Religion - Every one seems to have a dark side

[packman]

The Gadhimai festival started in the early hours of Tuesday morning as a priest killed a goat, rat, chicken, pig and pigeon and then offered blood from his own body.

Around 200 butchers wielding curved kukri knives then descended on a walled temple arena containing an estimated 3,500 buffalo to behead the animals.

Campaigners for animal rights charity Humane Society International described seeing baby buffaloes bellowing as they watched their mothers being decapitated.

They said others collapsed from exhaustion, sickness and stress as worshippers attempted to drag them to their deaths

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/gadhimai-hindu-festival-largest-animal-sacrifice-nepal-india-buffalo-a9230786.html

[msongs]

1. same thing happens here except the dead animals are sold in shrink wrap trays nt

[Newest Reality]

2. I can't judge it...

Here, we have the absolute horrors of factory farming and I have seen things that make me sick. It goes on everyday and millions of animals are affected from birth to death. All it takes is some investigation into what is not made public and you can see some heart-breaking treatment of feeling, sensitive animals and horrific slaughtering that one would not call humane in some cases. I can hardly recommend a foray into it, but it really can open one's eyes.

Now, not all situations are totally cruel, but it is all going on in the background and behind walls, so we can feel alright about it. It has no religious background or tradition to it other than pure capitalism and a cupid fetish for increased profit above and beyond all else.

The only equivalence here is that we need to do more to assure that our food animals are treated with some compassion during their lives and at their deaths. Just as those devotees are not under pressure to give up their tradition, our form of devotees, consumers, have to also stop the carnage.

It's not just about a dark side to a religion, especially when it is a matter of food. I mean the halal slaughter by Islam and even the Kosher form are practices that are daily and regular and, to me, cruel. You can see videos of them and decide for yourself. Perhaps we are now coming out of that darkness as a species and both the West and its factory barbarism, as well religions, can now raise the level of compassion and kindness to our fellow creatures. I, for one am glad that this has attention, but not because it demonstrates the foibles of some religions as an indictment, that's another matter that is more about morals, ethics and philosophical views.

It is perspective and culture that matters here and I am not much into criticizing other cultures or even religions when ours needs much improvement for both animals and people and that's a humanistic issue here, so the reason of money or god(s) might even occlude the fact that we can ignore it when it's secular and commercial and fills our bellies.