POLICING PeTA

PeTA is an organization which relies on guilt-trip propaganda to further its cause. They have put guilt-trips on those who own ferrets, Christians who eat meat, and anyone who wears animal products. Whether or not you agree with vegetarianism, I hope this article will help you. If you disagree with just one item below, you may wish to reconsider your membership with such a group. In the very least, I hope this article will encourage people to research into groups before joining them. If you agree with everything they state as mentioned in this article, maybe it's a group you should look into joining.
If you notice that PeTA changes their position or site URL on one of the below issues, please e-mail me.

*PeTA believes that ferrets are not domesticated animals. In a letter by their Cruelty Caseworker Erica Meier in the November/December 1998 issue of Modern Ferret states that "Ferrets are not domesticated animals; their real home is nature." However, ferrets are domesticated animals, and they do not have a counterpart living in the wild! Their closest relatives are polecats, but they do not even look the same as their wild cousins. She went on to say, "We hope that in the near future, people will realize it is unfair to keep them in captivity." PeTA does not believe that ferrets should even be kept as pets. The "guilt trip" here is that if you like and own ferrets, you're abusing them. It's not true.

* Animals probably do not feel pain when they are put to death. Chickens are hung upside down and electrocuted, not beheaded and allowed to run circles in a barnyard (although, that's natural reflex, and by then their brain is cut off, they're dead, and they feel no pain). No one ever thinks that they are being cruel to their pets when they put them to sleep!

* PeTA believes that the show America's Funniest Home Videos is a showcase of animal abuse. I actually think many of the animal bloopers shown are hilarious, and I am a pet-owner who has often wished I've caught things on tape that my pets do at home.

* PeTA opposes animal testing. Although many people do , they should realize that in many cases animal testing is, unfortunately, the only way to go to research diseases. For example, there is currently research on rats to help victims of paralyzation. This involves paralyzing the rats on purpose and then trying to come up with a cure or treatment. In some cases, there is no way to research this sort of treatment without the use of an animal. Not allowing such experiments would set science back many years. If you or your family member were paralyzed, for example, would you put that family member's life over that of a mouse or rat?

* PeTA called General Mills "cereal killers" for wanting to feature a bass fisherman on their Wheaties box.

* PeTA disagrees with TBS's little "monkey shorts," as they call them. These are trained chimpanzees who, in short videos, act out popular movies. Without knowing the trainer or where the monkeys are kept, PeTA claims they are abused and mistreated. I would assume from this that they would also disagree with Babe and similar animal movies, which, in fact, have actually caused more people to join their cause...for example, James Cromwell, who starred opposite the now-famous pig (actually played by 48) became a vegetarian after the making of the movie.

* PeTA does not agree with pet stores selling animals. They claim these are ill-bred animals who have been abused. I have bought many pets from pet stores, and all are wonderful pets. I've asked where a couple came from...my hamster was bred by a girl and her friend, and my guinea pig was bred by another little girl. They were not bred by breeders. Although it's best to adopt pets from shelters first, other animals need homes, too.

* PeTA claims we are "hiring a killer" when we eat meat. This is another propaganda guilt-trip. Despite the fact that yes, a small portion of your money will go to the butcher, does it really matter? We would be causing a lot of problems if every store's deli workers were suddenly without jobs.

* Farm animals are domesticated. There would be no hogs (a pig is a baby hog -- we eat hogs, not pigs), cows, or chickens at all if not for the farming industry. These were domesticated over many years to fit certain needs, such as dairy cows, humungous hogs, and hens who are so dumb they forget they can fly! In fact, grown hogs are often very violent. Male hogs have been known to try to attack and kill humans.

* Where is the support for longer lifespans for vegans? There are currently no studies supporting that those who abstain from all animal products will live longer. In fact, the FDA food pyramid suggests 2-3 servings of meat a day. Of course, less red meat and not as large of servings is more healthy. It's hard to get enough protein as a vegetarian, because you will also need to eat grains along with the vegetable you are getting protein from, for a complete protein. In fact, those who do not get enough iron can become iron-deficient and go bald!

* They believe it is okay to kill plants but not animals. If it is not okay to kill God's creation, as they say, then we cannot eat anything. God also created all the plants.

