Do you think vegetarians that are that way because of religious reasons get more regard?

Question

and respect?

Answer 1

Sweetie, just tell people that your beliefs don't allow you to eat meat. That's what I tell people.

BTW: Seventh Day Adventists are Vegetarian Christians. They even have vegetarian camps for both children and adults.

Answer 2

i am a vegetarian for religious reasons, but i think i get MORE c**p for that than if i say it's for any other reason.  i am a Christian, and most Christians eat meat.  when someone asks about it and i tell another Christian that i'm veg for religious reasons they feel like i'm attacking their diet AND their religion, which can get pretty ugly.  it's like pulling the rug out from under their feet.  they always try to "convert" me back to eating meat.....it's a given....i get the, "God put animals here for us to eat" argument a lot.

i suppose if i were a member of a religion that isn't their own than it might be different and they would just blow it off....but challenging someone's religious convictions is shaky ground.

my husband actually met someone the other day who was talking about how their wife was a vegetarian, and he mentioned that i am too.  the other gentleman said, "oh, is your wife hindu?"  my husband laughed and said, "no, she's a Christian," and the man said that he had never met a vegetarian who wasn't hindu and how he thought it was strange that someone who isn't hindu would give up meat.  so i guess it goes both ways......

i guess what i'm trying to say is that in some instances it's easier, but in others it's actually harder.  there are always going to be people who just don't get it, and there will always be those who are looking for a fight.  

i've just gotten to the point where i don't care if other people understand my motivations or not....they don't need to understand.  i'm the only person who needs to "get it."

EDIT: Kim......I have actually looked into the Seventh Day Adventist Church because I knew that they supported going veg....unfortunately I don't agree with a lot of their other teachings.  It's too bad...would have been nice!  I'm tired of going to churches where people (erroneously) think that not eating meat is going against God =(

Answer 3

Probably not, I mean people usually don't care about why your a vegetarian. It's more of you being a vegetarian in the first place rather than why.

Answer 4

Yes.

I think that people that are vegetarian/vegan for religious reasons are treated much better. I know people that have a very hard time ordering anything at a cafe or restaurant etc. when they ask "Does it have milk in it?" or "Does it have eggs in it?" and the person behind the counter often says, "Oh, why?"  "Because I don't eat that."  "Is that because you *choose* not to, or is it because you have some medical condition?"

So, basically they won't help you out or treat you like a pest if you are choosing of your own free will not to eat certain things.  So, what do these people I know do?  They say, "I'm allergic." and immediately they are treated like a 'normal' person and told what all the ingredients are or which do and do not have this or that in them etc.  Why?  Because, one: they are 'normal' and two: liability reasons.  You sell someone something that they are allergic to and they told you so, they can sue you.

I've never tried the religious approach, as "It's against my religion to eat such things", but I'm willing to bet that if you feed me something that is against my religion to eat, I can very well sue you for doing that.

Answer 5

No. I don't believe so. I totally respect your choice for going veggie. I am not vegetarian but I would enjoy a nice vegetarian recipe like the ones I've seen online. If I were to have dinner with you I would have veggetarian too out of respect. I know it's not a religious choice...it's a moral choice.

Answer 6

I have been a vegetarian for around 8 years now, and some people will never understand.  I have found that as long as you don't push your vegetarianism on anyone else, most people don't care.  As for family I just needed to learn how to eat healthy so they would get off my case.  

I became a vegetarian because I couldn't stand the all of the cruelty that happens within the meat industry.  I don't believe in it, but I also know not to push the issue with people who are never going to change.  

I think regardless of religious reasons or not it is still a choice that is just as personal.  It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks, it what you think.  

Personally I believe the commitment to become vegetarian is more important than religous reasons, you have made a conscious decision on your on to respect the lives of animals by not eating them.  

Answer 7

well, most people really just dont understand, and they have the mind span of 'they like it, why shouldnt you' and hindues have a reason. like in India, the cow is sacred.

like Im vegetarian for religious reasons, and people give me just as much c**p as they give other vegetarians

like what if you had only one friend that was a meat eater and all the others being vegie, would you give them a hard time? PROBABLY.

Answer 8

Thank GOD this is a free country and we can eat what ever we want to eat,there is nothing wrong with being a vegatarian. If someone says anything to you about it just tell them where to go.

Answer 9

I've never run into trouble receiving people's respect. I will say that many vegetarian Hindus will respect you more if you are vegetarian as well.

Answer 10

Great question. I started out for health reasons, but the animal rights issues are one of the best reasons to go veg. I am d**n proud to be a vegan, anybody who wants to give me s**t over it better have an intelligent argument, because I know the facts, so they can kiss my a**.

Answer 11

no. in fact the only two people who were religious vegetarians weren't very strict about their vegetarianism. one are fish & the other ate tons of stuff with gelatin.

i personally don't understand how religious people can't be vegetarians. they're against killing & they support compassion. it spells out vegetarianism if you ask me, especially buddhism.