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of humans to feed or perhaps overfeed themselves. Non-vegetarian food culture symbolizes support of violence on a massive scale. It is not Jain religion alone that decries meat eating. Manu, the great Hindu lawmaker condemned as killers not only those who killed animals, but also those who gave permission to do so, those who processed, sold, cooked or ate their meat.
Genesis in Judaism (the mother of all Semitic religions) emphasizes:
"I have given you every herb bearing seed which is upon the face of the earth and every tree in which is the fruit of a tree giving seed".
And accordingly the people of Israel for three generations (from Adam to Noah) were vegetarian and frugivorous.
It is interesting to note that as per Islamic tradition in Mecca, the birthplace of Mohammed, no creature be slaughtered. In fact Muslim pilgrims approach Mecca wearing a shroud (ihram) and from the time they wear it, no killing is allowed.
More recently Roman Catholic Church has ordained that Catholic should abstain from meat eating on Fridays.
Human kind has come to decry wars because so many human lives have been lost. Yet we go on killing millions of animals, birds and fish in slaughterhouses mercilessly every day - simply to fill our dinner plates. Are killings at these slaughterhouses, in any way, less criminal than the cruel killing of human beings at the Nazi Concentration Camps during World War II?
Next only to illicit trade in drugs and arms, US $10 billion a year worth global illicit trade is going on in rapidly varnishing exotic species like apes, sea turtles, giant pandas, cheetahs, elephants, tigers and lions, despite prohibition by United Nations. Fur farms breed, confine, strangle and asphyxiate foxes, minks and rabbits to provide human with fur coats!!!
Jain Education International
Ahimsa: The Ultimate Winner
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