DEUTSCHPeter Jossi
Religious dietary rules – ancient answers to contemporary questions?
Is it possible to understand or even interpret Jewish and Muslim dietary laws in a new ecological and animal friendly way? Although a direct comparison with newer standards for animal welfare and sustainability does not make sense, the different sets of rules can complement each other. From today’s perspective, Jewish rules concerning meat consumption can be seen as a form of “partial vegetarism” under the aspect of animal welfare established already centuries ago. Today, many progressive Jewish organisations renounce meat during public events in their premises. Apart from easing the event’s organisation, this complies with critical voices on meat consumption and at the same time relies on biblical traditions. Several prophets strongly criticised the sacrifices in the Temple and thus meat consumption in general.
What about plants? In the realm of plants, as well in the just as diverse realm of fungi, autonomous and specifically active patterns of perception and sentience can be proven. Veganism can not at all relate to unequivocal scientific arguments. Instead it can be proven that a nationwide vegan diet would be the end of the traditional diversity of farm animals and would at the same time jeopardise site-friendly and ecological argiculture. More…
