Fundamentalism tends to be centered on absolutes, but the road to
becoming a fundamentalist is most often a gradual one. Many followers of
fundamentalist religious sects don't actually start out in
fundamentalism, they follow a progression that leads them further and
further to an extreme. They usually have practiced in a mainstream area
of the religion before getting involved in the periphery of fundamentalism.

In a similar way, vegans usually start out with mainstream and
socially-accepted views of food and work their way to extremism. They
come from families whose views of diet are quite conventional and whose
diets include at least some meat. Over time, they become vegetarian and
wean themselves off meat while they continue to consume dairy products.
During this transition period, they may have a variety of outside
influences pressuring them to make even more drastic changes. Perhaps
they've read or watched videos propagandizing issues like veal
production and egg production. They become horrified and wean themselves
from dairy and eggs and become vegans. They become extremists,
impassioned by an aggressive and extremist agenda.

As is the case in fundamentalism, the zeal of vegans leads them to
challenge others' diets and beliefs. Offering vegans food which contains
animal ingredients is a form of blasphemy, an unforgivable affront to
them and to all they hold sacred. Rather than politely declining such
foods, the vegan must make a scene and assail the person offering the
food as a murderer or some other term of moral inferiority (just as
other religions call those not following it infidels, heathen, etc.).

Nor is it sufficient for vegans to have their own peculiar beliefs and
diets. They aggressively proseletyze others, starting with family and
friends and working their way to wait staff at restaurants and other
strangers. Like other religious fundamentalists, they dream of the day
when everyone is *just like them* in diet and belief; vegans, too, are
rigid in conformity to their belief system.

They suggest others take the same path of gradualism they themselves
took: "Just see if you can stop eating meat for a week. Then two weeks."
And so on. They further coerce others through the use of propaganda
videos and printed disinformation about farming techniques; much of the
stuff activists use is from old incidents which were prosecuted, but
they willfully lie that such is the norm in modern agriculture. Since
most people are urbanized and far removed from their food, they're
overly sensitive about such things and they're susceptible to the
distortions provided by the activists trying to convert them to veganism.

And when someone does convert, the cycle of gradualism starts all over.

That's funny, I thought I was in alt.food.vegan
not alt.religion.vegan.
--
SN
http://www.scentednectar.com/veg/
A huge directory listing over 700 veg recipe sites.
Has a fun 'Jump to a Randon Link' button.

"usual suspect" wrote in message
...
Fundamentalism tends to be centered on absolutes, but the road to
[blah blah blah]

Vegan Holy Roller wrote:
That's funny, I thought I was in alt.food.vegan
not alt.religion.vegan.

That's because you're one of the unenlightened vegan holy rollers who
can't see the forest for the trees.

On Fri, 10 Dec 2004 23:02:24 GMT, usual suspect wrote:

Vegan Holy Roller wrote:
That's funny, I thought I was in alt.food.vegan
not alt.religion.vegan.

That's because you're one of the unenlightened vegan holy rollers who
can't see the forest for the trees.

No, it isn't because of anything like that, liar. It's because
evidence in Google archives shows exactly where you've
categorically stated that veganism is not a religion.

[start - Bart to you]
If one was to compare Veganism to a religious/spiritual brand,
it would come close to Buddhism and Hinduism.
[you]
Sorry, but you're off in the wrong direction. Veganism is
not a religion or a spiritual issue for most people...
[end]
usual suspect 11 Jun 2002 http://tinyurl.com/4jtz8

Let's see you lie and back pedal your way out of this one.

On Fri, 10 Dec 2004 23:02:24 GMT, usual suspect wrote:

Vegan Holy Roller wrote:
That's funny, I thought I was in alt.food.vegan
not alt.religion.vegan.

That's because you're one of the unenlightened vegan holy rollers who
can't see the forest for the trees.

No, it isn't because of anything like that, liar. It's because
evidence in Google archives shows exactly where you've
categorically stated that veganism is not a religion.

