Vegetarians love turkey, too



Photo by Xuaxo

Vegetarians don’t eat turkey for the same reason that meat-eaters do.  It makes them feel all warm and fluttery inside.

It might even be good for the soul.  In Genesis 1:29 (KJV), God tells the first male and female:  Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.

Many holiday feasters might be asking themselves:  Why would God say such a thing?  (And on record, yet…)  Some even say that God then sealed this deal with the Exodus 20:13 (KJV) Commandment:  Thou shalt not kill.

Others (who particularly enjoy their turkey dead) beg to differ.  “Why God didn’t mean kill,” they say.  “He meant murder.  Thou shalt not murder – you know, non-fetal, non-embryonic, non-enemy human beings…”

Scientifically-oriented folks jump on this bandwagon as well.  “Whaddya mean, thou shalt not kill?  It’s impossible to live without killing…  ergo, to live is to kill.”  Quite logical, thus far.  However, given the premise that to kill less is better than to kill more (a leap of faith for many), logic can then be utilized to

untangle its own Gordian Knots.

Since most have not actually heard celery scream during crunch time, there is much doubt about whether vegetables even feel the pain of impending digestion.  However, there are some who still argue that killing

celery is every bit as evil as killing turkeys.  Only a hefty dose of logic can convince these latter folks that

it's still better to kill the celery directly than indirectly because...

Turkeys, too, prefer vegetarian fare.  Andrew F. Smith, in his opus The Turkey: An American Story, depicts the ideal turkey feast (theirs, not ours) as a potpourri of nuts, seeds, fruits, and plant tops (plus a smattering of slugs on the side).  The discerning reader might have already concluded that to eat even one turkey is to also eat that turkey’s gross sum total of chowed-down plant tops.  This inherently entails more overall plant killings than any gentle vegetarian could ever stomach…

Resources

http://bible.cc/genesis/1-29.htm

http://books.google.de/books?id=J0L3PdUtydEC&pg=PT48&dq=turkey+bird+name&lr=&as_brr=3#v=onepage&q=turkey%20bird%20name&f=false

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkey_(bird)

http://www.biblestudy.org/question/what-does-thou-shall-not-kill-mean.html

Copyright November 28, 2010 by Linda Van Slyke   All Rights Reserved