Why do Vegetarians/Vegans think it is WRONG to eat meat?

Question

Every time I talk with people who are vegetarian or vegan - they site that it is "morally wrong" or 
"ethically wrong" to eat meat - and then they'll site all these abuses in meat processing and all that - but just because these abuses exist doesn't mean it is "wrong"  - so if someone thinks something is wrong then there must be a standard of right and wrong that they got from somewhere - just because something is gross to you doesn't necessarily make it wrong.    The Bible is clear about several things  - 1) That the Lord God himself slew and animal and made clothing for Adam and Eve after Adam sinned 2) That nobody ate meat until the great flood - and prior to the great flood people lived hundreds of years and after the flood people did not leave near as long.  3)  That God himself demanded sacrifices of animals from the earliest of times and throughout the ages that people were instructed to kill and sacrifice an animal and how that sacrifice was to be done.  4) That the Bible talks about Vegetarian and Veganism and says that every creature of God is good if taken with thanksgiving.    - so then if God Almighty himself says that it is not wrong to kill and eat an animal then how is that wrong?    Ok, then if you say that there is then no God then your standard of right and wrong in how it is WRONG to do this or that must have come from somewhere - it seems that there are a lot of people who say something is wrong but they don't say why they think it is wrong - it is like they just know it's wrong.  I'm not seeking to insult anybody or to say that one way of thinking is better than another way of thinking.  There are people who say that the Bible is their standard of right and wrong (thou shalt not commit adultry thou shalt not kill thou shalt not steal etc) or they will say that laws are their standard of right and wrong - i.e. the speed limit is 55 so if you drive 99 miles an hour you are breaking the law and therefore what you are doing is wrong.  But it isn't against the law to eat meat - maybe it should be  - but it isn't so it isn't "wrong"     - so before you slam me - think about what I'm trying to say - if you say something is wrong - but the Bible says to certain people "Kill and Eat" then you are saying that God himself is wrong to have killed an animal or to command someone to kill and eat  -  so are you following another religion which might say that it is wrong to do so - and why does it say that?  or does it have to do with something that isn't right or wrong at all?   I  didn't eat meat or dairy for 4 1/2 years because I had pancreas trouble and I wasn't really able to eat meat or dairy very well at the time.  -  and I know people who don't eat meat because meat discusts them and not because it is wrong and I know other people who don't eat meat because of bad memories and not because it is wrong - and I know other people who dont' eat meat because they just don't want to and for no other reason.   So, what logic are you using to say it's wrong - or is it just something you are doing for emotional reasons.  I know my question may get flamed bad but honestly I'm not seeking to insult anyone for their beliefs at all - I'm just trying to understand your beliefs and why you believe how you believe - so how did  it come about that it is wrong to eat meat - how did you come to that conclusion?  And I mean this in the most respectful manner  - cheers

carmen y · Accepted Answer

The question of whether it is wrong or not to eat meat should be answered by each individual. You THINK and CONCLUDE (with all those bibles quotes? what's up? Not everyone has the same religion as you do. So if your religion teaches you to eat meat then it's not wrong??) that eating meat is not wrong, but many vegans and vegetarians THINK and CONCLUDE that eating meat is wrong. Each of us has own our sets of principles and tenets which we survive on. 

I think that it is wrong to eat meat (and animal products) cuz we do not have to take their lives in order to sustain ours. Why do we eat meat then? Most probably out of pleasure. To you, it might not be wrong to build your own pleasure on someone else's sufferings. However, it is not what many of us think, including me. It is so wrong, and so selfish. (To me)

I have not been to a farm or factory to witness how exactly factory farming is like, but there are tons of videos unveiling the truths.. so I feel that I couldn't and shouldn't deceive myself anymore... 

If you question once more why people think it is wrong to eat meat, then may I question why do you think that it is so correct to eat meat? Top reasons I could probably think of: (one or more) 
- Ignorance (people dun see/know the sufferings of animals used in food and/or people dunno their meats (the animals, (cuz most prob you wouldn't eat ur pet) personally) and;

- Selfishness (pleasure derived from eating meat is more impt to one than the suffering of animals whom they dunno personally)  

At the end of the day, it is sad to say that.. most people only live for themselves (and perhaps their loved ones). How many would genuinely care about the sufferings done to these animals when they ate, are eating and will be eating the next burger or steak?

bowrainin · Answer

First of all, God has nothing to do with my decision not to eat meat, I really don't believe animals were put on Earth simply for us to eat.
We are all animals, and as higher more intelligent animals I think we should look after those with lesser intelligence than us, rather than inflict them with serious suffering and pain and misery on an extreme mass scale. They feel the same pain that we do, and if you read about it/ watch videos of exactly what goes on it may affect the way you see meat, if not, that's fine too.