[start - Bart to you]
If one was to compare Veganism to a religious/spiritual brand,
it would come close to Buddhism and Hinduism.
[you]
Sorry, but you're off in the wrong direction. Veganism is
not a religion or a spiritual issue for most people...
[end]
usual suspect 11 Jun 2002 http://tinyurl.com/4jtz8

Let's see you lie and back pedal your way out of this one.

Veganism isn't recognised by any official body as a religion, although a
very loose definition of religion could include veganism, but then such a
definition would include many other things that are not thought to be
religions. If just a "cause" or "principle" is a religion, then organic
farming might be seen as a religion, and so would womens liberation - but
nobody is really claiming such are religions. Veganism is part of a broader
philosophy of extending the concept of rights, or at least
compassion/respect to animals where such is practical.

Veganism does not qualify by any realistic set of definitions as a
religion - see
http://atheism.about.com/library/FAQ...ef_problem.htm for
example.

Veganism has no great body of dogma, it simply has some basic ideas that are
not even easy to agree on in terms of what is or is not expected of one.

John

On Fri, 10 Dec 2004 22:45:35 GMT, usual suspect wrote:

[snipped rant]
Nor is it sufficient for vegans to have their own peculiar beliefs and
diets. They aggressively proseletyze others, starting with family

False. Since my youngest daughter (20) returned home
after living with her bloke for some years, I now have
meat stored and cooked in my kitchen every day. You
don't know what you're talking about, boy.

On Fri, 10 Dec 2004 22:45:35 GMT, usual suspect wrote:

[snipped rant]
Nor is it sufficient for vegans to have their own peculiar beliefs and
diets. They aggressively proseletyze others, starting with family

False. Since my youngest daughter (20) returned home
after living with her bloke for some years, I now have
meat stored and cooked in my kitchen every day. You
don't know what you're talking about, boy.

"John Coleman" wrote in message
...
Veganism isn't recognised by any official body as a religion, although a
very loose definition of religion could include veganism, but then such a
definition would include many other things that are not thought to be
religions. If just a "cause" or "principle" is a religion, then organic
farming might be seen as a religion, and so would womens liberation - but
nobody is really claiming such are religions. Veganism is part of a
broader
philosophy of extending the concept of rights, or at least
compassion/respect to animals where such is practical.
========================
Ummm, you just described a religion, thanks killer....



Veganism does not qualify by any realistic set of definitions as a
religion - see
http://atheism.about.com/library/FAQ...ef_problem.htm for
example.

Veganism has no great body of dogma, it simply has some basic ideas that
are
not even easy to agree on in terms of what is or is not expected of one.
================
Yes, there is, the faith in your simple rule for your simple mind, 'eat no
meat.' Faith that that rule alone automatically causes no/fewer/less animal
deaths.


John

"John Coleman" wrote in message
...
Veganism isn't recognised by any official body as a religion, although a
very loose definition of religion could include veganism, but then such a
definition would include many other things that are not thought to be
religions. If just a "cause" or "principle" is a religion, then organic
farming might be seen as a religion, and so would womens liberation - but
nobody is really claiming such are religions. Veganism is part of a
broader
philosophy of extending the concept of rights, or at least
compassion/respect to animals where such is practical.
========================
Ummm, you just described a religion, thanks killer....



Veganism does not qualify by any realistic set of definitions as a
religion - see
http://atheism.about.com/library/FAQ...ef_problem.htm for
example.

Veganism has no great body of dogma, it simply has some basic ideas that
are
not even easy to agree on in terms of what is or is not expected of one.
================
Yes, there is, the faith in your simple rule for your simple mind, 'eat no
meat.' Faith that that rule alone automatically causes no/fewer/less animal
deaths.


John

"usual suspect" wrote in message
...
Fundamentalism tends to be centered on absolutes, but the road to
becoming a fundamentalist is most often a gradual one. Many followers of
fundamentalist religious sects don't actually start out in
fundamentalism, they follow a progression that leads them further and
further to an extreme. They usually have practiced in a mainstream area
of the religion before getting involved in the periphery of
fundamentalism.

