An Open Letter to the Churches about Fundraisers and Social Events
"But for the sake of some little mouthful of flesh we deprive a soul of the sun and light, and of that proportion of life and time it had been born into the world to enjoy."The following is an email I sent on 4/19/2004 an editor as a late-night "afterthought". (Now that I'm more awake, I am fixing some of the poorly constructed phrases, so it makes a little more sense.)
-- Plutarch (in Moralia) (46-120)
I sort of let my feelings about the topic of this article go by the wayside for the past couple of months, limiting my opinions to people I know who are of like-mind, and also on a rant on my website. But I just read another article in another (secular) paper about an animal-friendly priest I know, who has recently been taught the pleasures of recreational killing. And I'm to the exasperated point where I really want to speak out about the Church's complicity with regard to animal exploitation/suffering/killing.
When stories like the one referenced above, or like the priest's trout-catching exploits get written about in the press, there is a sense of humor interwoven in the words, which I find disappointing, if not mildly offensive. It shows an ingrained cultural callousness that invites the reader to see the topic in a certain light. Some of us don't buy into that, and are simply disheartened when we read things like this.
I am the U.S. representative for the Anglican Society for the Welfare of Animals, and although that organization (which is based in the UK) and also the GC2003 Resolution D016 (which was adopted last summer) are there as precedents for us, they are all but unknown by Episcopalians in general. And sometimes I feel like we are up against insurmountable odds, trying to find a way to create a sensitivity within the Church about the plight of animals -- where church members might feel compelled to speak out, ask their legislators to support animal protection legislation, to support humanitarian causes that don't exploit animals, or to find ways to cultivate a cruelty-free environment on their own church property. Anything a congregation or a small group of church members could do to add a Christian voice to animal advocacy would be most helpful.
I suppose that a number of factors have caused my upset over articles like the one about the "wildlife dinners", which I refer to as "Church-Sponsored Slaughter-Fests for Fun and Profit".
One that comes to mind is that my parish had held (vegetarian!) dinners/silent auctions a few years ago as a benefit for Fellow Mortals <http://www.fellowmortals.org>. (People were willing to pay $25.00 for a vegetarian dinner to support this cause! It was the cause and not the menu choices that they cared about. Although it was a relatively small event in a town that isn't known for its affluence, we raised a few thousand dollars each time.) It bothers me to think that one church would do what it could to support the healing and release of injured and orphaned wildlife back into their natural habitats, while another church condones the killing of the wildlife to raise money for itself. It feels like we're living in a schizophrenic Body of Christ.
Another thing that comes to mind is that I've read about other churches around the country that have these "wildlife dinners", where they kill a wide variety of animals to serve as a fundraising event for some good cause -- either for fellowship, or to raise money for youth, etc. I have to wonder if that is becoming a horrifying new trend among churches. (And maybe one reason I feel compelled to write, is that I hope other churches won't decide that this is something they'd like to emulate.) And I have to wonder why it is so necessary to kill representatives of as many species as possible, as an attraction just to raise a few dollars per dinner ticket. And I have to wonder, if a church is trying to raise money to support a worthy cause, wouldn't it be possible to find enough church members who would be perfectly willing to chip in $5.00, or whatever the cost of the dinner ticket would be, without feeling that they should get their "money's worth", feasting on exotic tidbits of deers, buffaloes, elks, fishes, and anything else that lives and moves and has its being other than the family pet.
I know that a majority of people eat meat, and probably can't relate to what I'm saying. And I know it is important for people to find ways to connect other aspects of their lives with their corporate life within their faith communities. But it seems to me that killing animals for a church-sponsored event is excessive, and that it is done in a spirit of pleasurable predation, using the church as an excuse to justify it. Churches might have little influence over the activities that people pursue as hobbies, or in their own homes. But the churches' leadership does have the option to decide which activities are appropriate or inappropriate to allow on their property -- on holy ground, where topics of peace, compassion, kindness, mercy etc. are sometimes preached.
I would like churches to take a look at some of their traditions of fellowship, outreach, and fundraising, and think about the message they're sending. And if it isn't a peaceful message, I would ask them to think about alternatives. When they encourage or condone the killing of animals, especially where the church is the beneficiary of the killing, it amounts to blood money that funds their otherwise good causes. And it sends a message that implies that the Church bestows it's blessing on weapons of death.
Thank you for taking the time to read my "alternative" perspective.
Sue ...
"When I first spoke out about the suffering we inflict on animals, I was amazed by the overwhelming response and left in no doubt that many Christians long for the Church to demonstrate its concern about this issue."
The Rt Rev Richard Llewellin, (ret) Bishop at Lambeth, Vice-President ASWA
As a P.S., I would like to reiterate that people both from my parish and from the community were willing to pay $25.00 for an all-you-can-eat vegetarian meal, where 100% of the proceeds went directly to the cause my church was supporting. Everyone felt good about what we were doing. No one complained that they didn't get a steak for their money. We really don't need to kill animals, in order to attract people to our social functions. If the cause we are trying to raise money for is one that people would want to support, they will support it no matter what. We don't have to entice people into our churches with "baited hooks". We shouldn't have to roast pigs, boil live lobsters, or shoot wildlife, etc., etc., just to have an occasion for a little Christian fellowship, or to raise a few silver coins at someone else's expense. Please discuss this with people at your churches, and see if you can come up with ideas for more humane social functions.
