USDA

Faith communities can make a difference for animals.

"The cornerstone of any faith is compassion, certainly for the oppressed and the poor and the vulnerable," said Christine Gutleben, director of Animals & Religion for The HSUS, in The United Methodist Portal last year.

"But we live in a culture that makes farm animals invisible, and that's very hard to overcome."

Few people know about the lives of approximately 10 billion animals who are raised on U.S. factory farms every year before appearing on our dinner plates. 

The HSUS is appealing to religious communities to make more humane food choices through a nationwide campaign, All Creatures Great & Small.

On factory farms, chickens, pigs and cows are warehoused in enclosures so small the animals cannot even turn around. Read more about how egg-laying hens, veal calves and pigs live on factory farms. Surely there is time and space in our day to choose compassion, by reducing our consumption of animal products and/or selecting products from animals who are raised in more natural, less inhumane environments.

At present, there are more than 300 million religious people in North America.  The author and essayist, Garret Keizer asks, "What if even half of them refused to purchase factory-produced chicken because that kind of food production is unjust to family farmers, unhealthy for poultry workers and certainly unpleasant for chickens?  With a single stroke they could change the way farmers farm, the way chickens live—the way Christians witness."(1)

Sign the Pledge

You can make a difference by making a simple pledge to avoid battery-cage eggs and instead choose cage-free eggs for the month of October in accordance with the Feast of St. Francis. Battery-cage eggs are produced by hens who are confined in tiny "battery cages"—enclosures so small the animals can't even spread their wings. More than 300 million egg-laying hens in the U.S. are raised this way. Click here to sign the pledge.

Along with the pledge, the campaign encourages and can equip individuals, families, small groups within congregations, and theological schools to explore industrial animal agriculture and our responsibilities as faithful stewards. 

Toolkits with a 20-minute documentary on food and faith and a related study guide, youth group materials, a children's Sunday school packet, sermon anecdotes and bulletin handouts will be available.

Small Steps Can Make a Big Difference

Through the All Creatures Great & Small campaign, religious communities across America can explore ways to actively engage in compassionate eating practices, such as choosing cage-free eggs if/when they purchase eggs.

"Compassionate eating" is a collective term for various, intentional approaches to eating that seek to be mindful of the flourishing of the whole of creation (human, animal and environment) when raising, purchasing and consuming food.

The HSUS advocates The Three R's: Reduce the consumption of animal products, refine selection to less inhumane alternatives (such as free-range meat products and cage-free eggs) or replace them all together with sustainably produced fruits, vegetables, grains and legumes. 

Why is This a Faith Issue?

Concern for animal welfare has deep roots in many religious traditions. From fasting to feasting, Kosher to Hallal and the Eucharist, there are numerous examples of people selecting food based on their faith, applying their principles to the raising and slaughtering of animals, and eating in the context of worship. Many denominations in the United States have adopted official statements on animal protection and animal welfare, including the Catholic Church, United Methodist Church and more.

The HSUS does not seek to impose any theological framework upon faith traditions. Rather, we work within the orthodox traditions and beliefs of each faith to explore the topic of animal welfare.

Most of the successful major social movements in our nation's history including the abolition and civil rights movements had religious leaders and followers in the forefront. People of faith can make change happen. Faith communities can make a difference for animals who need our protection.

(1) Garret Keizer, “A Time to Keep Kosher,” in The Christian Century, April 19-26 2000.