Catholic Info
Traditional Catholic Faith => Catholic Living in the Modern World => Topic started by: GiuseppeMichelePoli on June 19, 2016, 06:56:37 PM
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Do any of you know of any Catholic Saints who abstained from meat regularly or who were vegans or vegetarians? Also, do any of you know of any quotes from Catholic Saints or Church Fathers in support of abstaining from meat regularly or veganism or vegetarianism?
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St Assisi
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None of the saints were "Vegans" or vegetarians.
Many saints willingly abstained from meat and some may have abstained from all animal products as a means of self-denial.
The terms "Vegan" and "vegetarian" caries a New Age connotation. Furthermore, anyone who claims these titles chooses not to consume flesh meat for reasons other than for the glory of God.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0O_VYcsIk8
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giuseppe - st. francis paoli founder of the order of minims instituted in the order the perpetual abstinence from meat and I also believe eggs and dairy products. Exceptions were made if one were in poor health. But, it appears that they concerning diet were what is today known as a vegan, or pretty close to it.
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None of the saints were "Vegans" or vegetarians.
Many saints willingly abstained from meat and some may have abstained from all animal products as a means of self-denial.
The terms "Vegan" and "vegetarian" caries a New Age connotation. Furthermore, anyone who claims these titles chooses not to consume flesh meat for reasons other than for the glory of God.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0O_VYcsIk8
TKGS gave the best answer.
Indeed, even a saint that never ate meat, dairy or meat by-products would still not be a "vegan".
"Vegan" especially carries new age and even religious connotations -- but not the Catholic religion!
People who are vegan (and some "vegetarians") abstain from meat for reasons OTHER THAN mortification, gaining merit for heaven, and the glory of God. They believe eating meat is wrong, eating meat is bad for you, eating meat is bad for the Earth our goddess-mother, and so forth.
So PLEASE don't call our saints "vegans"!
I leave you with the definition of Vegan, taken from Wikipedia:
Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal products, in diet and wherever else reasonably practiceable, based on the moral philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals.[9] A follower of the philosophy is known as a vegan (pronounced vee-g?n). Humans participating in the diet and/or other aspects of the lifestyle are known as "plant-based" (or 'following a vegan diet', etc.), as veganism itself is the moral baseline advocating against species-based exploitation; without the moral realization and agreement, one is not actually vegan.
The term vegan was coined in 1944 by Donald Watson when he co-founded the Vegan Society in England, at first to mean "non-dairy vegetarian" and later "the doctrine that man should live without exploiting animals".[10]
This is heretical, as Holy Scripture (which the Catholic Church holds to be infallible) clearly states that God gave us animals to be our meat -- to be "exploited" as "commodities", as the vegans call it.
So they are actually heretics.
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None of the saints were "Vegans" or vegetarians.
Many saints willingly abstained from meat and some may have abstained from all animal products as a means of self-denial.
The terms "Vegan" and "vegetarian" caries a New Age connotation. Furthermore, anyone who claims these titles chooses not to consume flesh meat for reasons other than for the glory of God.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0O_VYcsIk8
Who were some Saints who abstained from meat and animal products as a means of self-denial?
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matthew - I agree, veganism is not catholic. I for many years now have abstained from meat, eggs, fish, and dairy. But, I do not hold their doctrines, and in fact am somewhat ignorant of them. I just associated the word with the diet. But, it appears their is a definitive belief system attached. However, I do not see how they are heretics. All vegans are not baptized. And, I understand that you have to be baptized in order to be a heretic.
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matthew - I agree, veganism is not catholic. I for many years now have abstained from meat, eggs, fish, and dairy. But, I do not hold their doctrines, and in fact am somewhat ignorant of them. I just associated the word with the diet. But, it appears their is a definitive belief system attached. However, I do not see how they are heretics. All vegans are not baptized. And, I understand that you have to be baptized in order to be a heretic.
No, a heretic is anyone who "chooses" rather than accepting the whole (Catholic) Faith.
The word heretic comes from the Greek word "to choose".
Belloc taught that Islam is more of a heresy than a different religion. Does Islam practice baptism at all?
