Here at GenV, we have always shown an interest in the relationship between veganism, spirituality, and religion. Some of our long-time supporters may remember us (as Million Dollar Vegan) challenging the Pope to go vegan for Lent, or our support of the incredible film ‘A Prayer for Compassion’. Most recently we supported the release of the new Kip Anderson documentary, Christspiracy. Perhaps this interest stems from the fact that many religions teach compassionate values towards others, yet they don’t extend those values to animals, which we find troubling. Or maybe it’s because they are both awkward dinner table topics for many families around the world, and we thrive on awkward meal times.
All we know is that many religions are still failing non-human animals, despite plenty of evidence within religious texts that suggests otherwise. People of faith who champion veganism are leading the way in a more modern, compassionate, and enlightened approach to their spiritual practice. We are here to celebrate their contribution to the vegan movement, and explore the lessons we can learn from them!
Daryl Booth
Daryl is the founder of SARX (Greek for ‘Flesh’), a UK based Christian animal charity which aims to empower religious leaders around the world to champion the cause of animals in their practice. He is on this list because he asks crucial questions of his own religion in the name of voiceless animals, which can be a challenging thing to do.
Daryl’s transition to veganism came later in life, as he delved deeper into his theological study and realized that animal welfare is an unavoidable part of faith. This seems like a logical conclusion. So many of the fundamental tenets of Christianity (‘love thy neighbor’ springs to mind), surely apply to our relationship with non-human animals. Daryl also highlights common Christian responses to the issue, such as, ‘Jesus ate fish’, or the presence of animal sacrifices in the Old Testament. He suggests these responses often focus on what’s permissible rather than addressing the realities of modern farming. Daryl challenges people to reflect on whether, in today’s world, eating meat could be considered sinful or if God would approve of how animals are treated. If more people raised these thoughtful questions, we believe there would be far more religious vegans!
In founding SARX, Daryl has done so much to drive forward the topic of animal welfare within the Christian belief, and we are grateful for his efforts – we would urge any vegan or non-vegan Christians out there to show support for his work and continue the conversation, because it’s a very important one!
Acharya Prashant
Acharya Prashant is arguably the world’s most followed spiritual leader, reaching millions of people around the world with his lectures, articles, and social media content. He teaches 17 forms of the Gita (Sanskrit for ‘Song of God’) and Buddhism, but as part of his teaching he incorporates contemporary knowledge and values like environmental and scientific activism, and the championing of essential human and animal freedom. Naturally, veganism is a pillar of his teachings.
Prashant teaches that spirituality is compassion.
‘Compassion is not a part, compassion is truth, compassion is love. Compassion is everything that wisdom stands for.’
This underpins the belief that we are all one, and we exist within and alongside one another. It tells us that while there is suffering for other living beings, we cannot live without suffering ourselves. If we continue to separate ourselves from one another, and from other sentient and non-sentient beings, we will continue to cause suffering to others, the planet, and ourselves. So therefore, to be spiritual, is to be vegan, to connect yourself with the natural world around you so that you stop othering, and start being.
Whatever religion, or lack thereof, we choose to live by, these teachings tell us something incredibly important about how we can choose to view the world around us, and how we can better ourselves, and everything around us.
Jeffrey Cohan
Jeffrey is the former director of Jewish Veg, now the Center for Jewish Food Ethics, an organization committed to helping Jewish communities align their food practices with their Jewish values. Jeffrey’s interpretations of Jewish texts emphasize that contrary to what many in the Jewish community believe, veganism is not just ideal but may even be the diet most aligned with the mandates of the Jewish faith!
Jeffrey cites the moment he first heard the opinion that meat-eating was not the optimal diet for the Jewish faith. He was unsurprisingly shocked, after all, Jewish communities pride themselves on their preparation of meat dishes. But after a subsequent deep dive into the dietary teachings of the Torah, Jeffrey discovered three main points:
- The vegan diet is actually the ideal in Jewish sacred texts.
- While Jews are permitted to eat meat, that permission is framed in a negative context.
- The Torah commands Jews to prevent animal suffering, a principle that is deeply violated by the practices of modern animal agriculture.
Jeffrey points to the Torah’s teaching that animals were created by God for companionship, and that if we eat them, we are cursed to be feared and dreaded by all creatures. While non-religious people may not interpret this as the true role of animals, it certainly doesn’t imply that eating them is acceptable or encouraged. We’re no experts, but these teachings make a pretty compelling case that veganism is a moral imperative within the Jewish faith.
