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How does the true
spirit of Christmas
fit with a traditional Christmas dinner?
"Peace on Earth". This is one of the most
common messages we hear at Christmas, to be found on countless Christmass
cards and in our greetings to one another.
Yet Christmas is a time when our perpetual war on
animals - in which billions of animals (more than 52 billion per
year) are imprisoned, tortured, maimed and killed to feed our appetites
- not only continues, but intensifies.
Why should animals pay the price for human celebrations?
Why should we feast at their expense? And most importantly, why
should we feast on death to celebrate life - the birth of one who
has often been called the "Prince of Peace"?
"Peace on Earth" - for whom? Clearly, Christmas
is not a time of "peace" for the turkeys, pigs and other
animals who supply the basis of traditional Christmas meals.
Furthermore, many reputable and respected thinkers
have pointed out that peace on earth, even for human beings, must
necessarily remain an unreachable goal while violence to animals
on a mass scale continues. In the words of reputed doctor, thinker
and philanthropist Albert Schweitzer:
"Not until
we extend the circle of our compassion to include all
living things shall we ourselves know peace."
Meat eating at Christmas (or any time) makes "Peace on
Earth" messages hypocritical and ridiculous. It's clear that
the true spirit of Christmas is vegetarian... a way of life which
promotes peace for all living things.
View
flyer in pdf format
This was the message of Vegetarian Action's
2005 Christmas Flyer campaign.
The flyer featured a Christmas-card style
"Peace on Earth" message contrasted with images of animals
- a cow, chickens, pigs and a kangaroo - being processed within
the food industry. The reverse side of the flyer contained thought-provoking
quotations on the link between our treatment of animals and world
peace, and the impossibility of achieving the latter while the
former continues.
Vegetarian Action supporters were invited to
participate in distributing the flyers. Flyers were distributed
across Adelaide and interstate during December, 2005.
GET INVOLVED: Vegetarian Action campaign flyers can be
supplied free of charge to Vegetarian Action supporters for distribution,
and Supporters are invited to come along to hand out flyers with
us and to participate in our activities in other ways. To be in
the loop on future events and have the chance to participate,
why not become a Vegetarian Action supporter?
Click here to find out more.
Page updated: 2007
Whichever way you look, the future
is vegetarian...
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