hi all - this might be a dumb question, so forgive me, but are any of you vegan because of your spiritual beliefs? or, alternatively, i guess a broader and more interesting question might be how do your spiritual beliefs (if any) interact with and inform your veganism?
I'm a vegan anarchist, I guess that counts as a spiritual belief? No gods, no masters, no cages.
I suppose so, in the sense that I'm very much a physicalist. Given the lack of knowledge around consciousness and the similarities in biology between humans and other animals it is completely unreasonable to assume they don't suffer in a way that could very well be morally equivalent to how we do.
i'm largely asking because my Buddhism deeply informs my vegan practice. it seems logically consistent that to believe in the morality of not killing, that same morality should be applied as universally as possible, and thus also ought to apply to my diet. that kind of logic was instrumental in my "conversion" to veganism; applying that logic in various situations allowed me to make different choices which have eventually become habits/lifestyle that rejects killing as much as possible.
Yes. For pretty much the exact same reasons as you, although in my case I am a vegetarian as I still eat cheese. It was also my Buddhism that led me down this path, as despite the Buddha not requiring vegetarianism/veganism, I feel that with it being such an easy option in the modern world it is morally and ethically the right thing to do. But, yes I currently still eat cheese, so am not as far down this path as I should be.