In a similar way, vegans usually start out with mainstream and
socially-accepted views of food and work their way to extremism. They
come from families whose views of diet are quite conventional and whose
diets include at least some meat. Over time, they become vegetarian and
wean themselves off meat while they continue to consume dairy products.
During this transition period, they may have a variety of outside
influences pressuring them to make even more drastic changes. Perhaps
they've read or watched videos propagandizing issues like veal
production and egg production. They become horrified and wean themselves
from dairy and eggs and become vegans. They become extremists,
impassioned by an aggressive and extremist agenda.

As is the case in fundamentalism, the zeal of vegans leads them to
challenge others' diets and beliefs. Offering vegans food which contains
animal ingredients is a form of blasphemy, an unforgivable affront to
them and to all they hold sacred. Rather than politely declining such
foods, the vegan must make a scene and assail the person offering the
food as a murderer or some other term of moral inferiority (just as
other religions call those not following it infidels, heathen, etc.).

Nor is it sufficient for vegans to have their own peculiar beliefs and
diets. They aggressively proseletyze others, starting with family and
friends and working their way to wait staff at restaurants and other
strangers. Like other religious fundamentalists, they dream of the day
when everyone is *just like them* in diet and belief; vegans, too, are
rigid in conformity to their belief system.

They suggest others take the same path of gradualism they themselves
took: "Just see if you can stop eating meat for a week. Then two weeks."
And so on. They further coerce others through the use of propaganda
videos and printed disinformation about farming techniques; much of the
stuff activists use is from old incidents which were prosecuted, but
they willfully lie that such is the norm in modern agriculture. Since
most people are urbanized and far removed from their food, they're
overly sensitive about such things and they're susceptible to the
distortions provided by the activists trying to convert them to veganism.

And when someone does convert, the cycle of gradualism starts all over.

This is garbage. You are stereotyping all vegans as some kind of misbehaved
evangelists spreading propaganda in effort to convert carnivores everywhere.
Your reasoning is almost laughable if it weren't for the sad fact that you
are serious. Essentially, you endeavor to spread your version of hate in the
same way that you accuse vegans of spreading their cause, and in a most
mean-spirited and aggressive way. My comparison of you to Nazis was even
more valid than I realized. There's something very wrong with you.

Retard wrote:
Vegan Holy Roller wrote:

That's funny, I thought I was in alt.food.vegan
not alt.religion.vegan.

That's because you're one of the unenlightened vegan holy rollers who
can't see the forest for the trees.

No,

Yes. It's a religion.

Retard wrote:
Vegan Holy Roller wrote:

That's funny, I thought I was in alt.food.vegan
not alt.religion.vegan.

That's because you're one of the unenlightened vegan holy rollers who
can't see the forest for the trees.

No,

Yes. It's a religion.

John Coleman wrote:
Veganism isn't recognised by any official body as a religion, although a
very loose definition of religion could include veganism,

Words can have narrow and broad definitions. Veganism is a religion
under both broad and narrow views.

but then such a
definition would include many other things that are not thought to be
religions.

One course at Rutgers University lumps it in with a variety of religious
movements:
the lighter side of millennial thinking: neo-Paganism, Veganism,
and other "New Age" phenomena
http://anthro.rutgers.edu/courses/308shapiro2004.htm

One vegan (and another retired professor) also debates the issue in the
wake of one judge's ruling that veganism isn't a religion and determines
it IS a religion:
http://www.veganvalues.org/veganism_religion.htm

...
Veganism has no great body of dogma,

Bullshit. It is dogmatic and doctrinaire.

...

John Coleman wrote:
Veganism isn't recognised by any official body as a religion, although a
very loose definition of religion could include veganism,

Words can have narrow and broad definitions. Veganism is a religion
under both broad and narrow views.

but then such a
definition would include many other things that are not thought to be
religions.

One course at Rutgers University lumps it in with a variety of religious
movements:
the lighter side of millennial thinking: neo-Paganism, Veganism,
and other "New Age" phenomena
http://anthro.rutgers.edu/courses/308shapiro2004.htm

One vegan (and another retired professor) also debates the issue in the
wake of one judge's ruling that veganism isn't a religion and determines
it IS a religion:
http://www.veganvalues.org/veganism_religion.htm

...
Veganism has no great body of dogma,

Bullshit. It is dogmatic and doctrinaire.

...