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Chapter 5. Immediate Global Shift to a Plant-Based Diet > II. Religious Leaders Guide Others in the Righteous Way of Living
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II. Religious Leaders Guide Others in the
Righteous Way of Living
The religious people and leaders should speak up about this subject, should be taking more of the leading position to help the public understand the great problem that we’re facing and the solution to curb the global warming.
The religious leaders must set an example for their followers. First, of course, they must encourage their adherents to eat vegetarian, to do good and avoid evil, to encourage them to protect the environment. If religious leaders can announce to their followers to do these things, then our Earth will be guaranteed safety and will be saved, because peace begins with our plate of food. Peace begins from our dining table.
Religious leaders can give voice and strive to be a living example of the noble teachings according to their original founders, such as Jesus, Prophet Muhammad, Buddha, Guru Nanak, etc., etc., who espoused the compassionate, vegetarian lifestyle. The scriptures from the teachings of these sages all emphasize the need to care for one another and be good stewards of our Earth.
In the Christian Bible, it is said, “Meat for the belly and belly for the meat, but God will destroy both it and them.” The Buddhist Mahaparinirvana Sutra also stated, “Eating meat destroys the seed of compassion and a meat eater’s every action will terrify all beings due to their bodily scent of meat.”
Actually, Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, every religion told us: Don’t eat animals because they are God’s creation.
The spiritual aspect of a vegetarian (vegan) diet is very clear—non¬violence—“Thou shall not kill.” When God said to us, “Thou shall not kill,” He did not say human beings; He said all beings.
It is very clear in the Bible that we should be vegetarian (vegan). And by all scientific reasons we should be vegetarian (vegan). And by all health reasons we should be, again, vegetarian (vegan). And by all economical reasons we should be vegetarian (vegan). And by all compassionate reasons we should be vegetarian (vegan). And by saving the world we should be vegetarian (vegan).
It is stated in some research that if the people in the West would eat vegetarian (vegan) once a week, we would save 60-million people every year. So be a hero, be vegetarian (vegan), by all reasons. But why vegetarian (vegan), you would ask me. Vegetarian (vegan) is just because the God inside us wants it.
Therefore, religious adherents need to be reminded that to solve the environmental problem, we need to put these teachings into action. And the most effective action is something that citizens can do immediately—be veg. Of course, another is “go green” meaning take care of the environment and be frugal in our usage.
To be veg is living in accordance with our true religious beliefs. Forgoing meat and adopting the plant-based lifestyle means we put the principle of compassion into action.
We read it and we practice it, like nonviolence; we absolutely have to adhere to that. We don’t kill and we don’t steal, but we save lives and we do charity. We love each other; we help each other; and we keep to our moral standard. What doesn’t belong to us we don’t take. Instead we give what belong to us to those who need. All religions teach us that, so we just have to practice it.
We look back into our teaching and see what the Masters have told us, what the prophets have taught us. That’s all we have to do. There’s no need even to do anything else. The scriptures are really enough for us to live in peace but only if we practice it.
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