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My personal decision to become a vegetarian was prompted in large
measure by the fact that Joseph Smith established a detailed health
code he said he received through divine revelation in 1832. The
dietary guideline stresses primary reliance on grain, fruit and
vegetables and teaches that animals may be killed for food only
in dire circumstances like "times of winter or of famine."
For more information please refer to a detailed article at http://www.vegsource.com/articles/catano.htm.
Although my vegetarian journey began mostly as an effort to improve
physical health, I gradually developed concerns for animal welfare
as well. Again, I found wisdom and inspiration in the words of several
Mormon prophets. I had in the past been involved with recreational
hunting but started to understand the darker aspects of that "sport."
Lorenzo Snow who presided over the Church in the late 1800's also
underwent a similar metamorphosis as a youth. He described his change
of heart as follows:
Killing for sport is wrong...One day, to while away the slowly
passing hours, I took my gun with the intention of indulging in
a little amusement in hunting turkeys... From boyhood I had been
particularly, and I may say strangely, attached to a gun. Hunting
in the forests of Ohio was a pastime that to me possessed the
most fascinating attractions. It never occurred to my mind that
it was wrong-that indulging in "what was sport to me was
death to them;" that in shooting turkeys, squirrels, etc.,
I was taking life that I could not give; therefore I indulged
in the murderous sport without the least compunction of conscience.
Teachings
of Lorenzo Snow, p.188-189
Joseph F. Smith was a nephew of church founder Joseph Smith and,
in the early 1900's, also led the church as its president. Regarding
sport hunting he said:
I never could see why a man should be imbued with a blood-thirsty
desire to kill and destroy animal life. I have known men--and
they still exist among us--who enjoy what is, to them, the "sport"
of hunting...I do not believe any man should kill animals or birds
unless he needs them for food... I think it is wicked for men
to thirst in their souls to kill almost everything which possesses
animal life. It is wrong...
Answers
to Gospel Questions, Vol.4, p.48
Another high official of the church who eloquently preached the
sanctity of life was George Q. Cannon who served in the Quorum of
the Twelve Apostles in the late 1800's. He wrote:
We should by every means in our power impress upon the rising
generation the value of life and how dreadful a sin it is to take
life. The lives of animals even should be held far more sacred
than they are. Young people should be taught to be very merciful
to the brute creation and not to take life wantonly or for sport.
The practice of hunting and killing game merely for sport should
be frowned upon and not encouraged among us. God has created the
fowls and the beasts for man's convenience and comfort and for
his consumption at proper times and under proper circumstances;
but he does not justify men in wantonly killing those creatures
which He has made and with which He has supplied the earth.
Gospel
Truth, Vol. 1, p.30
Despite these and many other strong and clear statements by past
leaders of the LDS Church, its members have held diverse opinions
about sport hunting since the church was formed in 1830. As recently
as 1978, however, President Spencer W. Kimball pleaded with the
Latter-day Saints in a worldwide conference to avoid killing animals
merely for pleasure, but many Mormons still engage in recreational
hunting. I understand and appreciate the church's position to allow
the free exercise of personal conscience in this matter, but I was
absolutely stunned to learn recently that the church has now begun
to make a financial profit by actively encouraging sport hunting.
On July 8, 2000, a Salt Lake City newspaper, The Deseret News, ran
a feature article about a relatively new Church business venture
(see http://www.desnews.com/cgi-bin/libstory_reg?dn00&0007100178).
The article describes how Farm Management Company (the wholly-owned
subsidiary of the church that operates its agricultural facilities)
has established private hunting preserves for wealthy hunters on
certain Church-owned lands to generate additional revenue.
The LDS Church is experiencing the fastest growth among Christian
denominations, and membership now exceeds 11 million. To fund its
rapid expansion and aggressive building program, the church operates
businesses that supplement the tithes and offerings collected from
members. Over the years, the church has owned such enterprises as
an insurance company, a chain of high-end department stores, a newspaper,
and network TV and radio stations. In recent years, however, it
has moved to sell off those businesses that no longer play a central
role in its mission. For example, the department store chain was
recently sold.
The church does continue to own extensive tracts of land on which
it maintains agricultural operations. These farms produce foodstuffs
for the highly respected, worldwide, LDS welfare system that aids
both needy church members and non-Mormons during natural and other
disasters.
The volunteer missionary corps often participates in those emergency
efforts in addition to its normal work of sharing a Gospel message
or assisting chronically destitute populations through medical and
other forms of relief. It was shocking to read that the Church has
now assigned some of its missionaries to staff and manage the hunting
preserves. The missionaries plant grain fields to attract larger
numbers of animals and function as hosts for hunters who pay up
to $8,500 to use the facilities.
