Okay folks, it's confession time. I used to be a Mormon, I also used to be vegan, and I also used to do lots of other things that I am not proud of. I compiled this lengthy list of in context quotations from different places that informed my decision as a mormon to follow a cruelty free diet. As a disclaimer, I no longer profess a religion, or a diet for that matter. What follows is what was helpful for me at an important time in my life that helped me challenge the status quo. I hope that sharing this can help those who are looking for inspiration to follow a cruelty-free lifestyle.
Joseph Smith’s inspired revision of
Genesis 9:11 reads, “And surely, blood shall not be shed, only for meat, to save your lives; and the blood
of every beast will I require at your hands.”
At Zion’s camp
in 1834 Joseph Smith prevented the brethren from killing 3 rattlesnakes. The
History of the Church records, “’Let them alone-don’t hurt them! How will the
serpent ever lose its venom, while the servants of God possess the same
disposition, and continue to make war upon it? Men must become harmless before
the brute creation, and when men lose their vicious disposition and cease to
destroy then animal race, the lion and the lamb can dwell together, and the
suckling child can play with the serpent in safety.’ The brethren took the
serpents carefully on sticks and carried them across the creek. I exhorted the
brethren not to kill a serpent, bird or an animal of any kind during our
journey unless it became necessary in order to preserve ourselves from hunger.”
– (May 26, 1834) DHC 2:71
Hyrum Smith said, “When God first made man
upon the earth, he was a different being entirely to what he now is; his body
was strong, athletic, robust, and healthy; his days were prolonged upon the
earth; he lived nearly one thousand years, his mind was vigorous and active,
and his intellectual faculties clear and comprehensive, but he has become
degenerated… Man is not now that dignified, noble, majestic, honorable and
mighty being that he was when he first proceeded from the hands of his Maker… God knows what course to
pursue to restore mankind to their pristine excellency and primitive vigor, and
health; and He has appointed the Word of Wisdom as one of the engines to bring
about this thing, to remove the beastly appetites, the murderous disposition
and the vitiated taste of man; to restore his body and vigor, promote peace
between him and the brute creation, and as one of the little wheels in God’s
designs, to help to regulate the great machinery, which shall eventually revolutionize
the earth, and bring about the restoration of all things… Let men attend to
these instructions (Word of Wisdom), let them use the things ordained of God; let them be sparing of the life of animals;
it is pleasing saith the Lord that flesh be used only in times of winter, and
of famine–and why to be used in famine? Because all domesticated animals would
naturally die, and may as well be made use of by man, as not.” --Times and Seasons 3:799-801, June 1, 1842
Brigham
Young said, “When men live to the age of a tree, their food will be fruit.
Mothers, to produce offspring full of life and days, must cease drinking
liquor, tea, and coffee, that their systems may be free from bad effects. If
every woman in this Church will now cease drinking tea, coffee, liquor, and all
other powerful stimulants, and live upon vegetables, etc., not many generations
will pass away before the days of man will again return. -- (Brigham Young,
Journal of Discourses, Vol.8, p.63 - p.64, May 20, 1860) “If the people were willing
to receive the true knowledge from heaven in regard to their diet they would
cease eating swine’s flesh. I know this as well as Moses knew it.” “Mothers, keep the children from eating meat;
and let them eat vegetables that are fully matured, not unripe...” -- (Brigham
Young, Journal of Discourses, Vol.19, p.68 - p.69, July 19, 1877) Brigham Young’s
sermons in Utah frequently mentioned animals. He held that “the more kind we
are to our animals the more peace will increase and the savage nature of the
animal creation will vanish away.” He blamed rich food, especially beef and
pork, for shortening lives, claiming that “the foundations of longevity… living
even to hundreds of years” would be found in a prudent diet, especially that of
our parents in Eden. – (JD 1:203, April 6, 1852)
George Q.