Jeffrey’s learnings and knowledge sharing has no-doubt helped many people of Jewish faith transition to a diet that more accurately represents the true teachings of their faith.
Victoria Moran
Victoria’s faith is multifaceted, perhaps best described as ‘interfaith’ or spiritual. Rather than attempt to define it for her, we encourage you to explore it further yourself. What we’re most excited about is her extensive work for animals—and there’s certainly plenty to celebrate!
We worked alongside Victoria in our promotion of the film ‘A Prayer for Compassion’ which she produced. We saw then what a powerful force for animals she is. Alongside her husband and others, she also co-founded Compassion Consortium, an interfaith, interspecies, and interspiritual center dedicated to supporting animal advocates. Their mission is to spread compassionate faith, welcoming everyone regardless of religious belief. They offer vegan-friendly online sermons, compassionate book clubs, film clubs, and more, creating a space where kindness and empathy for all beings are at the heart of spiritual practice.
Victoria has written extensively on a variety of topics, and we recommend all of her books. However, for a deep dive into the intersection of veganism and faith, ‘Compassion: The Ultimate Ethic,’ is a standout, as well as several of her insightful articles.
Gurudev Chitrabhanuji
Gurudev Chitrabhanuji was a highly influential Jain guru who, sadly, passed away in 2019 at the age of 96. Throughout his life, he advocated for the removal of dairy from the Jain diet. While the Jain religion traditionally avoids meat and most other animal products, many Jains still consume dairy. Chitrabhanu, however, emphasized that consuming dairy carries karmic consequences. For example:
- Separating a calf from its mother and taking her milk creates a karmic vibration, which can manifest as separation in our own lives.
- Dairy production reduces the life-span of cows through both milk and veal production – contributing to this loss of life, creates a karmic reduction in our own lifespan or that of our loved ones.
- Taking calves from their mothers and stealing their milk is an act of “adattā dān,” the acquisition of another’s belongings without consent. This action carries karmic consequences, potentially leading to the loss of one’s own cherished possessions.
Whether you are of Jain faith, any other faith, or none at all, Gurudev Chitrabhanuji’s teachings show us that by inflicting cruelty and mistreatment upon others, we increase the likelihood we will experience those same outcomes ourselves.
Will Tuttle
Dr. Tuttle has been vegan for 39 years, is a former Zen Buddhist monk, author, musician, educator, award winning writer, and speaker. In other words, he’s done it all and his contribution to the vegan movement is a big one. His books and other creative outlets focus on compassion, intuition, meditation, social justice, and creativity – subjects that we can all, vegan or not, learn a great deal from.
When it comes to faith, Dr Tuttle is an expert in the deep interconnections between the teachings of Buddhism, the fourth largest religion in the world, and the values of veganism. He highlights that Buddhist values and practices like meditation allow us to throw off the highly cultivated ‘craving’ for meat, instilled in us from a young age, and realize the inherent connection we have to animals and the planet.
Dr Tuttles best-selling book, ‘The World Peace Diet’ is a great place to start if you are interested in his work. For a more faith-centric exploration of Buddhism and veganism, his edited collection of essays: ‘Buddhism and Veganism: Essays Connecting Spiritual Awakening and Animal Liberation’ is a wonderful read!
Conclusion
Faith is a deeply personal journey, one that each of us navigates in our own way. For some, veganism itself may be their strongest expression of faith, while others weave it into their religious practices. By exploring the lives of these vegan people of faith, we can see that the core values of most spiritual traditions—regardless of doctrine—often reveal that animals are not meant to be food in the eyes of God or the Gods.
We celebrate these people of faith because they understand the importance of incorporating and teaching veganism as part of their spiritual practice. By doing so, they are connecting with communities that might not have otherwise encountered the vegan message, spreading compassion in ways that resonate deeply with the belief.
If you are interested in this topic, or are looking for other vegans in your faith, there is plenty to explore. There are vegan Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Sikh and Hindu groups, blogs and information hubs, where followers can find out more about how an animal-free diet strengthens and supports their own beliefs. We also highly recommend the amazing feature length documentary A Prayer for Compassion. This film inspires and encourages those already on a religious or spiritual path to expand their circle of compassion to embrace all life, regardless of species, and make choices in alignment with this value!
GenV also offers a Vegan for Spirituality Challenge, which you can join right here! It’s a great way to explore the spiritual side of veganism and how it can deepen your connection to your beliefs.