Go vegan for Lent. It’s a tradition that we have forgotten, or never heard about.
I realize that when Christians observed a vegan Lent, back before people started looking for loop-holes and all manner of special dispensations, it was for spiritual reasons, and not out of any spirit of mercy or compassion toward “food” animals. But for people who still think of Lent as a season of self-denial, self-examination, a new beginning, etc., why not have an added benefit of knowing one isn’t contributing to the slaughter demand for just a few weeks?
This came to mind in a sort of negative way today, when I checked my site stats, and saw that someone found my site while Googling for “Do Episcopalians give up anything for Lent?” And I have to wonder, because I never hear anything from Episcopalians about giving anything up, and never hear anything like that suggested by church leaders. I hear about them taking something on, instead — often with suggestions about donating to charities that exploit animals, oblivious that they are contributing to the slaughter demand for those same weeks. Why can’t Episcopalians get away from that rut, and suggest humane humanitarian charities? Why can’t our own charity get out of the animal exploitation business? Maybe if Episcopalians were accustomed to observing a vegan Lent, they would realize that it is a healthy diet, and would stop encouraging us to give cows, goats, chickens, etc, whenever the opportunity presents itself.
UPDATES: Here are two non-veg-related sources I found (and commented on) that mention a vegan Lent:
http://www.episcopalcafe.com/daily/fasting_101.php
http://revjph.blogspot.com/2008/02/madpriests-ash-wednesday-stay-at-home.html
The Archbishop of York is observing a vegan Lent!
(But, that should be the norm, and the expectation, and not the exception that makes the news.)
‘We abstain from flesh meat, and from all things that come from flesh,
as milk, cheese, and eggs.’
This decision was afterwards enshrined in the ‘Corpus Juris’,
and must be regarded as the common law of the Church.”
(Found amid much-relaxed practices at http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09152a.htm
while wondering what the vestigial significance of Shrove Tuesday pancake dinners was all about,
after 35+ years of being an Episcopalian.)
Click here for pictures I took when I got home, after today’s blizzard.
Food Journal
Record day: Today, there were 500 first time visitors to this site (plus maybe 4 returning visitors), with 600 page loads (hits). Not only does that seem like a record, but the numbers are so easy to remember. The two most common searches are for “Lift Every Voice and Sing” and anything pertaining to Episcopal Lent.
[Today's blurb bumped the Press Release about Bishop Andrus endorsing the California humane farming initiative from the home page.]