Canon – “We should by every means in our power impress upon the rising
generation the value of life and how dreadful a sin it is to take life. The
lives of animals even should be held far more sacred than they are. Young
people should be taught to be very merciful to the brute creation and not to
take life wantonly or for sport. The practice of hunting and killing game
merely for sport should be frowned upon and not encouraged among us. God has
created the fowls and the beasts for man's convenience and comfort and for his
consumption at proper times and under proper circumstances; but he does not
justify men in wantonly killing those creatures which He has made and with
which He has supplied the earth.” -- Gospel Truth, Vol. 1, p.30
At age 72, George Q. Canon wrote, “To inflict pain or death
unnecessarily upon any of the creation is not a commendable pursuit. To delight
in slaughter and blood is not an indication of a pure heart. Besides, how is
the time to come when enmity between man and beast shall cease, when a little
child shall be safe in playing with an leading the most savage animal – how is
the world to reach an era of universal peace if man, the superior animal, does
not himself take the first steps by getting rid of his blood thirstiness and by
regarding all life as sacred!” – (JI 34:493, Aug 15, 1899)
Lorenzo
Snow said of an incident in his youth, “While moving forward in pursuit of
something to kill, my mind was arrested with the reflection on the nature of my
pursuit; that of amusing myself by giving pain and death to harmless creatures
that had as much right to live as myself. I realized that such indulgence was
without any justification, and feeling condemned, I laid my gun on my shoulder,
returned home, and from that time to this have felt no inclination for that
murderous amusement. Later, in a meeting of the First Presidency and the Quorum
of the Twelve in the Salt Lake Temple, Lorenzo Snow “introduced the subject of
the Word of Wisdom, expressing the opinion that it was violated as much or more
in the improper use of meat as in other things, and thought the time was near
at hand when the Latter-day Saints should be taught to refrain from meat eating
and the shedding of animal blood. -- Journal History, 11 Mar 1897
Joseph F.
Smith in 1913 spoke thus to the Deseret Sunday School Union, “It is wrong, and
I have been surprised at prominent men whom I have seen whose very souls seemed
to be athirst for the shedding of animal blood. They go off hunting…and what
for? ‘Just for the fun of it.’ Not that they are hungry and they need the flesh
of their prey, but just because they love to shoot and destroy life. I am a
firm believer, with reference to these things, in the simple words of one of
the poets: “take not away the life you cannot give. For all things have an
equal right to live.”” – (JI 43:308-309, May 1913)
In April
1945 General Conference, Heber J. Grant said, “I think that another reason that
I have splendid health for an old man (88) is that during the years we have had
a cafeteria in the Utah Hotel. I have not, with the exception of not more than
a dozen times, ordered meat of any kind. I have endeavored to live the Word of
Wisdom and that, in my opinion, is one reason for my good health.” -- General
Conf. Report, April 1937
Improvement
Era, April 1950
George A.
Smith - “We passed through Greencastle, and Joseph here directed us to get a
supply of dried codfish. He said fish was much healthier for us to eat than
meat, and the use of fish in warm weather was not prohibited in the Word of
Wisdom. ”-- Journal entry, Instructor 81:323
George Albert Smith’s son-in-law recorded, “In the summer he
eats no meat, and even in the winter months he eats very little” -- Robert
Murray Stewart, The
Joseph
Fielding Smith’s wife, Jesse Evans, reported, “My husband doesn’t eat meat,”
but rather “lots of fruit and vegetables”-- The Improvement Era, April 1970 p Joseph
Fielding Smith said, “Small children do not need the flesh of animals. May I
add also that adults would be far better if they would refrain from too much
eating of meat. As far as I am concerned the eating of meat should be very
sparingly. In fact, I will be contented if the Millennium was to be ushered in
next week. When it is, we will learn that the eating of meat is not good for
us. Why do we feel that we do not have a square meal unless it is based
largely on meat? Let the dumb animals live. They enjoy life as well as we
do…Naturally, in times of famine the flesh of animals was perhaps a necessity,
but in my judgment when the Millennium reaches us, we will live above the need
of killing dumb innocent animals and eating them. If we will take this stand in
my judgment, we may live longer.”
Hugh W.
