PETA

After being prompted to read "Carnal Knowledge", a short story by JC Boyle, a few thoughts on activism have come to mind. Simply being passionate about something is not good or bad, in and of itself.

Activism is driven by the strong belief that something is really bad and something must be done to change that, even criminal activity, if necessary.

Animal rights, veganism, PETA and all activities in that category post an interesting conundrum in my mind. I really like animals and don't understand the interest anyone has in hunting. Finding enjoyment in killing just doesn't make sense to me. But at the same time I enjoy eating beef, pork, chicken, etc. And I don't have a problem with killing an animal so as to have meat to eat.

So the issue is that, in agreement with PETA, I believe that animals should be treated ethically. The problem comes in how ethical is defined. Clearly, my Christian faith directs my worldview, which includes eating meat, but it also includes rightfully handling all of God's creation.

So again, the question is, "Where do the proponents of PETA gain their authority to define ethics?"