Wave Good-Bye to the Elderly Woman with the Bun

I know she's been around a long time. I applaud her for her auto insurance company endorsement deal and I certainly think she's sweet. But, let's face it, Mrs. Butterworth is full of garbage. Her ingredients list reads as follows: high fructose syrup, corn syrup (seriously?), water, salt, cellulose gum, molasses, sodium hexametaphosphate (what the . . . ??), natural and artificial flavor (caramel color [caramel color is a flavor?], corn syrup [more????]), preservatives (as if this concoction can't preserve itself) (potassium sorbate, sodium benzoate), artificial flavor (shocker!), caramel color [repeat: more???], citric acid (I love parentheticals).

All that trash in my pantry (yes, I own a bottle) can go one of two places: my body or my trash can. Hmmmmm. Let's weigh the pros and cons of eating this syrup-they-can't-legally-call-maple. In the pros column we can write "tastes good." Good. We're off to a great start. Then let's add . . . um. OK, let's try the cons column then we'll get back to the pros. We can write that "it contains high fructose corn syrup," which we know has been genetically modified. It also "contains chemicals, not foods, which have been linked to various ailments including diabetes and certain cancers." Need we go on?

If the ingredients isn't enough to scare anyone away from ingesting this goo-that-technically-shouldn't-be-categorized-as-food, the fact that the real deal (I mean maple syrup, folks) is readily available should give you pause before continuing in this damaging relationship.

So, in my quest to cleanse my refrigerator and pantry of artificial additives and nasty things like high fructose corn syrup Mrs. Butterworth is going down the drain and her bottle will head to the recycling bin, soon to be followed by her partner in crime, Kraft mayonnaise. And with her passing goes every last bit of surreptitious corn syrup from my food supply. I know I have no reason to be eating this trash, so why even keep it around?

I'm done!

Psalm 24: 1 states, "The earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof; the world and those who dwell therein." In light of the recent oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico this verse resonates strongly with me today. As a born again Christian I know that God created the earth just as it is recorded in Genesis 1. It is no less true today that it was then and it is no less true in the Gulf of Mexico than it is while sitting in church, Sunday School or seminars on creation, and yet there are flocks of Christians bending over backwards to avoid saying that the BP oil spill is a terrible thing. If you ask them directly they will say it is bad, but . . . And there's always that "but." And what follows the "but" is typically something straight from Sean Hannity or Tea Party bullet points. The "but" is always political. Why isn't the "but" biblical?

Yes, this blog post is going to read like a rant today, because that is what it is. A raw, passionate rant against Christians who respond to current American life more like Republicans or Tea Partiers or whatever else they want to call themselves and less like biblical Christians. I realize that I am being harsh, but it makes me angry to see God's precious creation desecrated and His children responding with, "The planet has seen worse." Is that true? Undoubtedly, but the planet also saw worse than the Holocaust, Hiroshima and 9/11.

Imagine, if you will, that you have built a home from scratch with your own two hands. It is beautiful. It is exactly how you wanted it. And you turn it over to someone else to take care of; someone you love and who you trust. Then imagine this person uses your house to earn some money. No sweat. Everyone has to make a living, right? Then imagine this person's quest for money results in the destruction of part of your house, not totally beyond repair, but it will take a great deal of effort and time to restore it to what it had been. And then imagine the person who caused the destruction, when confronted with their actions, responds to you with, "I know it's bad, but I've seen worse." I sincerely hope that none of us would behave in that way, and yet . . .

At what point did popular American Christianity,  however subconsciously, start putting politics first? We like to congratulate ourselves that we are bringing biblical Christianity to politics when we support bans on partial-birth abortion and homosexual marriage, and yet for some reason when it comes to protecting something that God touched with His own hands we leave it to the Sierra Club? If God sees when a sparrow falls can we believe He doesn't see the flocks of brown pelicans covered with oil, the thousands of sea turtles staring extinction in the face, and countless other creatures, not the least of which are the 11 men who were killed in man's quest for more, more money, more convenience, more more more. When does it end?

When my nephew was just learning to speak he would respond to things he didn't like, such as dinner, with "I'm done!" And that's how I feel today. I've had it up to my eyeballs, and I hope other Christians will join me in speaking out against man's continued wholesale pillaging of God's earth. I've had enough. Yes, I'm a vegetarian environmentalist and it is because I love the things that God has created, the trees, the animals, and the Gulf of Mexico. If that makes me a liberal then a liberal be I, but I'll be a biblical liberal who puts God's creation before anything that has to do with politics.

Bible Study Part 3: Noah and the Flood (Gen. 5-10)

This portion of Scripture contains a great deal about animals, of course. Most people know the story of Noah's ark and I have certainly read it many, many times. However, I had never read it for the sole purpose of gleaning insight about man's relationship with animals especially in the context of eating. This passage contains a great turning point in that relationship as we will see.

