to the fall into eating animal flesh. We read in Chapter Eight of the Nasarean Book of Genesis:
25. And the Tree of Evil Disguised as Good was not only evil; rather, it was a cunning mixture of good and evil, of truth mingled with falsehood.
26. For, Lucifer knew that the young souls he wished to ensnare would not knowingly choose the dark path.
27. Yea, darkness must be mixed with enough light to make it palatable.
28. Neither would these young souls knowingly worship Lucifer and Satan rather than Elohim and Jah-Jah.
29. Therefore, Lucifer would pretend that he was God; he would call himself Yahweh and tell them that he was their Creator.
30. He would establish the Priesthood of the Serpent on this world, which is the Satanic Priesthood of the Dark Path.31. Lucifer communed with his Master, Satan, and, behold: the Voice of the Serpent spoke within Lucifer, saying: “Let my Priests mix good with evil; for it is in robes of good that I shall dress my seeds.
32. And only one thing is truly needful to enslave mankind: he must be made to eat the flesh of animals.
33. For then we can enter his body and enjoy his senses.
34. Yea, and we can whisper in his head and he will believe that our words are his own thoughts.
35. No matter if his scriptures declare ‘Love one another’, as long as he eats flesh he will be unable to follow those words.
36. And yet, because we mix those good words into his scriptures, our religion of blood sacrifice is made more palatable to the young souls we wish to ensnare.”
In the “Old Testament” portion of The Holy Megillah: Nasarean Bible of The Essene Way, vegetarianism is one of the commandments in the original Nasarean version of The Ten Commandments of Moses. These are the Ten Commandments that the Magdalene referred to in one of the above excerpts. Here follows those Commandments; the speaker is Moses:
The Ten Commandments of the Nasarean Book of Moses
Hear me, oh Yisra’el, if you would have joy in your life, and abundant blessings, rather than pain and misery, keep these commandments.
1. Within the One YHWH is both God and Goddess; wherefore, worship both the Father God and Mother Goddess, that you be centered in the All.
2. Within the creation is a spark of the Creator; wherefore, know yourself.
3. Within every creature is a spark of the Creator; wherefore, respect all living things in the manner that you respect yourself.
4. YHWH desires that all creatures live in nonviolent cooperation; wherefore, walk softly on Mother Earth, seek nonviolence, and make no laws that conflict with the Way of YHWH.
5. YHWH does not sanction violent warfare; wherefore, any religion, scripture, or prophet that declares otherwise, either lies or is in ignorance, and should not be obeyed.
6. You shall not kill any creature for pleasure, nor for profit, nor for food.
7. You may eat the milk and eggs of animals that are well cared for, but know this: These foods are for this world only; for, in the lower heavens the Cherubim eat but fruit, and in the higher heavens they eat only heavenly essences.
8. You shall cultivate honesty within yourself and in every relationship.
9. You shall forgive yourself when you stumble, and likewise forgive others their shortcomings.
10. Love YHWH within and around you, and love every creature as yourself; for, lo: Love is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and none find YHWH except by Love.
Notice that commandment number six forbids killing animals for any of the following three reasons: 1) pleasure (that includes hunting and fishing); 2) profit; and 3) food. Our Nasarean Religion does not forbid killing an animal for reasonable safety reasons; if a dangerous animal is about to kill you or another, you may kill it. Neither do the above commandments forbid certain “mercy” killings of animals, such as an animal that is greatly suffering from an injury that is clearly going to be fatal.
Although the above Ten Commandments of Moses first appear in the Nasarean “Old Testament,” Yahshua repeats these Ten Commandments – aloud by memory! – to his disciples in the Nasarean “New Testament.” Here is the lead-in to Yahshua’s recitation of Moses’ Ten Commandments; this is from Chapter Fifty-Eight of the Nasarean “New Testament”:
1. Yahshua said, “Baptism into the Nasarean Church of The Essene Way is an initiation ritual whereby we acknowledge and repent our sins and rise from the waters forgiven in order to walk the Nasarean spiritual path fully devoted to the Nasarean deities and the saving teachings found in The Holy Megillah.