There are certainly more heretics than there are false religions with a valid "baptism". So I don't think baptism enters into it at all.
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matthew - I suspect it is right to get frustrated. I really should not use the word vegan. The radical vegans are nuts. However, I just haven't thought that most people who use the word and the diet believe as such. I am probably wrong though. I think one of the leaders of the movement was an israeli. They are animal rights violent people. I like seeing cows grazing too, and hate the conveyor belt way. But, these activists go overboard. They probably serve to scare people away from eating such a diet non religiously, which is sad. Because, I must say, the diet is great.
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None of the saints were "Vegans" or vegetarians.
Many saints willingly abstained from meat and some may have abstained from all animal products as a means of self-denial.
The terms "Vegan" and "vegetarian" caries a New Age connotation. Furthermore, anyone who claims these titles chooses not to consume flesh meat for reasons other than for the glory of God.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0O_VYcsIk8
TKGS gave the best answer.
Indeed, even a saint that never ate meat, dairy or meat by-products would still not be a "vegan".
"Vegan" especially carries new age and even religious connotations -- but not the Catholic religion!
People who are vegan (and some "vegetarians") abstain from meat for reasons OTHER THAN mortification, gaining merit for heaven, and the glory of God. They believe eating meat is wrong, eating meat is bad for you, eating meat is bad for the Earth our goddess-mother, and so forth.
So PLEASE don't call our saints "vegans"!
I leave you with the definition of Vegan, taken from Wikipedia:
Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal products, in diet and wherever else reasonably practiceable, based on the moral philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals.[9] A follower of the philosophy is known as a vegan (pronounced vee-g?n). Humans participating in the diet and/or other aspects of the lifestyle are known as "plant-based" (or 'following a vegan diet', etc.), as veganism itself is the moral baseline advocating against species-based exploitation; without the moral realization and agreement, one is not actually vegan.
The term vegan was coined in 1944 by Donald Watson when he co-founded the Vegan Society in England, at first to mean "non-dairy vegetarian" and later "the doctrine that man should live without exploiting animals".[10]
This is heretical, as Holy Scripture (which the Catholic Church holds to be infallible) clearly states that God gave us animals to be our meat -- to be "exploited" as "commodities", as the vegans call it.
So they are actually heretics.
Well, who are some Saints that you know of who abstained from meat?
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My standard response to vegans is to earnestly assure them that " it tastes better if it once had a face " !
I have also found it edifying to inquire as to whether or not PETA stands for "People Eating Tasty Animals" ?
:chef: :soapbox: :ready-to-eat:
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You might find this thread of interest
http://www.cathinfo.com/catholic.php/monks
St John Baptist was no vegan, as he wore camel hair with a leather belt and ate locusts and wild honey.
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GiuseppeMichelePoli,
There are many religious orders who never eat meat, or only do so 2-3 times a year. St Padre Pio probably never ate meat once he became a priest, and it's debatable whether he ate much of anything.
St John Marie Vianney lived on 1-2 potatoes a day.
I don't know if one could make a list of saints who didn't eat meat because 1) the saints wouldn't have considered it important enough to talk about it and 2) there's not a lot of details on many of the saints lives.
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Here is my Catholic point of view on fad diets --
God made animals to be our meat (he specifically gave them to us for meat AFTER the Flood, interestingly). And from these animals, we also get dairy products (milk, butter, cheese, eggs).
He also made fruits/vegetables/nuts/grains and men have been eating these things since ancient times.
He also made the bacteria that ferment sugars and produce alcohol. And good guys have been drinking wine (and other drinks) for millennia.
And sweets have existed too -- sugar cane, honey, and other substances (plants like Stevia?) to sweeten a dessert once in a while.
I think when it comes to eating, it's a classic case of "all things in moderation". But since the world is so messed up compared to the Ancient World, we also have to strive to be as natural as possible. For example, although sugar is natural, people didn't used to coat everything with it, or include it in every recipe (which processed food does today). Ditto for grains.
But vegetarianism? People always ate meat. Not at every meal, but they ate meat.
Atkins diet? People have always eaten "bread", have they not?
And so forth.