You're more than welcome! And thanks. I truly hope this post has inspired both vegans and vegans-to-be. :)

Thanks. If I didn't think there were too many people on the planet already, even I might be preaching "go forth and multiply" -- but only for vegans of course. ;)

"Ketchup" mode, ha ha, I'm in that mode ALL the time! Yep, keeping our feet moving AND firmly planted is another good example of how vegans deal really well with paradoxes. :)

And thank you! :) I'm sorry, no, not sure who created the graphic. Normally if I know, I either state a name or give a link, so I probably just scooped it up from Google Images at some point. If anyone DOES know, please indicate it in the comments and I'll properly attribute it in the post.

Thanks veganelder. Yeah, wouldn't it be great if more of us tried to incorporate the "first, do no harm" principle when it comes to food. And while veganism certainly doesn't eliminate all harm, it IS more of a harm-free diet than the typical SAD one. Maybe we can start throwing around the term harm-free rather than plant-based? Because the former more accurately describes why I'm vegan.

You're so welcome! Thanks for dropping by.

Hey Joan, thanks for chiming in! And sorry for taking a while to chime back. ;) I hear ya about trying to spread the word to Christian churches. Back in 2011 I mailed out 16 Would Jesus Eat Meat Today? pamphlets to area churches and only got back one reply. They're a tough bunch to crack, methinks. http://www.havegonevegan.com/2011/10/the-fowlfoulness-of-thanksgiving.html And yes, there are even specific passages forbidding the killing of animals (e.g. Isaiah 66:3 He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man; he that sacrificeth a lamb, as if he cut off a dog's neck; he that offereth an oblation, as if he offered swine's blood; he that burneth incense, as if he blessed an idol. Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations.) but those tend to be conveniently ignored as well. So sad. Although, not sure about the incense, snort. I don't know though about the idea of God punishing us, as I like to think that s/he is just as offended by how animals are used and abused as we are. And it reminds me of how some Christians feel that AIDS is God's punishment as well, which I think is absurd. No, we likely just punish ourselves. And innocent beings of course. :(

First, a big Thank You to all for your lovely and thoughtful responses, and a huge apology for not replying sooner. Your comments were read and enjoyed (certainly not ignored), but life has this habit of getting in the way... @veganelder: Thanks. I have to say though that my town is probably not representative (small, with a large wave of Dutch Christian immigrants coming over post WWII with conservative values held intact), so likely (hopefully?) not as reflective of typical Canadians as other Canadians! @Tom: You're one of the very fine vegan Christians I was referring to. :) And yes, thinking things through is so vital! Along the line of that famous adage "the unexamined life is not worth living", I think we should add "and the unexamined faith is not worth having." ;) @Apps55...aka Janet, snort: You're welcome! I'm pleased it helped. I like to think that if there is an all-knowing and all loving God, that s/he is just as sad and upset and bewildered as we are. Human beings must be such a disappointment! Because if God is perfect and just, then animal use/abuse would be displeasing to him + her just as much. @Bea: See comment to Janet above. Plus, yeah, are we made in God's image, or have we made Him (if God does exist, then s/he would be both him AND her IMO) in ours? Will we ever find out for sure? ;) @Cdlitestudio: Thanks for dropping by! Yes, I've heard that assertion about Christ as well, and it makes sense to me. Hope you (and all of you above too!) had a wonderful Easter. Again, my apologies for not getting back to this post sooner.

Hear, hear, ha ha. ;) Yes, if "listening" results in the current madness, then deafness is not a disability at all. I confess to being an addict myself. Although I normally limit myself to one cup of coffee in the morning and one cup of tea in the afternoon. But definitely this drug use (which is exactly what it is), is not only condoned but actively encouraged. Just like other drugs: sugar (there's a fascinating book out now that I want to read on how food companies manipulate levels of sugar, salt and fat to get us addicted), and cheese to name two. What I find really sad though is when I see young kids around 10 with a cup of Tim Horton's in their hands. Where are their parents? As mentioned in my comment to Bea, I plan to address the very public about-face soon, but in its own post. Thanks for your comment. And everyone else too of course! :)

I so agree -- make a mistake, and move on. I don't understand this all or nothing mentality. I do have some ideas though about the "publicness" of it all, and will share in a future post. Love that quote by Colleen! And guilt has a lot to do with it, methinks.

Hi Rebecca, hope you enjoyed those pancakes! :) And yes, funny (well, maybe not) how when human animals deem themselves the most important ones that ideals which aren't self-serving quickly go by the wayside.

Is it March already? Where have I been? Afflicted with February funk methinks! ;) Sense? Yes. Lame? No. As for questions, it's about all I know how to do, snort. Well no, but you know what I mean. Understanding the root cause of anger is always helpful. In my case I'm also busy right now trying to tackle the trunks (or so they feel at times) of personal/family anger issues -- so a double helping of sorts! ;)

Great quotes, Tom. Especially the second one! Thanks.

Ha ha, if I had been smarter when young I would have tried to find an occupation where all I had to do was ask questions. I seem to be better at that then coming up with solutions, snort. Squirts of happiness -- love that phrase! And yeah, continual happiness isn't possible or desirable anyway. Happiness as a byproduct, no? :)

Cashews! That's a cool idea. Thanks for sharing. Oh, I recently have started to find the Soy Silk in French Vanilla flavour, and the benefit to that is that I don't have to put in stevia to sweeten it up! :)

Ha ha, like the new meaning of that phrase, snort. But I'm definitely with you on this one! :)

You may have to wait a while (look how long it's taken me just to get back to comments! me bad blogger), but it may appear as one of my "paradox" posts. Thanks in advance for your patience. :)

Yep. And there's no such thing as a perfect blogger either -- I'm living proof of that. ;)

Aw, thanks! :)