2. Baptism into the Nasarean Religion of the Essene Way requires basic vegetarianism.
3. I consider vegetarianism to be The Foundation – Ha Yesod – of the spiritual life; Miriam and I require it of Our disciples.
4. If you build a strong foundation, when the storms of life come, your walls and roof will not collapse!
5. If you build your life on the shifting sands of wrong opinions, false beliefs, and unwise priorities, you are like a man who builds his house on sand without a strong foundation.
6. When the storms of life come, his walls and roof will collapse.
7. Though stricter forms of vegetarianism can be self-chosen, the only requirement of baptism as a Nasarean is basic vegetarianism, which can include eggs and/or dairy products, but does not include fish or fowl.
8. It is fine, but not required, to practice stricter forms of vegetarianism.
9. But it is not fine to require stricter practices than that, for, the Nasarean Commandments of Moses make clear that, in this world, unlike the higher heavens, dairy and eggs are permissible.
10. Behold: the following Ten Commandments of Moses should be studied and, by those that have the ability, committed to memory.”
11. Yahshua then, showing that He had Himself committed them to memory, recited the Ten Commandments of Moses, correctly reciting them word for word without a single error.
After reciting the same version of The Ten Commandments of Moses that I provided above, Yahshua continued to speak on the topic of vegetarianism:
23. After reciting the Commandments of Moses, Yahshua said: “We Nasareans know that, unlike The Holy Megillah, the Torah of the Aaronite Jews does not present a vegetarian Moses.
24. Their scriptures are not our scriptures and never were; rather, their scriptures have been heavily influenced by Lucifer in an attempt to get people to eat meat, as revealed in Mattanah.”
“Mattanah” is the “Nasarean Book of Genesis” from which I provided above the verses wherein Lucifer announced his plan to insert into various “Bibles” the doctrines of animal sacrifice and meat-eating. Yahshua, like I did above, then reads aloud those verses from Mattanah to his disciples. He then continues to speak on the topic of vegetarianism:
44. Yahshua looked up from the scroll and said, “In those verses, we learned that Lucifer – a leader in the Army of Satanism – was told by his dark lord Satan to corrupt the young souls of this new world with the killing and eating of animals.
45. And so Lucifer did.
46. And that is why the Aaronite Torah calls for bloody animal sacrifice and permits the eating of flesh; Lucifer wanted it that way.
47. That is also why The Holy Megillah: Nasarean Bible of the Essene Way is a persecuted scripture, for it upholds vegetarianism and forbids animal sacrifice.48. “Today, I will describe My dietary teachings under the title, Sermon on Ha Yesod. [Day: ‘Ha Yesod’ means ‘The Foundation’; Yahshua calls vegetarianism ‘The Foundation’ of the spiritual life.]
49. I have been asked by our hosts – the Tribe of Healers of Mount Carmel – to begin by describing My personal dietary practices.
The section in which Yahshua describes his personal dietary practices is the length of an entire chapter; I will provide one excerpt from it immediately below, but the entire sermon is given in my (Day of Greenleaf/Day Owen) book on The Vegetarian Teachings of Essene Jesus and The Magdalene.
Yahshua Describes His Personal Dietary Practices
50. “My parents were of the Essene Order of Immaculate Conception and I was raised as a Nasarean Edenite from the womb.
51. Edenites eat like other Nasareans, but as a token of special consecration to protecting Mother Earth from the spoilers and making this world again a garden paradise, we make an effort to eat a goodly portion of wild edibles, like people ate before the fall of Eden.
52. Wherefore Edenites study and teach the recognition of wild edibles.
53. But Edenites are also practical: we eat the best food available in a given situation, always remaining vegetarian.
54. If not a wild edible, the best food is that grown by our own hand or by a trusted friend.
55. Edenites eat less food from public markets than other Nasareans.
56. Some Edenites eat no animal products – no dairy and/or eggs – or practice other even more ascetic dietary practices; these are the minority and are admonished to not boast of their asceticism or push it on others.
57. “In these days, most Nasarean Edenites, like other Nasareans, partake of animal products in moderation, especially favoring fermented goat milk products such as yogurt, but are very choosy where they obtain it.
58. It is true that in former days many more Edenites abstained from all animal products; but, over time, it was noticed that many of them suffered from nutritional deficiencies as the atmosphere of the planet became more dense.