In Genesis 6:7 God announces that he will "blot out" men, animals, creeping things, and birds because He is "sorry that [He had] made them."  Noah, however, finds favor in God's sight, and he is chosen to be the human vehicle by which mankind will be preserved along with animals. God commands him to build a great ark for his family (his wife, three sons and their wives) and several of each animal. Genesis 6:19-21states, "And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every sort into the ark to keep them alive with you. They shall be male and female. Of the birds according to their kinds, and of the animals according to their kinds, of every creeping thing of the ground, according to its kind, two of every sort shall com in to you to keep them alive." Then the passage continues, "Also [emphasis mine] take with you every sort of food that is eaten, and store it up. It shall serve as food for you and for them." It would appear, then, that the animals that made it on to the ark were not a part of the food stores. The pairs of unclean animals could not be eaten, obviously because there would be no way to continue the species with only one male or one female, however, in Genesis 7:2 God commands Noah to take "seven pairs of all clean animals." And yet Scripture makes no mention of Noah using them for food, and for good reason.

After the flood subsides Noah and his family emerge and he makes an enormous offering of some of every clean animal and bird. This is the second recorded instance in Scripture of man killing animals (Abel's offering in Genesis 4 being the first). After the offering God charges Noah and his family to "be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth" (Gen. 9:1). Then Scripture continues, "The fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every bird of the heavens, upon everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea. Into your hand they are delivered. Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything. But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood." And there we have it. God clearly states at this point that animals are given to man for food. Man's relationship with animals was forever changed after the flood.

I think it is important to note that, at least to this point in the history of mankind, God has given animals to man for food, for clothing, and for giving back to God in the form of offerings. There is no mention of man killing animals for sport, for the fun of it.

Surrounded by Barbecue

For new vegetarians summer holidays can pose unique dilemmas. Invariably, unless gathering with other vegetarians, you'll be surrounded by piles of barbecue and grilled meats. (For those of you in the South, barbecue is its own dish, for those of use who grew up in anywhere else, barbecuing is a technique. I use the southern definition here, since I live in the South.) Fortunately, barbecues usually indicate massive quantities of any kind of food and I entertained this hope last Saturday as I made my pasta salad, knowing there would be at least one or two edible things for me.

The pasta salad I made was largely edible (I've posted the recipe on the Recipes page), though I made far more than necessary. And I certainly didn't go hungry. There was potato salad next to my pasta salad, fresh vegetables, strawberries and blueberries, mango salsa and tortilla chips. I know I ate too much, but that is the fault of my sister's sister-in-law who made two beautiful pound cakes, which she served with berries. I did my duty as an honorary member of my sister's extended family by trying both the plain and lemon pound cakes.

Again, no big deal. It turns out that all my concern about how people would potentially react to my new eating choices were unfounded. No one said a word to me. Either everyone knew and didn't care or they didn't even notice I didn't have a hamburger or grilled sausage amidst my other piles of food. It was a wonderful evening. I think I can finally put my fears to rest. I know that I will run into people who will get defensive at the mere uttering of the word "Vegetarian," but the positive experiences I have had so far have, I think, equipped me to stay calm and then quietly tell them that I'm sure they have more important things to worry about than what I'm eating. All in a spirit of love, of course . . . .

Taking a step back in time, the big challenge of the weekend came in the form of the local barbecue cook-off. I, of course, participated because the rest of the family was. My chief concern was not being tempted to eat the barbecue (though it lingered in the back of my mind). In my carnivorous days I wasn't a fan of the dish anyway. My concern was how I would feel by being surrounded by large quantities of dead animal flesh. I think I masked my feelings fairly well, but in all honesty, I found the whole thing rather disgusting, though I realize I'm still in the newly converted vegetarian how-can-you-eat-the-rotting-flesh-of-dead-animals? stage. I needn't have worried one moment.

Prior to the cook-off I fortified myself against any potential hunger by eating breakfast a little later than normal and then eating a snack right before leaving the house. It worked like a charm. I not only wasn't hungry, but my stomach was full. Another crisis averted. So far as I know I have clear sailing until my church's Fourth of July shindig. Perhaps I'll be brave enough to bring a quinoa salad and introduce everyone to my new world of food.

Bible Study, Part 2: The Fall of Man (Genesis 3)

Genesis 3 contains a lot of eating and talking about eating. Of course, since the discussion centers around the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, the eating is plant-based. In this case, the eating of fruit is in rebellion against God's command to stay away from that fruit. This act of disobedience results in a curse against mankind and, indirectly, the first use of animals recorded in scripture when God "made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them."

The serpent, Adam, and Eve, each in their turn receive a curse from God. While woman's curse centers around family, her relationship with her husband and child-bearing, man's is centered on laboring in the earth to bring forth food. Genesis 3: 17-19 states, ". . . cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken."