Nibley wrote, “Like Varro's patrician
friends, we have taught our children by precept and example that every living
thing exists to be converted into cash, and that whatever would not yield a
return should be quickly exterminated to make way for creatures that do. (We
have referred to this elsewhere as the Mahan Principle—Moses 5:31.) I have
heard important Latter-day Saint leaders express this philosophy, and have seen
bishops and stake presidents teaching their reluctant boys the delights of
hunting for pleasure. The earth is our enemy, I was taught—does it not bring
forth noxious weeds to afflict and torment man? And who cared if his allergies
were the result of the Fall, man's own doing, and could be corrected only when
he corrects himself? But one thing worried me: If God were to despise all
things beneath him, as we do, where would that leave us? Inquiring about the
issue today, one discovers that many Latter-day Saints feel that the time has
come to put an end to the killing.” – Man's
Dominion, or Subduing the Earth
Apostle
John A. Widstoe -- “It was shown in the history of plant science that plants
contain all the necessary food substances: proteins, fats, starches and the
carbohydrates, minerals...water [and] vitamins. The Great builder of the earth
provided well for the physical needs of His children. Countless varieties of
edible plants, vegetables, cereals, fruits and nuts are yielded by Mother
Nature for man's daily food. If one uses meat it must be used sparingly and in
winter or famine only.... They who wish to be well and gain the promised reward
stated in the Word of Wisdom must obey all of the law, not just part of it as
suits their whim or their appetite, or their notion of its meaning.” -- (The
Word of Wisdom, a Modern Interpretation, 1950)
Ezra Taft Benson
-- “We need a generation of young people who, as Daniel, eat in a more healthy
manner than to fare on the “kings meat”—and whose countenances show it... To a great extent we are physically what we
eat... What needs additional emphasis are the positive aspects--the need
for vegetables, fruits, and grains, particularly wheat. In most cases, the
closer these can be, when eaten, to their natural state -- without over
refinement and processing -- the healthier we will be. To a significant degree, we are an overfed and undernourished nation
digging an early grave with our teeth, and lacking the energy that
could be ours because we overindulge in junk foods….we need a generation of
young people who, as Daniel, eat in a more healthy manner than to fare on the
"king's meat" - and whose countenances show it.” – (Teachings of Ezra
Taft Benson, p. 476-77)
Bruce R.
McConkie – “Isaiah gives us these poetically phrased particulars about animal
life during the Millennium, “The wolf and the lamb shall feed together,” he
says, “and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock.” Implicit in this
pronouncement is the fact that man and
all forms of life will be vegetarians in the coming day; the eating of
meat will cease, because, for one thing, death as we know it ceases. At Zion's
camp in 1834 Joseph Smith prevented his followers from killing three
rattlesnakes and exhorted them “to become harmless before the brute creation,
and then the animal kingdom will follow.”” – (The Millennial Messiah, p. 658)
Gordon B.
Hinckley – “This Word of Wisdom came to us from the God of Heaven, for our
blessing. I regret that we as a people
do not observe it more faithfully.” --
(October 1990 General Conference)
Millennial Vegetarianism
by Kylie Turley
Enjoy that
Thanksgiving turkey . . . while you can. You may be a vegetarian during the
millennium.
I ran across
this little tidbit in Elder Bruce McConkie’s The Millennial Messiah:
“Isaiah gives
us these poetically phrased particulars about animal life during the
Millennium. ‘The wolf and the lamb shall feed together,’ he says, ‘and the lion
shall eat straw like the bullock.’ Implicit in this pronouncement is the fact
that man and all forms of life will be vegetarians in the coming day; the
eating of meat will cease, because, for one thing, death as we know it ceases.
There will be no shedding of blood, because man and beast are changed
(quickened) and blood no longer flows in their veins.” (658)
This is not
doctrine that I have heard preached elsewhere. However, that doesn’t mean it is
without merit.
For one
thing, it helps me understand D&C 89:3, a scripture describing how the Word
of Wisdom is “adapted to the capacity of the weak and the weakest of the
saints.” The wording suggests that the WofW is a lesser/lower law that has been
“adapted” from a higher or greater law. Obviously the injunction to use animals
for meat “sparingly” would be considered a lesser law than a full vegetarian
lifestyle, or something of an adaptation for a “weak” 1800s people used to
eating meat three meals a day.
I’m not
usually a proponent of looking beyond the mark, but all of us weak,
turkey-eating saints might want to consider just how sparingly we eat
meat—because if Elder McConkie is right, some of us will have a big adjustment
in the last days.
