Welcome to Gaia! ::

I must admit that I eat meat.

My side: Against

I'm against eating meat for a multitude of reasons, the foremost being religious/spiritual. I believe that you should give in return for whatever you take, and I'm not prepared to give my life or any life in return for eating; I don't think that I should have to take another being's life to surive myself when there are plenty of less harmful methods that sustain me just as well--and usually better--than meat would. Sure, if I was starving in the wilderness with no food supply or edible plants and berries around and a cute lil bunny hopped by I would most likely try to capture and eat it, but when I can walk down to the grocery store and buy a bag of apples, killing is cruel and unneccessary. Also I don't feel like tainting my soul with the bad energies that come from factory farmed meat stressed

The second group of reasons is out of respect for all living things. The animals in factory farms are treated horribly--never allowed to see the sun, crammed into cages their entire life with so many other creatures so close together that they can't even stretch out their legs, having teeth, claws and beaks cut off painfully without any kind of painkiller being injected with antibiotics unneccessarily just to "prevent" illness, and when they do die the carcasses are left lying in the cages for days or even weeks before being tossed in a trash barrel. One of my friends has a weekend job just picking up dead chickens for Pilgrim's Pride... He goes in two days a week and just picks up chickens for hours at a time; some have been laying there since the beginning of the week or from the week before that he and the other workers missed. It's awful, and I wouldn't subject even my worst enemy to that kind of mistreatment.

The third group of reasons is environmental. 75% of American crops go to feed the livestock that people eat, and the livestock industry is the biggest source of industrial water overuse in the world. Plus, animal waste makes up a big chunk of pollution and threat to natural wildlife.

So, eating animals is bad for everyone 3nodding

Humans are Genetically designed to eat and digest meat. plus it tastes so good when made well

In response to Artistic Mystic's agruments:

1. To which religion are you referring? It would be helpful if you were to specify which religion you are using in your argument, especially since one of the worlds most popular religions, Christianity (in all of its forms), condones the eating of meat.

2. Plants are living things, too. They may not live the same way as animals, but they ARE alive until someone kills them to consume them. Therefore, your argument is flawed. How can you respect ALL living things if you prey upon certain ones?

3. As for the environmental reasons... If humans did not consume meat, at least in some degree, then the animal populations would be out of control and people would end up having to kill them WITHOUT eating them, meaning there would be a lot of decaying meat that is truly wasted.

Also, do you have any evidence of animal waste being a pollution? I have never heard of this before, and where I live, there are loads of farms with pigs, cows, sheep and even elk that are used for food, but never has there been a mention of animal wastes causing a problem. In fact, these animal "wastes" are used as natural fertilizers in the fields that grow the vegetables that you are advocating...

While I have read the books on the virtues of eating a vegan lifestyle I love meat too much to go without it. I also cannot possibly come up with enough recipes that would satisfy me (and especially not my family) that would replace meat. I love steak, chicken and fish way too much to ever give it up.

I do consume meatless smoothies and salads at least once a day. I do understand the nutritional elements behind it, however, I don't think I could get enough protein without getting gas into my system without meat. I do not eat beans out of consideration for those who live around me. redface

I like meat, it tastes good. domokun

Ok, I am for not eating meat

Protein: You can get protein from certain plants

Religion: She wasn't talking about a specific religion she meant in a moral way

Environmental: ok the only reason why there are so many animals in the world is because humans raise them. Ecology in wildlife has balance. The only changes in the ecology are because of humans intrusion on it.

Animal Waste: animal waste is a form of pollution, as it decays it puts nitrogen into the air. If there is too much nitrogen in the air, it will choke us to death