Yesterday my dad asked me if I was a 'real' Vegan.
I asked him what he meant by that statement.
He told me that his doctor said that real vegans practice 'witchcraft' and are Wiccan. "The doctor's daughters were 'Vegan' for a few months and being Wiccian was a large part of it."

LOL

I must admit.. that was the first time I'd ever heard anything along those lines. Has your religion or lack-there-of ever been questioned because of your veg*nism?

My best friend's ex-boyfriend is a high-ranking (don't know the title) wiccan and he's not vegan or even vegetarian.

Ha, that's funny! And sad, that a doctor doesn't know what veganism is about. Though, veganism would tend to run hand in hand with wicca (or whatever the terminology is) since a major tenets seems to be respect for naturing and living beings. Granted, I know very little about wiccans.

But no, my religion has never been questioned due to my veganism, but my sexuality has. I'm told that eating meat is a requirement for being heterosexual. That explains it.

"And ye harm none" is the wiccan rede.

Wiccanism and veganism seem to be very compatible, so it's actually not freakishly far-fetched for someone who is ill-informed to be confused. But, yeah, the fact that it was a medical doctor who made the assumption is more than just a little disturbing.

:D
Okay, I just realized how silly I sound. Believe it or not, I know quite a bit about Wicca. I studied the religion for years and did many interviews of Wiccans before becoming a practicing Wiccan a couple years back (Christian to Wiccan.. now I'm mostly back to being Christian- I believe that there is a God out there, but I don't regularly attend church.)
Anyway, what I'm getting at is I can see where he made the misunderstanding.. I just got a kick out of how he thinks that ALL 'Real' Vegans are, in fact, Wiccan. My dad (who still belives that all Wiccans are satan worshipers:rolleyes: ) got a little freaked out .

On the subject on linking vegetarianism with religion:
Last week I was looking at this bible site where they warn their flock against vegetarianism. Quote "Are Vegetarian Diets
Worse Than Terrorists? Yes! History is beginning to show the deadly results." and "Vegetarianism is a religion which is falsely disguised as a health way of eating. True vegetarianism is the worship of animals."

WTF?
After reading it I couldn't decide whether to bang my head on the keyboard or just shake it. I did both.

Speaking of doctors... I've had a GP tell me I'm healthy and then he changed his mind on the state of my health when he finds out I don't eat meat. hm..

aah.. found the link. Read it at your own risk!

http://www.biblelife.org/animal_rights.htm

Originally posted by automaton
aah.. found the link. Read it at your own risk!

http://www.biblelife.org/animal_rights.htm

i really want to burst into laughter at that, but i think they're serious. i mean...y'what?

"The result of their spreading myths, distortions and lies about healthy eating has lead to a dramatic surge in obesity, diabetes, heart disease and cancer that is not found in low-carbohydrate, high-fat, meat-eating societies. The low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet of the last 40 years has cause the early deaths of millions of people and untold suffering, both of which continues unabated to this day."

i think they might have got that one a little round the wrong way there.
"they [veg*ns] are very pleased when people die at a younger age from these diseases because their prime objective is to give planet earth back to the animals. "
come again?

sorry, you did warn but this is so ludicrous. and it's even more worrying that people truly believe this...will we all have to protest to gain 'veggie civil rights' or something to be able to walk down the street without being called a terrorist? :confused:

Originally posted by stellar26
Yesterday my dad asked me if I was a 'real' Vegan.
I asked him what he meant by that statement.
He told me that his doctor said that real vegans practice 'witchcraft' and are Wiccan. "The doctor's daughters were 'Vegan' for a few months and being Wiccian was a large part of it."

So, all the strict Buddhists in the world are really Wiccan? Hmm...
I know a lot of people who practice Wicca, and I don't think a single one of them is vegan.

Wow that was a doctor that said that ... just more proof that so-called educated people sometimes don't know anything about many subjects (sometimes even the one they practice ;) ).


-----------------
""Are Vegetarian Diets
Worse Than Terrorists? Yes! "
-----------

Well these so-called religious gropups are indeed frightening. I find TV eveangelists to be very scary to watch. These types of ideas are one step away from a mob/witch-hunt menatlity

This isn't to comment on many religious people wh probably shake their heads as much as I do at the ideas you mentioned.

The few Wiccans that it has been my pleasure to know (do I ever miss Sepherina L) have bemoaned that more who practice Wicca did not become vegan as a natural outgrowth of their faith.

