Put away the fly swatter?
Am I wrong here or is swatting a fly going to be inhumane with the PETA folks?
PETA went undercover to watch schechita -- Jewish ritual slaughter of animals -- and then delivered video to major media outlets showing what it thought was cruelty to animals. There is some debate about whether what was considered 'torture' was actually necessary in keeping kosher in the Jewish faith. Some say that despite the look of it, the method PETA had a problem with is more humane because the animal dies rather quickly. Jewish groups are looking into it as well.
What I don't get is a humane death verses an inhumane death when we're talking about a cow that will be steak on somebody's plate real soon -- whether it be from Wolfgang Puck or daddy manning the grill.
Should we get all upset about the way an animal is slaughtered as long as it's sanitary -- I mean, is there really a nice way to kill an animal for food?
Comments (3)
To report abuse of the comment feature on this site, please use the feedback form at the bottom of any page.
Interesting point, after all, dead is dead, no? But there's another side to this - "kosher" isn't really about dietary *laws.* It's really about holiness. In his book "To Be a Jew" (an excellent resource on traditional Judaism), Rabbi Hayim Halevy Donin suggests that the dietary laws are designed as a call to holiness. The ability to distinguish between right and wrong, good and evil, pure and defiled, the sacred and the profane, is very important in Judaism. Imposing rules on what you can and cannot eat ingrains that kind of self control, requiring Jews to learn to control even their most basic, primal instincts.
Donin also points out that the laws of kashrut elevate the simple act of eating into a religious ritual. The Jewish dinner table is often compared to the Temple altar in rabbinic literature. A Jew who observes the laws of kashrut cannot eat a meal without being reminded of the fact that he is a Jew.
So, it's not about "how an animal is killed," but about slaughtering an animal with as little pain as possible for a goal that is replete with holiness.
Please, PETA, don't tell me that an oddball company broke those laws - that's being investigated and hopefully the bad guys will be punished. A little background on kashrut (the intent of "kosher") seemed to me to provide some helpful background to understanding.
More here:
http://www.jewfaq.org/kashrut.htm
Posted on February 28, 2005 5:40 PM
I would have thought that civilized people would have moved past the idea of killing animals as part of religious ceremonies. Seems unhealthy from a mental standpoint. Some traditions are too darned dangerous to continue, IMO:
http://www.clevelandjewishnews.com/articles/2005/02/17/news/world/tmohel0218.txt
Posted on March 1, 2005 10:24 AM
I find it quite civilized to have a sanitary way of preparing food.
Posted on March 3, 2005 5:54 PM