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• The True Laws of Life would lower us so far as our moral nature is concerned. Therefore, notwithstanding its nutritious character, we will avoid that kind of food because it is according to our philosophy, of the third kind, having grossness. It may be nutritious, but it may excite the passions, may stimulate and therefore hurt us. The scientists also will say the same thing, but they would say that we should eat that kind of food because it stimulates the palate and therefore does not injure health. Everything is to be judged, from your standpoint of healthy food, simply by its effect on the physical organism. But when we take into consideration the influence of that food on other beings besides ourselves we must take into consideration the nature of the animal.
It is said that there are many elements in animal food which would be nutritious and would help to support the human body, and which are as good as those found in vegetables. Certainly, in fruits and nuts and other things which do not come from the animal we may find these same elements. Still, we say that there is a moral and ethical reason against eating that kind of food, and not only moral but also spiritual reason. In the first place the, moral philosophy of our religion says that we have no right to destroy life in any being if we cannot give it to any being. That is the fundamental proposition of our religion. If we follow that rule then any destruction of life is surely to be avoided. But the question may come in.
For any kind of food destruction of life is necessary; even in the vegetable there is life, and one must destroy that life in order to prepare food fitted for our diet. We admit that we have to destroy life in order to live, but life is of so many grades, so many classes one higher than another, and if that argument is to be applied, that it is the same to destroy life, whether animal or vegetable, we can also apply the argument to the destruction of human beings; but we all make a distinction there. Why do we not destroy human beings, then? We say that they have souls. But we can
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