59. For many years I chose to abstain from dairy products as part of My yogic ‘tapas’ – ascetic disciplines – but now I choose to eat some.
60. I do so much walking on my long journeys that My muscles need more ‘building-foods’ like fermented goat milk and additional nuts.
61. When I am less physically active, I eat less of the building-foods that repair intensely-used muscle tissue.
62. So, besides always remaining vegetarian – the dietary requirement of the Commandments of Moses that I honor and teach – the first thing to know about My personal diet is that it is always in flux.
63. By that I mean that My daily diet changes for various reasons, though I never eat meat for any reason, and I count fish and birds as meat.”
Read my aforementioned book on vegetarianism to get Yahshua’s full – and very lengthy – sermon on vegetarianism, including much more information on his personal dietary practices and his advice.
In regard to verse 63 above in which Yahshua makes clear that he counts fish as meat, those readers familiar with the mainstream New Testament story in which “Jesus” (Yahshua) miraculously fed 5,000 persons with but a little bread and a few fish, might ask: “Didn’t Jesus eat fish?” The answer is: NOT IN THE ORIGINAL, AUTHENTIC NASAREAN NEW TESTAMENT! In the Nasarean version, it was a smaller crowd than 5,000 and the food was entirely vegetarian. Also, as you will see in the following excerpt from the Megillah, the key teaching in this account is the “miracle of sharing.” We read:
Behold: The largest gathering to come hear the Lord and Lady speak during their outreach ministry to Yisrael was around two hundred persons in a sheep pasture near Bethlehem.
The word had spread in advance of this gathering that Yahshua had been born in Bethlehem, and thus many locals turned out to see what this locally-born prophet had to say.
In fact, this was the very sheep pasture linked with The Story of The Seven Shepherds That Kept Watch On the Night of Yahshua’s Birth. [Day: That story appears elsewhere in the Megillah]
It therefore seems appropriate that this sheep pasture was also the location of this largest gathering to hear the Lord and Lady preach, for, at this gathering was given a great teaching on ‘The Miracle of Sharing’.
That miracle was as follows.
Yahshua and Miriam taught the crowd all day, and by late afternoon the people were hungry but wanted to hear more.
Yahshua said, “We will speak into the late evening, but first let us share a meal together.
My Travel Companions and I have some bread and grapes to share, but that is not enough to feed such a large crowd.
Therefore, My Companions will pass seven baskets amongst you; whatever food that any of you have brought, please drop it into a basket and then We will equally divide the food for all to share.”
As Yahshua had instructed, His Travel Companions passed seven baskets through the crowd of around two hundred persons.
Lo: only one person, a small child, dropped any food into a basket.
Noticing that, Yahshua held up the handful of figs that the child had dropped into the basket and said to the crowd: “Behold: this one child came here with seven figs, and has dropped every one of those figs into the basket.
Look at his smile; he is experiencing the miracle of sharing!
By contrast, many of your own faces look deprived of that miracle!
Some of you look ashamed, some embarrassed, some stubborn of heart.
I am going to ask you to help Me perform a miracle right now!
Let us multiply the food in these baskets.
And let us do so with no other ‘magic’ than The Miracle of Sharing that this child has just demonstrated.”Again, the Travelling Companions of the Lord and Lady passed the baskets amongst the crowd.
This time, the people freely shared their private stashes of food and, behold: not only were all seven baskets completely filled with food, but also enough additional food to have filled another dozen baskets was placed in a pile by the feet of the child that stood smiling beside Yahshua.
Everyone had enough to eat, everyone had a happy smile, and it was all due to the miracle of sharing!”
The dietary requirement to become disciples of Lord Christ Yahshua and Lady Christ Miriam is basic vegetarianism, which means NO MEAT (and that also means no fish or birds). Yahshua and Miriam do not prohibit dairy products or eggs, but one may choose to abstain from all animal products if they so desire. The process of spiritual nutrition is an ongoing, PROGRESSIVE ASCENSION into ever-less-dense, ever-more-light, ever-less-violent forms of the vegetarian diet. Not eating the murdered, butchered body of a gentle cow is a “lesser mystery”; living on only subtle, etheric energies is a “greater mystery”; and there are various intermittent levels. The basic vegetarianism of NO-MEAT is the level of dietary attainment required to become a disciple of the Lord Christ and Lady Christ; thus, that is also the level of dietary attainment required to become an initiated member of Essene Church of Christ and other ministries of Nasarean Religion of The Essene Way.
