Annalisa Palmer
HON 100H
28 October 2013
All Rights Reserved...
Meat, Mormons, and Mongols
Constituting as an easy and portable source of food for humans, animals seemingly tread on the earth solely for human benefit; however, religion and culture teach otherwise. From the Jewish kosher practice to the Hindu reverence of the cow, religions place restrictions on dietary consumption of animals, augmenting the restrictions already in place by culture. Culturally Buddhists, Mongolian people hold animals in high regard, and they slaughter only what they need for sustenance. Meat and dairy are the most readily available foods for these nomadic people, given their brutally cold and brittle environment. Christianity, as an umbrella for various religious sects, places no keen constraints on dietary habits, except for one particular religious denomination. The Church of Latter Day Saints (LDS), or “Mormon” religion, has its own say on how to eat animals properly, courtesy of its dietary code—the Word of Wisdom. Prophet Joseph Smith (1805-1844) received this doctrine as a revelation on February 27, 1833 (Woodworth). Modern Mormons, though, do not emphasize the verses that deal with devouring animal flesh, and contently eat meat; currently, the particular Mormon Sunday Sabbath includes a nice, steaming pot roast or meat laden casserole. The cultural practice of consuming animals can be validated when the whole animal is utilized, as in the traditional steppe culture of Mongolia, but the present-day Mormon practice of eating select animals does not correspond with the Word of Wisdom.
Sundays used to be days of thanks and plenty, the one time a family had meat at the table, but presently, most American Mormon families choose meat every day, for every meal, not comprehending the health and environmental repercussions of their decisions. Religious consequences remain as well: Mormons subscribe to the Word of Wisdom which entails abstinence from alcohol and hot beverages (www.lds.org). But, said principle also denotes a much overlooked abstention, warning that meat must be eaten sparingly and “only in times of winter, or of cold, or famine” (Catano). Essentially, the Word of Wisdom only validates the consumption of meat in nomadic Mongolian culture. In the frozen steppes of Mongolia, the people consume the flesh of the animals they kill–namely sheep and goat–plus their internal organs, hair, and skin. Mongolians reduce waste by making ‘borts’ which requires “beef, mutton and camel meat [to be] dried in sun and wind and preserved for a long period [of time];” this extends the shelf life of residual meat remains (www.aprsaf.org). In contrast to these practices of meat consumption, modern Western Mormons, despite clear doctrine, disregard this, favoring unethically raised and produced animals instead.
Westerners have access to grocery stores, where processed meats, courtesy of factory farms, wait to be purchased by anxious consumers who ignorantly succumb to their carnal desires for meat. Factory farms demand high yields of animal products and inject antibiotics into the animals they produce, thus increasing the amount of livestock just to keep up with the consumers’ appetites (Laskawy). The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), estimates that 7,516 million metric tons per year of CO2 equivalents, or 18 percent of annual worldwide greenhouse gas emissions, are attributable to livestock (Goodland & Anhang). Factory farming exacerbates the problem by insistently raising more animals for slaughter. Most modern Mormons remain ignorant to how their diet, meat and all, contributes to environmental degradation and to the fact that they are not living true to church doctrine: their meat eating ways cannot be endorsed.
The man known to have reestablished the gospel in the LDS religion, prophet Joseph Smith, wrote in 1834, “I exhorted the brethren not to kill a serpent, bird, or an animal of any kind during my journey unless it became necessary in order to preserve ourselves from hunger” which implies that meat consumption can only be permissible in times of extreme hunger (Foster). Smith wrote this in a time of persecution when his congregation and followers were in dire need of sustenance, further substantiating the Word of Wisdom’s condemnation of carnism (Smith). Smith’s succeeding church authorities reiterate his claim: George Q. Cannon (1827-1901), a first counselor in the church’s presidency, and alleged vegetarian prophet Joseph F. Smith (1838-1918) both aimed to terminate the consumption of animals within the church (Foster).
Most Mormons in twenty-first century America do not reside in places of rampant famine, but rather in places of abundance. The Mormons of Mongolia, living by their traditional nomadic ways, are excluded from this broad statement, as they live in arctic temperatures with an average winter temperature of -13°F and a cold season lasting for at least four months (Myagmarsuren). They practice meat consumption out of necessity. In addition, the Mongolian people are responsible in how they consume animals: as aforementioned, they eat every single scrap of meat. Wasting to them, is a ridiculous notion, to Mormons in the States, it is commonplace. This concept of wasting mandates change because it lacks sustainability and does not accord with Mormon doctrine.
Although LDS apostle, Elder James E. Faust taught to waste not and want not, this has not been followed by modern day Mormons (Faust). Mormons must reevaluate their adherence to the Word of Wisdom. Tobacco, hot beverages, alcohol, promiscuity, and other worldly passions may be denounced within the Mormon religion, but one glaringly brutish instinct still remains imbedded within the religion. Mormons must let go of their last carnal instinct—meat. The Word of Wisdom serves not just as a mere dietary code, but as explicit doctrine, hence its location in The Book of Mormon’s Doctrine and Covenants. Mormons do not need to use every aspect of the various animals they consume, like the Mongols do, but they need to respect animals as sentient beings and more fully come to grips with the doctrine that states this truth. The verses that constitute the Word of Wisdom can be interpreted in different fashions; yet, it plainly emphasizes carnism in a negative light, and if the text read and applied verbatim, as it should be, Mormons must subscribe to a vegan or vegetarian diet.
Works Cited
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Smith, Joseph. Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith. Comp. Joseph F. Smith. Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book, 1976. Print.
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http://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/89.1-21?lang=eng>.
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