I never tell anyone it is wrong to eat meat. I never talk about it unless I am asked. Then I will just say I don't want to be part of the cruelty involved in the production of meat, when I can live so easily without it.

It's not a big deal. Why is there a constant vegetarian/ meat eater argument. People have the right to have their own opinions and different lifestyles, meat eater or non meat eater. I respect both sides.

Jessica · Answer

tl;dr
In order to eat meat you first must kill an animal which is a sentient BEING!
Killing animals is wrong! Nobody needs to eat meat in this day and age!

Anonymous · Answer

For starters, not everyone is a believer in the bible, so you're bible quotes are rather irrelevant.
Why do I think it's wrong? No matter how "humanely" an animal is killed, you are still killing life that doesn't NOT need to be killed in order for your survival. Not everyone thinks of themselves and their species as superior to everyone/everything else you know.

Is child labor really wrong? I mean, it happens all the time and we don't have to view the horrors and corruptness of it. In the end we get a product we desire so that must make it okay, right?

Sophie · Answer

I don't believe in God or the christian bible so... none of my decisions are based around the points you gave. I do think it is morally wrong to unnecessarily kill. And in today's world, many of us have the resources to eat a diet that does not require unnecessary killing.. so choosing to still eat meat, is ethically wrong in my opinion. Unlike many christians who hold the theory that we are the ultimate and most important species, I feel the need to care for all of the world's creatures, and not selfishly assume I am the most important.  Really, to me it just comes down to a, why wouldn't you sort of thing?.. why would I eat meat when I would never ever dream of killing an animal personally?  I guess some people can look into the eyes of an animal and want to kill and eat it, and others just want to admire it and leave it alone.

pipsqueak · Answer

It's not wrong as such because it is nature and it is what other animals do, but it is unneccessary and I choose not to do it.  As a human from the developed world who is indeed top of the food chain because of advanced intelligence compared to animals, I am evolved enough to make this choice.  Yes there are many stories about maltreatment of animals in farming, but really, even if you put them up in five star hotels you would still be sending them to the slaughter house and for what??

I don't have a god, but I have heard many different conflicting things from people who do.  I have vegetarian friends who are christians, I have heard other christians say it is sinful to be vegetarian because god wants us to eat meat.  I think you can interpret the bible whichever way you see fit.

? · Answer

I actually read all of that! I believe in the bible and god too. I am a vegetarian for health reasons. Eating animals isn't a moral issue for me. I am trying to eat closer to the way Adam and Even must have.

Anonymous · Answer

I dont think its wrong to EAT it but i  think they way the factory workers TREAT the animals is WRONG, it hate meat, i dont like it, but yet again i dont think its ok to try and make ME eat a HAMBURGER or HOTDOG Becauseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee............... i dont want to i just dont! i dont like when people say they "LOVE ANIMALS" but they can chow down on a big old hamburger now thats wrong, sure i made a LAW for MYSELF not to eat meat because i dont like to harm animals. i find it very like dumb how meat eaters ACT around VEGANS/VEGETARIANS!!! like "Oh im gonna eat this Hamburger and not give a flying rats butt"!!! i dont like that. more than 1 of my best friends are meat eaters one of my friends is a **** about it though so what im trying to say is i think its gross to eat meat but not wrong i guess.

Anonymous · Answer

For Animals rights! look on YouTube "Farm to Fridge- The Truth Behind Meat Production" 
That video is the reason i am a vegetarian now! :)

Anonymous · Answer

Lol apparently the usual vegan and vegetarian trolls cannot answer your question so they choose to focus on your grammar. Plus you cannot really expect them to read  more than a few sentences of something that does not have "vegans and vegetarians are great" every two sentences.

Eating meat is not morally wrong. Eating meat is not ethically wrong. Eating meat is perfectly fine. And most of the people on who have lived and are living on this earth agree with you.  Don't let the insignificant musings and stupidity of some human outcasts bother you. Ignore them much like the rest often world does. 

Pick an answer, any answer as best or the fake biologist who trolls for young girls on Yahoo will use his multiple accounts to vote for himself.

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Why do Vegetarians/Vegans think it is WRONG to eat meat?

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