- It is more efficient to eat low on the food chain; when we cycle grain through animals we waste most of the protein and other food values. The population of the United States is: 243,000,000. The number of human beings who could be fed by the grain and soybeans eaten by U.S. livestock is: 1,300,000,000.
- The number of people in the world who will STARVE TO DEATH THIS YEAR: 60 MILLION. The number of people who could be adequately fed by the grain saved if Americans reduced their meat intake by 10% is: 60 MILLION.
- Only 20% of the corn grown in the United States is eaten by humans. 80% of the corn grown in the United States is eaten by livestock.
- Only 5% of the oats grown in the United States is eaten by humans. 95% of the oats grown in the United States is eaten by livestock.
- THE PERCENTAGE OF PROTEIN WASTEDBY CYCLING GRAIN THROUGH LIVESTOCK IS: 90%
- THE PERCENTAGE OF CARBOHYDRATE WASTEDBY CYCLING GRAIN THROUGH LIVESTOCK IS: 99%
- The percentage of dietary fiber WASTEDby cycling grain through livestock is: 100%
- HOW FREQUENTLY A CHILD DIES OF STARVATION: EVERY TWO SECONDS.
- Number of children who starve to death EVERY DAY: 40,000
- The length of time the world’s petroleum reserves would last if all human beings ate a meat-centered diet: 13 YEARS. The length of time the world’s petroleum reserves would last if all human beings ate a vegetarian diet: 260 YEARS.
- 40 pounds of soybeans are produced by the same amount of fossil fuel needed to produce1 pound of feedlot beef.
- The percentage of energy return (as food energy per fossil energy expended to produce it) of the most energy efficient factory farming of meat is: 34.5%. The percentage of energy return (as food energy per fossil energy expended to produce it) of the least energy efficient Plant food is: 328%
- Principal reason for U.S. military intervention in Persian Gulf: Dependence on foreign oil.
- The percentage of raw materials consumed in the U.S. for all purposes presently consumed to produce the current meat centered diet is: 33%. The percentage of raw materials consumed in the U.S. for all purposes needed to produce a fully vegetarian diet would be only 2%.
- The number acres of U.S. forest which have been cleared to create cropland to produce a meat-centered diet: 260 MILLION ACRES. Amount of trees spared per year by each individual who switches to a pure vegetarian diet: 1 ACRE.
- Historic cause of the demise of many great civilizations: Topsoil depletion. The percentage of U.S. topsoil already lost: 75%. The percentage of U.S. cropland lost each year to soil erosion: 4 million acres, the size of Connecticut! THE PERCENTAGE OF U.S. TOPSOIL LOSS DIRECTLY ASSOCIATED WITH LIVESTOCK RAISING: 85%
- OVER 50% OF ALL WATER USED FOR ALL PURPOSES IN THE UNITED STATES IS USED FOR LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION.
- The water needed to produce 1 pound of wheat is: 25 gallons. The water needed to produce 1 pound of meat is: 2,500 gallons.
- The cost of common hamburger meat if the water used by the meat industry was not subsidized by U.S. taxpayers: $35 per pound.
- The cost per pound of protein from beefsteak if U.S. taxpayers ceased subsidizing the meat industry’s use of water: $89
- The current cost per pound of protein from wheat: $1.50. The current cost per pound of protein from beefsteak: $15.40
- IT TAKES A HUNDRED TIMES MORE WATER TO PRODUCE MEAT PROTEIN THAN VEGETARIAN PROTEIN. One chicken slaughterhouse can use 100 million gallons of water – enough to serve a community of 25,000 persons – in a single day.
- The number of medical schools in the U.S. is: 125. The number of medical schools with a required course in nutrition is: 30. The training in nutrition received during 4 years of medical school by the average U.S. physician is: 2.5 hours!
