Benjamin Lay Gathering Point

– Lewis Randa

As Quakers, we are called to remove the occasion of war and cruelty; therefore, what we eat is part of that ministry.

 Each kinder choice we make for animals can become a small, living prayer for a more peaceful world – a profound way of holding all living creatures in the Light.

In the spirit of eighteenth-century Quaker Benjamin Lay, I offer this reflection. After fifty years as an engaged Quaker and over thirty as a vegan with my wife Meg, I’ve found it both possible and affirming to live without creating the occasion for exploitation and killing of animals for food or clothing. This practice has brought unexpected spiritual clarity and broadened my witness to nonviolence as a Friend.

My discharge from the military as a conscientious objector during the Vietnam War taught me many things, not the least of which is that refusing to bear arms against fellow humans leads to an expanded conception of and commitment to peace. Without question, the same impulse toward violence that fuels armed conflict and war also manifests in the systemic cruelty we inflict on food production animals in the endless search for efficiency and profit. These two expressions of cruelty go hand in hand.

Recognizing this has strengthened my understanding of the Friends Peace Testimony. I believe that as Quakers we should not only refrain from the use of violence to settle disputes between humans, but should extend nonviolence to all creatures with whom we share the earth. 1750 portrait of Benjamin Lay by William Williams.

Our shared hospitality following Meeting for Worship offers a glimpse into how we view animals in relation to peacemaking. Foods that entail no animal exploitation, suffering, or death express our commitment to peaceful living. Those derived from animal exploitation, on the other hand, stand in stark opposition to our peace testimony.

Today, billions of animals suffer annually, unseen victims of industrial-level factory farms, a system that conditions us not to notice and, thus, not to care. I share this, not to blame or condemn, but to invite fellow Friends and others into a gentler, more inclusive way of peacemaking, one that refuses to look away from such violence and cruelty.

From this concern, a Spirit-led initiative has emerged to weave cruelty-free practices into our Quaker testimonies of Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Community, Equality, and Stewardship. This initiative honors that of God in every living being.

The Benjamin Lay Vegan Gathering Point will meet periodically throughout the year at The Peace Abbey Foundation in Plymouth, in person and via Zoom. This expanding circle of Friends and friends of Friends will gather informally to learn, share, grow, and explore how our daily food choices might more fully reflect Friends Peace Testimony. Our aim is not persuasion, but to encourage faithfulness to the Inward Light as we seek more peaceful, nonviolent ways of living.

Benjamin Lay understood that Friends Peace Testimony loses its moral force, agency, and authority when Quakers, through indifference, turn a blind eye toward defenseless creatures that are treated with a level of  brutality that should shock the human conscience, but hasn’t. The same insight that made slavery unbearable to Benjamin Lay and early Friends should help us see that the suffering we cause animals is unbearable and repugnant today, and to respond with Quakerly resolve to practice nonviolence in our food choices and beyond.

For further reflection, I invite you to view the brief “Quaker Speak” video on Benjamin Lay and listen for how the Spirit may be guiding us today. May we, together, make Benjamin Lay an enduring part of who we are.

Invitation: Friends who feel a quiet stirring to explore this path are warmly invited to connect. Thank you for taking the time to read this reflection and to view the video Benjamin Lay: The Radical Abolitionist Who Challenged the World

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sv5o14dhWUA).

Down load The Story of Emily the Cow.

ANIMAL RIGHTS MEMORIAL & EMILY THE COW
Recent article about Emily the Cow.

“The overwhelming feeling I have is of the rightness of the monument there, and of its power, and that it is and will continue to be a potent seed-planter for peace, vegan living, and inspiration for a world beyond war and injustice.”

– Will Tuttle, Author, Activist, Peace Chaplain and recipient of the Courage of Conscience Award.

Emily the Cow gained international attention after escaping a Hopkinton slaughterhouse in 1995.

(Below photo of Emily the Cow Animal Rights Memorial over her grave.)

Bronze statue of Emily the Cow at her grave in Sherborn, MA.

Emily’s story is one of survival, perseverance, and inspiration. After hearing of Emily’s escape, Meg and Lewis Randa, Life Experience School co-directors, brought her to live at the Peace Abbey. Emily served as a loving symbol of courage, inner wisdom and survival to thousands of people who came to know and love her. After eight years in town, Emily died March 30, 2003, of cancer. A life-size bronze statue adorned with a blanket and flowers, Hindu signs of respect, stands at her eternal resting place, where Emily the Cow will live on as a symbol of vegetarianism, humanity, and nonviolence.Emily served as a loving symbol of courage, inner wisdom and survival to thousands of people who came to know and love her. She encouraged many to embark on the road to vegetarianism and cruelty-free living while inspiring people to appreciate the sacredness of all life.

Emily’s gentle and loving nature imbued us all with a better understanding and respect for all creatures with whom we share this planet. This is her legacy. Emily’s spirit will live on in the hearts of minds of those who were touched by her grace and beauty.Hair clippings from Emily’s markings on her forehead and from the tip of her tail, traces of her blood and a piece of golden thread (placed through Emily’s ear by Hindu priest Krishna Bhatta of the Lakshmi Temple) were released into the holy river Ganges in the city of Benares, India. Abbey members Bram and Elizabeth DeVeer organized and assisted the Temple priest in this traditional sacred cow ritual on the Ganges River in April 2003.

The Animal Rights Memorial in honor of Emily the Cow is owned and under the care of The Life Experience School in perpetuity. The Story of Emily the Cow is available on Amazon or at Barnes and Nobles. All proceeds go for the care of Emily’s Memorial. In Emily’s memory, we offer “Veggie Couching” and a crash course in becoming a vegetarian/vegan.

Five-minute cable news segment on Emily the Cow.

“The human body has no more need for cows’ milk than it does
for dogs’ milk, horses’ milk, or giraffes’ milk.”
~ Michael Klaper, M.D.
Courage of Conscience Award Recipient