Notice there is no mention of difficulty in raising and butchering livestock, for the eating of animals has not yet entered into the history of mankind. That won't come for many generations.

No Big Deal

Sunday night I survived my first large social gathering as a vegetarian when the singles group at my church had a fellowship at the home of some friends of mine. The common running joke is that Baptists can't get together without involving food and that is no less true when the gathering is approximately one half single men. They broke out the grill, which meant a huge pile of hot dogs and kielbasa, but there were other things to be had as well, and I certainly didn't starve. I was a little concerned going in, but I figured that if I simply passed up the meat and ate other things no one would really notice, and I was right.

I will confess that when the hostess noticed I wasn't partaking of the hot dogs and asked if I was sure I didn't want one I simply turned it down rather than explaining why. I'm not sure if that was the right way to handle it. I certainly wouldn't want her to think I was turning down food just to turn down food, but at the same time I don't think that every food choice I make has to come from being a vegetarian, and I know that not everyone is going to want to hear about it. I imagine eventually eyes will start rolling and I'll hear: "Yes, Darcy, we know you're a vegetarian."

Maybe I need to investigate vegetarian etiquette before the Memorial Day barbecue I'm going to on Saturday. One thing I have read though is that it is considered good etiquette, for vegetarians especially, to offer to bring a dish of some kind when invited to a meal or party so as not to put any undue stress on the hosts, and I think that's very appropriate. My food choices are my own thing, and though I'd love to inspire others to try vegetarian eating, I don't want them to feel like they need to cater to me. It's not like I have a deadly allergy.  So to the barbecue this weekend I'm bringing a Greek-style pasta salad made with orzo. Should be yummy. To the singles group fellowship Sunday night I took a vegan chocolate chocolate chip cake made from the Dairy-Free Chocolate Cake recipe in The Joy of Cooking. Check out my new Recipes page for the recipe.

I did get a few questions about my new diet, but no criticisms or defensiveness, which is what I was bracing myself for. It was a great evening catching up with friends. I didn't go hungry. People seemed to enjoy the cake (though most didn't know it was vegan, ha ha!). No big deal.

Bible Study Part 1: Creation (Genesis 1, 2)

As I mentioned in my opening post on Monday, part of my transition to a vegetarian diet will involve exploring the Bible thoroughly to make sure that my philosophies about animals and food line up with Scripture. I couldn't think of a better way to this than to start with Genesis 1 and just plow through to the end of Revelation, keeping detailed notes on what I read as I go.

Please keep in mind that I'm not a theologian. I don't know Hebrew, Greek or Arabic, though I do have access to common Bible study tools such as a concordance and Bible dictionary. My thoughts and observations in these Bible study posts are just those: my thoughts and observations. I encourage you to read these passages for yourself and join in the discussion. If you disagree with me or think I am in error, or have a thought you would like to add, please leave a comment below. I want to foster discussion on vegetarianism (or even "animal rights") amongst Christians, not just get on a soap box and spout, as I much as I enjoy that.

I began my study with Genesis 1, as I said, and food gets a mention by verse 29. Gen. 1:29, 30 states (all quotes are in the English Standard Version, unless otherwise specified), "And God said, 'Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth and every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.' And it was so."And the discussion on food ends there. God explicitly gives plants to man and beast for food in these two verses. He does not in any way give animals or their products to man for food here.

If we back up just a bit to verse 28 God says, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth." By putting all three of these verses together I think we can reasonably infer that eating animals does not follow from what God means by "dominion." If it did, it would be unnecessary to then point out that plants are for food while animals are for dominion, or to rule over (which is what the Hebrew radah means).

As we move on to Genesis 2, events step back chronologically to give a bit more detail about the creation of man. Genesis 2:8 states, "And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food." Again we have an explicit link between plants and food. There is no mention of animals (for food or otherwise) in the verses immediately before or after this passage.

In fact, animals don't get a mention until verse 19, the first time animals come into the discussion since their initial creation account in Genesis 1, but only as possible companions for Adam, and certainly not for food. Gen. 2:19-20, "Then the Lord God said, 'It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.' So out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was it's name. The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him." The passage goes on to describe the creation of woman.

I personally find this passage very interesting, and I believe describes the reason man and animals have such a strong link. We've all heard stories about children finding animals to take in temporarily ("just until we can find a home for it" or "just until it gets better") and the mother or father allowing it, but discouraging the naming of said animals. Why? Because once you name something you become attached to it. God gave Adam the task of naming the animals; He did not name the animals himself. Why? I believe it is because God wants us to be attached to the animals over which we have dominion, to love them and care for them. The Hebrew word does carry with it the idea of subjugation, but it is more the idea of the rule or dominion being total rather than hard or severe.

Of course, this is isn't the end of the discussion on animals or even eating animals. Things will change as events in the Bible unfold, but I think this is a good stopping point for now.