- The most common cause of death in the U.S. is: Heart attack. The risk of death from heart attack by average American man: 50%. The risk of death from heart attack by average American vegetarian man: 15%. The risk of death from heart attack by average “pure vegetarian” man (“vegan” – no dairy, meat or eggs) is: 4%.
- Increased risk of breast cancer for women with heavy meat diet compared to vegetarian women: 400%
- Men with heavy meat diet are 360% more likely to die of prostate cancer than vegetarian men.
- The average measurable bone loss of female meat-eaters at age 65: 35%. The average measurable bone loss of female vegetarians at age 65: 18%.
- THE DISEASES WHICH ARE COMMONLY PREVENTED, CONSISTENTLY IMPROVED, AND SOMETIMES CURED BY A LOW-FAT VEGETARIAN DIET INCLUDE: Strokes, Kidney stones, Prostate cancer, Cervical cancer, Diabetes, Peptic ulcers, Hiatal hernias, Gallstones, Irritable colon syndrome, Heart disease, Breast cancer, Pancreatic cancer, Stomach cancer, Hypoglycemia. Constipation, Osteoporosis, Diverticulosis, Hypertension, Salmonellosis, Colon cancer, Ovarian cancer, Endometrial cancer, Kidney disease, Hemorrhoids, Obesity, Asthma and Trichinosis.
- The breast milk of meat-eating mothers has 3,500% more pesticide contamination than the breast milk of vegetarian mothers.
- Less than 1 out of every quarter million slaughtered animals is tested for toxic chemical residues.
- Percentage of male college students sterile in 1950: 0.5%. Percentage of male college students sterile in 1978: 25% Sperm count of average American male compared to 30 years ago: Down 30%. THE PRINCIPLE REASON FOR SPERM COUNT REDUCTION AND STERILITY IN U.S. MALES IS DIETARY INTAKE OF CHLORINATED HYDROCARBON PESTICIDES.94% of chlorinated hydrocarbon pesticide residues in the American diet comes from meat and other animal products.
- It has been estimated that, due to the high level of uric acid in meat, the kidneys of a meat-eater must do ten times the work than the kidneys of a vegetarian.
- RESEARCH HAS INDICATED THAT EATING MEAT CAN REDUCE CREATIVE BRAIN ACTIVITY! High amounts of tryptophane in the blood – a result of meat consumption – reduces the level of serotonin; and serotonin plays an important role in creative brain activity. This may be why so many of the creative geniuses of humanity have been vegetarians, including: Jesus, Buddha, Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, Leonardo DaVinci, Plato, Socrates, Pythagoras, Emerson, Tolstoy, Gandhi, Thoreau, Voltaire, Ben Franklin, Thomas Edison, and so many others.
- George Bernard Shaw said: “Animals are my friends … and I don’t eat my friends.”
- Albert Schweitzer said: “We need a boundless ethics which will include the animals also.”
- Leo Tolstoy said: “Vegetarianism serves as the criterion by which we know that the pursuit of moral perfection on the part of humanity is genuine and sincere.”
- Mahatma Gandhi said: “I hold that flesh food is unsuited to our species.”
- Leonardo Da Vinci said: “I have from an early age abstained from meat, and the time will come when men will look upon the murder of animals as they now look upon the murder of men.”
- NOTE: BECAUSE SO MANY PLANTS MUST BE EATEN BY LIVESTOCK, VEGETARIANS ARE EVEN RESPONSIBLE FOR LESS DEATH OF PLANTS THAN MEAT-EATERS!
TODAY, THERE IS MUCH EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT THE WISDOM OF THE VEGETARIAN TEACHINGS OF THE LORD AND LADY! Cleary, their teachings are not outdated. Consider the following scientific facts (though the following statistics change a bit from one year to the next, most are getting worse rather than better) and you will learn that there are many reasons to be vegetarian, including various ecological and personal health reasons. Most of the following statistics are from John Robbins’ Pulitzer Prize-nominated book, Diet For A New America.
Final comment from Day: That last fact above – the fact that vegetarians are even responsible for less death of plants – is a good rebuttal when someone challenges you with the objection: “Vegetarians kill plants so why prefer that over killing animals?” (Of course, as explained previously, we do not claim to have reached absolute nonviolence by being vegetarians; we believe it is a good step in the right direction!)