* PeTA repeatedly compares animals with mentally handicapped people and children. I personally find this appalling. People and animals are far, far apart. If you are a Christian you do not believe in evolution, and believe that God made us in His image, giving us a body, spirit, and soul. In the Chrisitan belief, animals have a spirit but not a soul. A soul is what lives forever. I wasn't a cow when I was a child, and I doubt you were either.

* On their website Jesus Online, PeTA affronts Christians by placing a holy picture of Jesus with an orange slice instead of a halo around His head on their opening page. This, however, is not as bad as it gets.

PeTA claims that Christians should not eat meat because we are harming God's creation and hurting His feelings. However, after the flood humans were blessed by God with permission to eat anything that they wished to, including all meats. Genesis 9:1-3 tells this in detail: "Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, 'Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth. The fear and dread of you will fall upon all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air, upon every creature that moves along the ground, and upon all the fish of the sea; they are given into your hands. Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything."
PeTA also claims that Jesus took the lamb out of the Passover service. This is also in error, as it proclaims in the Bible that the Last Supper did contain Passover lamb. Luke 22:7-16 tell this fact (this is only a small selection of the mentioned verses): "Then came the day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, 'Go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover.' 'Where do you want us to prepare for it?' They asked. He replied, 'As you enter the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him to the house that he enters, and say to the owner of the house, 'The Teacher asks: Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?' He will show you a large upper room, all furnished. Make preparations there.'"
Perhaps the reason only wine and bread are mentioned in the story retelling (after the fact that they included lamb) is for the reason that the blood (wine) and body (bread) were what were most important. Jesus was showing that people would no longer have to sacrifice animals to atone for their sins. He never, however, said that we could no longer eat animals.
PeTA also claims that Jesus was put to death for protesting people eating animals (those selling animals in the temple). This is also incorrect. In 1 Corinthians 9:13 it acknowledges that it is fine to get food from the temple: "Don't you know that those who work in the temple get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar?" John 2:16 proves that what He did not appreciate was that the house of worship was being used to sell things, misusing it for a store. "To those who sold doves he said, 'Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father's house into a market!'" Jesus was not put to death because He opposed people eating animals. He was put to death theoretically because He worried leaders that He would overrule them, but in the divine order of things, He was put to death to fulfill God's promise of a Deliverer from sin.
The guilt trip here is that if you eat meat as a Christian, you're going against God. It's not true.
As a note to Christians who are curious about the vegetarian diet, I do have a recommendation. Try to keep away from all vegetarian books and websites. Although this sounds bizarre, these sources are generally very tainted, very incorrect, and often try to pull Christians into other religions, such as Buddhism, yin-yang belief of equality, etc. The books they recommend and quote are generally anti- or non- Christian and unbeneficial/confusing to those trying to lead a Christian life.

* PeTA does not believe in hunting (and I personally don't like it much either), but studies have shown that without it, especially in the Midwest, some populations would get out of control (especially deer populations). Those who have noticed this firsthand have run into deer going across streets, or deer that crash through buildings because they are getting overpopulated out of their natural habitat. This even happened in our area. They further compare hunters who eat what they hunt to Jeffrey Dahmer. It is unebeneficial and silly to compare humans eating animals to humans eating humans.

* PeTA claims people do not have canine teeth.

* PeTA believes school cafeterias should go "vegan." As someone with a severe disease which limits what I can eat, I really am upset about this. Many people with my disease (food allergies) can die if by only touching a peanut, and many of them have been considered silly for asking cafeterias to remove peanuts because they can die. If cafeterias will not remove food substances that can cause death in humans, why remove foods just because they upset vegetarians?

* They advocate switching your dog and cat over to a vegetarian diet. Cat magazines have fought back with a warning that doing such a thing to your cat can kill it. Cats are carnivorous animals and need the meat, protein, and taurine in regular cat foods. If you can find out information on dogs needing protein, please contact me (I personally believe they would be the same -- canines have canine teeth after all!).

* PeTA will send kids a prize if they go vegetarian.

* PeTA believes people eat animals simply because the animals won't talk with us (okay, so this is a rewording). This statement is ridiculous, because my father was dumb (to those of you who don't know, this means unable to speak) for a while as a boy growing up due to polio, and his parents didn't eat him for it.

My worst complaint about PeTA is that they provide no support, no references for their claims.
Would you like to contact PeTA? Their address is:
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
501 Front St.
Norfolk, VA 23510

Their phone number is: 1-757-622-PETA (7382)

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