-- From http://timesandseasons.org/index.php/2008/11/millennial-vegetarianism/
Posted on 11/24/2008
Scriptures relating to the consumption of meat
Genesis 1:28-30
(Edenic)
“And
God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and
replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea,
and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the
earth. And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is
upon all 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. And to every beast of the
earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the
earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it
was so.” (Verses 29 and 30 closely parallel D&C 89:14-17)
Genesis 3:17-19 [Moses 4:23-25]
(Post Edenic)
“And
unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the unto the voice of thy
wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt
not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of
it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to
thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of thy face shalt
thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou
taken: for dust thou art and unto dust shalt return.”
JST Genesis 9:11 (post Edenic)
Previously Quoted
D&C
89:10-17
“And again,
verily I say unto you, All wholesome herbs God hath ordained for the constitution,
nature, and use of man - Every herb in the season thereof, and every
fruit in the season thereof; all these to be used with prudence and
thanksgiving. Yea, flesh also of beasts and of the fowls of the air, I, the
Lord, have ordained for the use of man with thanksgiving; nevertheless they are
to be used sparingly; And it is pleasing unto me that they should not
be used, only in times of winter, or cold, or famine. All grain is ordained
for the use of man and of beasts, to be the staff of life, not only for
man but for the beasts of the field, and the fowls of heaven, and all the wild
animals that run or creep on the earth; and these things hath God made for the
use of man only in times of famine and excess of hunger. All grain is good
for the food of man; as also the fruit of the vine; that which yieldeth
fruit, whether in the ground or above the ground—Nevertheless, wheat for man,
corn for the ox, and oats for the horse and rye for the fowls and for swine,
and for all beasts of the field, and barley for all useful animals, and for
mild drinks, as also other grain.” (italics and underlines added) **The
dictionary definition of “sparingly” is not moderately. It is to be used in an
emergency. A “spare” tire is not used daily.
Numbers 11:4-6,
13, 18-20, 31-34
“And
the mixt multitude that was among them fell a lusting: and the children of
Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat? We remember
the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers and the melons, and
the leeks, and the onions and the garlick: But now our soul is dried away:
there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes… Whence should I
have flesh to give unto this people? (Moses to the Lord) for they weep unto me,
saying, Give us flesh, that we may eat… And say thou unto the people, Sanctify
yourselves against the morrow, and ye shall eat flesh: for ye have wept in the
ears of the Lord saying, Who shall give us flesh to eat? for it was well with
us in Egypt: therefore the Lord will give you flesh and ye shall eat. Ye shall
not eat one day, nor two days, nor five days, neither ten days nor twenty days;
But even a whole month, until it come out your nostrils, and it be loathsome
unto you: because that ye have despised the Lord which is among you, and have
wept before him, saying, Why came we forth out of Egypt? … And there went forth
a wind from the Lord, and brought quails from the sea, and let them fall by the
camp, as it were a days journey on this side, and as it were a days journey on
the other side, round about the camp, and as it were two cubits high upon the
face of the earth. And the people stood up all that day and all that night and
all the next day, and they gathered the quails: he that gathered least gathered
ten homers: and they spread them all abroad for themselves round about the
camp. And while the flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the
wrath of the lord was kindled against the people, and the Lord smote the people
with a very great plague. And he called the name that place Kibroth-hattaavah:
because there they buried the people that lusted.”
Daniel 1:8,
12-20
But
Daniel
purposed
in his heart that he would not
defile himself with the
portion of the king’s meat, nor with the
wine
which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he
might not defile himself. Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; and
let them give us
pulse
to eat, and water to drink.
Then let our
countenances
be looked upon before thee, and the countenance of the children that eat of the
portion of the king’s meat: and as thou seest, deal with thy servants.
So he consented to them in this matter, and proved them ten days.
And at the end of ten days their countenances appeared fairer and
fatter in flesh than all the children which did eat the portion of the king’s
meat.
Thus Melzar took away the portion of their meat, and the
wine that they should drink; and gave them pulse.
As for these
four children, God gave them
knowledge
and skill in all
learning and wisdom: and Daniel had
understanding in all
visions
and dreams.
