Lessons in vegetarianism in the heart of cattle country

Vaughn at Icthus has a very interesting article on vegetarianism. Being a pastor in the heart of cattle country in a community that depends on agriculture I thought it only appropriate to share my thoughts with him. Here's his post followed by my comments.

Lessons in vegetarianism

Today for lunch, steamed vegetables and tofu over brown rice (with a splash of soy sauce). Yummy. So, this got me thinking more about vegetarianism. Why would I eat meat? Well, the answer is mostly because I am tempted to glutony and vanity. I desire to please my appetite and I rationalize that if I eat more protein I will look trimmer and sexy. But are glutony and vanity Christian virtues?

So, I'm beginning to think of vegetarianism as a compelling Christian practice. My recent thoughts on it are that it is a prophetic witness against consumerism, consumption, and capitalism-run-amok. Arguably the food industry has become less about food and more about money. Check this statistic:

In the US, animals raised for food are fed 70% of the corn, wheat, and other grains we grow. The world's cattle alone consume a quantity of food equal to the caloric needs of 8.7 billion people - more than the entire human population on Earth.

Its difficult to think about more food going to cattle than to those (esp. in 3rd world countries) who need it most. But the fact is that there is much money to be made by large corporations connected to the beef council. To be a vegetarian sends a compelling message to society that you will not participate in systems of over-consumption and gluttony (have you ever met an obese vegetarian?) in an age when millions of people live in extreme poverty without food.

Arguably there are other reasons to be vegetarian as well, but for now, lets consider the environment and economics.

Here is my comment:

Hey Vaughn-

Thanks for the interesting statistics. We live in the heart of cattle country out here in the sticks and I must say that the situation is more complex than those statistics suggest.

In Colorado alone, the federal government pays over $38 million a year to farmers to not farm their land! This keeps many farmers from bankruptcy. We have plenty of land to farm for both cattle and human consumption. I thik the greater problem is water.

Colorado, as you know, has experienced terrible drought the last several years. Water consumption to produce food for animals is probably one of the main uses of water in our country.

But to be consistent, growing a lawn in Colorado is extremely poor management of water resources as well.

I believe there are responsible ways to raise animals for consumption. But those days are long gone as we have moved away from the farm to the city. Most people in the city do not know where there food comes from. They do not know how or where or by whom it was raised. The last several cows I've eaten, I've known who raised it, what they fed it, and what it's name was! I also know the butcher.

The issue of beef production is huge in the U.S, but there are also dangers lurking in the resources used for our fruit and vegetables. Some of these questions are very difficult to answer morally. For instance, today because of technology, we have incredible hybrids of corn and other vegetables which are more disease and drought tolerant than ever before. Because of this, the yields we see in these hybrids are greater than ever before using fewer natural resources.

Hybrids can help us feed more people while using less natural resources. Yet the debate around frankenfood is heating up! Are these genetically modified foods safe for the long-term? What are the long-term effects of GMO's?

I think one of the main considerations in food consumption from a Christian viewpoint is to support local, sustainable, ecologically responsible farming practices. That is easy to do out in the sticks but very hard to do in the city! Here we live close to the land and the producers. We know them and how they operate. In the city you have to trust the supermarket or a co-op and their word regarding whether the food product is organic, non-GMO, natural, or what have you.

From this standpoint, should a vegetarian eat a banana or a kiwi or a coconut? These are not local produce (in Colorado) and vast amounts of natural resources are used to provide them for us here.

One last thing that demonstrates the reliance on others we have in our food production: I find it funny that the vegetarian starter kit lists Fritos as an ingredient in one of the recipes. I have heard anecdotal stories that cause me to avoid Fritos like the plaque! (Namely that Frito-lay regularly purchases corn that is unfit for cattle consumption!)

I agree that a Christian's relationship to food and the practices that produce food are very important, but I don't think being a vegetarian is the only moral answer for a thinking Christian.

Grace and peace,
Steve