The Truth of Romans 1 and the Last Days

A December 7th article in FarmWeek of the Illinois Farm Bureau, of which I am a member, indicates the truth of Romans 1. Daniel Grant writes about the HSUS effort to take animal care debate to a “higher power”.

Farmers and ag leaders no longer can rely simply on scientific and economic evidence to successfully defend current livestock production practices. The Humane Society of the United States in recent years added religion to the animal welfare debate and likely will intensify the effort with its Faith Outreach program, according to Wes Jamison, associate professor of communications at Palm Beach University.

Jamison talked about the animal activist group’s focus on religion and what it could mean to ag supporters during the Illinois Commodity Conference in Bloomington. “This debate is not about science or economics”, said Jamison, who recently completed a nine-month re- search project in which he analyzed why HSUS is so effective in shaping consumer opinion about animal ag.
“They (HSUS leaders) realized something was missing to tie animal welfare issues together and they found religion,” he said. HSUS currently is spending about $1.2 million per year on its Faith Outreach program in an attempt to convert and change people’s minds about animal ag, according to Jamison.

HSUS on its website states the Faith Outreach program “seeks to engage people and institutions of faith with animal protection issues on the premise that relicious values call upon us all to act in a kind and merciful way towards all creatures.”
The HSUS statement seems to be well-intended, but Jamison believes there is a hidden agenda.
“The real target audience is pet owners” who are a key demographic when it comes to state and local elections, Jamison said. HSUS wants to remind pet owners “they should feel guilty about treating one animal like family and another like cuisine.”

HSUS is attempting to frame animal welfare as a religious and moral issue with the understanding that getting consumers to feel guilty can inspire them to take actions that could have negative consequences on livestock production, he said. Voters inn California, for example, last year approved a referendum to ban the use of veal and sow gestation crates.

In the end, “Their strategy (at HSUS) is to legislate you out of production,” Jamison told the farm audience. Farmers, therefore, must engage in the debate and look for ways to help consumers differentiate companion animals from food animals. Farmers also must empower consumers to feel good about farm products, he said. “Research shows consumers want to use your meat-based products,” he added. “HSUS has the difficult job trying to change their behavior.”--