As a Christian I have had more then one "brother" ride my case about there being something wrong with my religion if I refused to eat meat and didn't I know that Jesus ate meat? I always wonder why they do not remember that the kingdom of heaven is not about eating and drinking but about righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, (Rom 14:18). Very few believe me when I tell them that the James who headed up the church of Jerusalem, the very James who was the half brother of Jesus and wrote the New Testament book that bears his name was a vegan. He was not just a vegetarian but a vegan, avoiding wool, honey and anything else that would cause suffering to creation. In the end it would not matter, I usually gain their respect with my life instead of my argument.

Now that biblelife page is funny. Much of the page is all about supporting the traditional values coalition and other whiny christian supremacist groups. The rest of it is all about attacking vegetarianism and defending atkins.

Of course, in doing so, it has to convey some old myths. And the "Vegetarian diets are worse than terrorists had me on the floor laughing.

I must have to question why a religious organisation is trying to fight vegetarianism. Or promote meat consumption. you'd have thought that like most other hyper-religious groups, they couldn't have cared less, and would have concentrated more on homosexuality, abortionists, the ACLU and other satanic organisations like bloomsbury publishing.

Anyhow, I'll go back to eating my terrorist food. Personally, I think that the biblelife site has somehting against vegetarains rather than is interested in promoting "good helath" the atkins way. Take a look att his page http://www.biblelife.org/beef.htm Just one look at the caption under the picture revelas how pathetic this organisation is.

If you want a more serious religious perspective on veganism, then see this sermon:
http://www.landoverbaptist.org/sermons/vegans.html

One of our local outspoken Wiccans loves his hamburgers, and when asked about why he is not a veg*n, goes into a speech about the "natural order" of things and how animals serve as food sources for us in that order. He also interprets the "none" in the Rede to mean "no one," i.e., "no human being."

From what little I am able to observe, he probably represents the majority of Wiccans in these views and practices.

I myself am not very religious, but I do find nature very spiritual and would probaly consider my beliefs similar to the Wiccan beliefs in terms of nature and spirituality. I believe in "magic" as energy, I think all living things have energy and spirits.
It really is surprising that more Wiccans aren't vegan. I have come across a few through the internet but most seem to be omni. It's funny when they talk about how they connect with nature and animals like wolves and cats and such but then go out and eat cute little piggies. It never made sense to me. I actually started a thread on a Wiccan message board stating my surprise that there weren't more vegan wiccans, that thread got interesting real fast :rolleyes:

i have personally found very few wiccans/pagans to be veg*n - and they tend to get very angry & agitated when you mention that their belief systems basically say they should be veg...
I used to consider myself wiccan and then pagan for a few years, until much of the animosity towards veg*nism sent me looking for a new belief system (although, that wasn't the only reason)..

There are veg*n groups for wiccans at Yahoo Groups... I was a member of one of them for a while and all is okay up to a point
I guess... given a little mix and variation... :)

Originally posted by Kamila
I usually gain their respect with my life instead of my argument.

Better to behave like Jesus than to eat like Jesus. :)

Yep, lead by example is my motto :D

There's another site you guys should check out called Living and Raw Foods. The bulletin board there has a thread going now about this very subject.

http://www.rawfoodsupport.com/read.php?f=1&i=69429&t=69429

It's a good board if you haven't checked it out. I'm not a raw foodist, but it's generally very positive about everything. It's a nice place to spend some time.Living and Raw Foods

What is the difference between Wiccans and Pagans?I thought they were the same thing?
Also,how does one become Wiccan?I admit that Iwant to be a witch,but I dont know where to start.I have read many books in the past and it has helped some.I remember a spell I did quite a few years back about wanting someone to phone you.I did the spell and about an hour later an old boyfriend called me.I loved it!
Give me some info....

VM

Well I see how you could link Wicca and being vegan. Hehehehe that terrorist thing was funny. I actually studied Wicca for a while and I know tons of Wiccans who do eat meat. Why the hell are people so threatened by others who think differently? Stars forbid we think outside the box...

Wicca is a Pagan religion. Pagan religions tend to be polytheistic and earth-oriented.
www.witchvox.com is a great site.

I am also surprised that there aren't more vegan wiccans, and more surprised still that wiccans should be angered or annoyed when people bring up the veg*n issue. I am Wiccan and vegan and the connection between the ideals set forth by both ideas is very obvious to me.

I have the creed in my signature for this forum because it is so easily applied to veganism. It is veganism for me.

I'm not Wiccan, but have studied it for about two years now. It's my understanding that while veg*ism is compatible with Wiccan thought, it's not a requirement either. If anyone wants me to go on, just say the word, but it'll most likely just end up being moved to the compost heap. :rolleyes:

~NS~

P.S. I really hope that page is a joke! *lol*