What is the reason behind not eating meat?

Question

What is the main reason why vegetarians don't eat meat? I'd be very interested if it's a biological or religious (spiritual) reason. I think by eating plants, we must "kill them" as well since plants are living entities.

I have a feeling that eating flesh could be wrong (or not) in some way but i just don't know why because i have always wanted to be a vegetarian.

Could someone help me with a very convincing argument?

Answer 1

CRUELTY TO ANIMALS is my argument !

maybe you should visit peta.org

vegsoc.org is a good website to get you started as a vegetarian

the suffering that animals have to go through in the poultry industry is just outrageous !!

thousands and thousands of animals are treated really badly every single day, just for the money that the 'poultry farmers' make for selling meat that people eat.

think about this - the more meat sold, the more money they get.

so they try to cram in as many chickens / pigs / ducks as they can in their farm. the birds are force fed and given chemically and genetically altered food to grow fat (So that the meat is sold for more money) sometimes the birds grow so fat because of the force feeding that they cannot even stand on their feet

cows / pigs are transported thousands of miles to be butchered at the other side, put in small boxes, where they cannot even turn or sit down ! birds cannot even lift a wing in those cages ! many of these animals / birds die on the way.....

do you know how the milk comes to us ??

female cows are artificially impregnated again and again for all her life. when the calf is born, it is cruelly taken away from the mother (because of course it will drink her milk) the calf is kept in a seperate cage and late killed for the so called delicacy 'veal'. sometimes the skin of the calf is stuffed and placed near the cow so she smells the calf and keeps giving milk and once she stops, well.... she is impregnated again....

cows are heard crying for days for the newly born calf

i not one of those crazy animal rights activitists !!

but i feel people must do SOMETHING to stop the cruelty that is put on animals to be eaten.... and by not eating meat i am not funding this cruelty.

Animals too have a right to live, enjoy the earth and her pleasures.

but these animals dont even get to see their babies, suckle them, or see daylight, pick their food, run around or even mate naturally, or do anything that is natural to them ! dont you think it is not fair ?

think about it.... go to veg websites and make your decision

good luck ;-)

Answer 2

I've been a vegetarian for 16 years now and don't eat fish or chicken either unlike some 'vegetarians'. The reason for this is i simply can't eat anything that doesn't look nice, and meat, chicken and fish (especially) repulses me as i think they look horrible. Also i don't like the idea of not knowing if the animal had a disease etc or not, and i'm eating it!! The fat, blood and guts make me ill even thinking about them. Yuck. Oh and the smell too of cooking flesh is disgusting! Hope that gives you an insight into why i'm a veggie! Lol

Answer 3

You should eat whatever you want... if you want to be a vegetarian, it is up to you. Why do you need a convincing argument? Be a vegetarian if you want.. or avoid/abstain from certain foods/meats if you want. It is all a matter of personal choice!

From the religious standpoint: Plants don't have a brain and don't feel pain. Killing animals is cruel (to vegetarians -- I eat everything that moves).

BTW being pale has nothing to do with vegetarianism...

1. Most of those ppl are from the tropics and are hence darker than the 'pale' Caucasians.

2. Paleness is usually a sign of anemia... vegetarians get plenty of iron from green-leafy vegetables and fruit.

Answer 4

Eating meat is wrong because animals are sentient beings, so feel pain & fear. If you are worried about killing plants, bear in mind that more plants are needed to feed animals, which are then killed to feed you, than if you just ate the plants. Animals are treated appallingly in factory farms & abbatoirs. Eating meat is also bad for your health. Stress can induce tumours in animals, which you could end up eating. If you eat prossessed meat like burgers & sausages, you are eating ears, eyes, noses genitals, hair & all the other crappy bits, which don't make it into Pedigree Chum!I can't think of a single reason why you would want to eat it! Take the plunge & live a compassionate life; you'll feel better for it, I promise.

Answer 5

It takes lots and lots of land and crops to feed animals that are meant to be eaten. Instead of feeding the crops to the animals, why not give it to people who really need food? Most farm animals are bred for food. That's disgusting. And meat is injected with chemicals and other harmful things. It's like we're purposely harming ourselves. If every single person in the world was a vegetarian, there would be no world hunger... and then we could work on poverty! :)

But that's not the reason I became a vegetarian, I read The Jungle by Upton Sinclair... enough said!

Answer 6

I was seven years old when I became a vege. I had watched a programme on tele about battery chickens and vowed from that moment on I wouldn't eat anything with a face. Before my mum agreed to this however she insisted on me eating fish as a source of protein. Which I know seems strange as fish have faces!!!

I am now 23 and still a vege but not for the same reasons. I think now that I have lived without meat for such a long time that it would probably make me ill to eat it again so I choose not to. I choose to cook seperate meals for myself ect.

I think vegetarianism is one persons choice and for whatever reason they choose should be a good enough one.

Answer 7

The way I see it, we have evolved eating meat. Our most basic instincts were developed by hunting. Men have developed many attributes, such as being the stronger (physically) sex, having better eyes at range, and pack instincts (wherehas women developed on the more social side, protecting children, and socialising with other pack members.

Because of these traits, we developed a good sense of family or pack. We wouldn't have learned these skills, or evolved in the way we did without hunting for food.

It is a well known theory that we evolved from an aquatic ape (which explains the lack of body hair, the ability to hold our breath underwater, and babies born "chubby") We ate a lot of fish. This in turn developed our brain. In a way, we owe our brains to fishing, and vegans won't eat fish.

Answer 8

I don't eat meat for moral reasons.

My moral stance does not allow me to kill, or be responsible for, the death of animals.

I do not believe plants have a nervious system that results in pain or thought, so to me its ok to eat plants.

There is no religous content to my morals - I'man athiest.

Stangely enough, I was a veggie since 14 and was invited by a farmer to view his pigs as he wanted me to see how well they were kept. THat convinced me even more to stay veggie. THe pigs never saw light from birth to death, they were white and lived in horrible (in my opinion ) conditions....and that was a proud farmer.

As we own land we keep chickens, sheep and cows - all as pets - so see first hand that these animals have feelings, off-days, happy days, they get to know you, not just because you are a food provider, they look after each other when one is ill, the cow will "help" ( hinder) when we're in the fields, she'll take stuff out of the trailer ( shoes, boxes, tools etc) - very affectionate animals. ...i think they think.

Sorry I cannot offer you a "convincing arguement" as I do not beleive in preaching about my beliefs, its up to each of us to decide for ourselves.

Answer 9

Different people have different reasons.

Some avoid meat because of their religious beliefs, while others avoid it because of health/environmental reasons (typically, vegetarians are in better general health than non-vegetarians and the environmental impact of eating vegetables/fruits is less than eating meat).

I'm not vegetarian, but I think that there's a lot to be said for the "lifestyle".

Answer 10

You're right about killing the plants as well, so throw that argument out.

It IS better for the environment (less land and water consumed), your health (less fat leads to fewer heart problems) and soul (you won't have that unhappy animal's energy in your system).

But, I choose to be vegetarian because the thought of eating a dead cow, pig or chicken just doesn't appeal to me.