It's hard to imagine the church owning hunting preserves under the
leadership of the those quoted above, but Gordon B. Hinckley, the
current president, has either authorized the creation of the hunting
preserves or at least tolerates them. I wasn't able to determine
which is the case because the church is being very quiet on the
matter. I contacted its public affairs office, and, after first
being told by the director that he would answer my questions, a
second-tier media handler was assigned to inform me weeks later
that they would not answer any of the questions I'd submitted in
preparation for this article.
There is one approach that may yield results. During his many years
of service to the church, Pres. Hinckley has functioned in a public
communications role even prior to becoming president and has brought
a professional's awareness of media relations to the church's top
position. Pres. Hinckley has appeared on potentially controversial
national news shows like 60 Minutes and Larry King Live in an effort
to bring the church into a more positive light. Because he is keenly
aware of good public relations and image, I believe he would respond
to public disapproval of a church owning game preserves for wealthy
hunters as a money making scheme. Here's how you can help:
1. To let the LDS Church know your thoughts, contact:
LDS Church Public Affairs
Attn: Bruce Olsen, Director
Joseph Smith Memorial Building
15 E. South Temple
Salt Lake City, Utah 84150 USA
(tel) 800-453-3860 ext. 24377
(fax) 801-240-1167
email: olsenbl@ldschurch.org
2. If you know or meet LDS people, ask them to find out
from their leaders why the Church is attempting to profit from killing
for amusement and report back to you what they learn. Tell them
you're aware that one of their responsibilities is to help build
the Kingdom of God on the Earth (or Zion as it's commonly called),
and Joseph Smith stated in Doctrine and Covenants 105:5 that, "Zion
cannot be built up unless it is by the principles of the law of
the Celestial Kingdom." Since, according to established Mormon doctrine,
sport hunting is not a Celestial activity (meaning one that pertains
to the highest order of heaven), for the LDS Church to own hunting
amusement parks is in conflict with its goals.
3. If you are LDS, ask your bishop, stake president and other
authorities to find out how the church can operate such facilities
in light of strong anti-sport hunting statements of past leaders.
As you discuss this with them a typical answer may be, "The hunting
preserves are merely business operations owned by the church but
run separately from it." That response is shallow and intended to
divert attention from the two real central issues which are, "Can
a church operated through divine inspiration ignore the clear condemnation
of sport hunting by several of its past presidents who were considered
spokesmen for God?" Finally, "Is it really proper for any religious
group to raise money by promoting bloodsport?"
I've heard a rumor that the church is considering hiring paid staff
rather than using volunteer missionaries to operate its hunting
facilities. That would be a step in the right direction but would
be more of a public relations maneuver than a real solution. A business
that the church owns and can completely control would still be operating
in disharmony with the church's long and honorable spiritual tradition.
Please help communicate this message, and feel free to distribute
this article at your discretion. If possible, please forward copies
of the correspondence you send and any answers you receive to Jim
Catano, jimc@vegsource.com
Update Aug 1, 2001:
I finally had the time yesterday to take a tour of the Church-owned
hunting facility at Westlake Farms north of Elberta, Utah. I dropped
by unannounced but was welcomed most cordially by Kevin Albrecht
who's the paid manager there. Almost a year ago, he and his wife
replaced the missionary couple who had had that assignment.
I was sincerely impressed by Kevin. I told him up front who I was,
and he already knew who I was. He volunteered to give me a tour,
so we took a half hour drive around the facility viewing stands
of mixed grains that have been created as an attractive habit for
birds. I saw doves, geese, pheasants, and hawks which he says are
abundant in the area along with a large population of bald eagles
due to the large population of game birds and jack rabbits which
the habitats attract. Game bird hunting occurs 3 months out of the
year.
Our efforts in bringing our opposition to the attention of the
Church hierarchy have already had an impact. Not only do missionaries
no longer staff the facility but "canned hunts" in which birds that
have been raised in captivity are released just before the hunters
go in are no longer sponsored. Kevin said he had had several meetings
with upper management as a result of our activism, and canned hunts
were one of the first things to be changed.
He told me that in a meeting he recently attended of commercial
hunting facility managers, people from other parts of the country
were surprised how low the daily bag limit is (2 per day as opposed
to "as many as you can shoot for a price") and that the facility
no longer plants hatched birds but relies only on wild reproduction.
He informed me how strict rule enforcement is and that members must
report birds they think they've wounded but can't find as part of
their daily limit. He's fairly confident that members do this although
I have my doubts that all do.
He didn't change my mind about the merits of the existence of this
facility, but I am somewhat gratified to know that this facility
may be the "best of the worst." It wouldn't hurt to keep the heat
on and contact those in authority with your opinions if you've not
yet done so.
He did say that some stakes in Payson, Utah send volunteers to
help on work projects. He didn't know the details, so I need to
find out if this is being done as a Church welfare assignment. I
also forgot to ask if the facility is open on Sundays and if it's
financially self-sustaining based on current membership fees. More
later, JimC
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