Now at the end of the days that the king had said he
should bring them in, then the prince of the eunuchs brought them in before
Nebuchadnezzar.
And the king communed with them; and among them
all was found none like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: therefore stood
they before the king.
And in all matters of wisdom
and
understanding, that the king enquired of them, he found them ten times better
than all the
magicians and astrologers that
were
in all his realm. (Pulse - foods
made of seeds, grains, etc.) (verses 17-20 Demonstrate the promises of the Word
of Wisdom in their fulfillment. See D&C 89:18-21) (also note “the portion
of the king’s meat” means meal in place of meat. The food offered by the king
isn’t necessarily flesh. It is apparent, however, that it was not kosher food
for the Israelites.)
Ecclesiastes 3:18-20
I
said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might
manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts. \For
that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth
them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so
that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity. All go unto
one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.
D&C
49:18-21
And
whoso forbiddeth to abstain from meats, that man should not eat the same, is
not ordained of God; For, behold, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the
air, and that which cometh of the earth, is ordained for the use of man for
food and for raiment, and that he might have in abundance. But it is not given
that one man should possess that which is above another, wherefore the world
lieth in sin. And wo be unto man that
sheddeth blood or that wasteth flesh and hath no need. (italics added)
Hymns of
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, #307, 1985
In
our lovely Deseret Where the saints of God have met... That the children may
live long And be beautiful and strong, Tea and coffee and tobacco they despise,
Drink no liquor, and they eat But a very little meat; They are seeking
to be great and good and wise. (Underlines added)
Vegetarians
throughout history
Pythagoras
– “The earth affords a lavish supply of riches, of innocent foods, and offers
us banquets that involve no bloodshed or cruel slaughter; only beasts satisfy their
hunger with flesh, and not even all those. In fact, the most powerful animals,
elephants, bulls and horses live on grass.”
Gandhi – “I
do feel that spiritual progress does demand at some stage that we should cease
to kill our fellow creatures for the satisfaction of our bodily ‘wants.’”
Leonardo Da
Vinci – “He who does not value life does not deserve it.” He considered the
bodies of meat-eaters to be “burial places,” graveyards for the animals they
eat.
Leo Tolstoy
– “By killing and eating animals, man suppresses in himself, unnecessarily, the
highest spiritual capacity - that of sympathy and pity of other living
creatures - and by violating his own feelings becomes cruel.”
Adam Smith
– “It may indeed be doubted whether butchers' meat is anywhere a necessary of
life. Grain and other vegetables, with the help of milk, cheese, and butter, or
oil, where butter is not to be had, afford the most plentiful, the most
wholesome, the most nourishing, and the most invigorating diet. Decency nowhere
requires that any man should eat butchers' meat.”
The poet
Shelley –
“… no longer now
He slays the lamb that looks him in the face,
And horribly devours his mangled flesh,
Which, still avenging Natures's broken law,
Kindled all putrid humors in his frame,
All evil passions, and all vain belief,
Hatred, despair, and loathing in his mind,
The germs of misery, death, disease and crime.”
Henry David
Thoreau – “Is it not a reproach that man is a carnivorous animal? True, he can
and does live, in a great measure, by preying on other animals; but this is a
miserable way – as anyone who will go to snaring rabbits, or slaughtering
lambs, may learn – and he will be regarded as a benefactor of his race who
shall teach man to confine himself to a more innocent and wholesome diet.
Whatever my own practice may be, I have no doubt that it is a part of the
destiny of the human race, in its gradual improvement, to leave off eating
animals, as surely as the savage tribes have left off eating each other when
they came in contact with the more civilized.”
George
Bernard Shaw –
“We pray on Sundays that we may have light
To guide our footsteps on the path we tread;
We are sick of war, we don't want to fight,
And yet we gorge ourselves upon the dead.”
Isaac
Bashevis Singer – “We are all God's creatures – that we pray to God for mercy
and justice while we continue to eat the flesh of animals that are slaughtered
on our account is not consistent.” “Various philosophers and religious leaders
tried to convince their disciples and followers that animals are nothing more
than machines without a soul, without feelings. However, anyone who has ever
lived with an animal – be it a dog, a bird, or even a mouse – knows that this
theory is a brazen lie, invented to justify cruelty.”
