God's Injunction....Or Nonchalance To Animal Suffering?

Note Of Caution: I have this dread....no!....more like allergy to persons who rather than come up with superior arguments, claim that "God said this" or "God said that"....or spontaneously revert to quotations from spiritual books. To state that I view such escapism as mental laziness is not to intentionally insult these crops of people....as I urge them to refrain from offering comments on the issue below:

So it was that I was called upon yet again to snuff life out of this fowl...as I did its predecessors....by putting knife to its throat....a most cruel and horrifying affair! As I held the unfortunate animal in my hands, I knew its fate was sealed! So, I lay it on the ground...sideways....wings flipped up and held firmly under my left foot....and proceeded to slit its throat....warm blood splurting from its neck arteries....and held further down....as it shuddered violently in the throes of death!

Its struggle was so severe that it fractured not a few bones in the process!

So I again wondered....must we subject fellow animals to such horrible pain so that we may feed? If a lion or tiger would thoughtlessly do these things to feed itself and its sires, can we compare human intelligence and reasoning to that of such beasts as to make us act so uncaringly?

I know that authors of chapters of "holy" books merely lay claim that they penned down their comments under the direct guidance, inspiration or instruction of God.

I know that the firm adherents of such faiths hold fast to products of mere claims and are afraid to subject issues such as this to cerebral modulations or reasoning for fear of "blasphemy" or "apostacy".

I know that rather than import meat products and risk consumption of animals that were not killed per religious injunctions, they would import only live animals to kill by painful slit of the throat!

I know that their fixation to kill these animals by only painful means is informed more by strict adherence to religious injunctions than mere blood lust.

I know as well that if painless killing was unavailable in the middle ages, it is widely available now.

As I mused aloud on these misgivings, an elderly woman promptly interjected by stating that it is God that commanded that we kill lesser animals for food! And I...without intending to be rude...wondered if this God could not have made us derive our energy from other sources, say directly from the sun! If he so desired.... What manner of God would revel in the suffering of its creatures....on a regular basis....in an activity as sure....and as common as feeding?!

Dr Tosin Akindele is a Lagos-based Medical Practitioner, a former Secretary of AGPMPN Ikorodu zone, a former Secretary of the Quackery Committee of AGPMPN Lagos State Branch, founder of Analytical Minds, a good health advocate and public affairs analyst.