Vegan Metaphysics: is Veganism a Religion?

Donald Watson, the founder with his wife Dorothy of the Vegan Movement, called himself an atheist. An atheist but also a pacifist and an anti-war, conscientious objector. Is the movement he left behind him, Veganism, a religion?

The simple answer is … no.

There is no “God of the Vegae“. There are no vegan priests. There are no vegan places of worships (especially as all the major wholefood stores all seem to stock fish and meat now) … but are gods, priests and places of worship all necessary to be recognised as a religion? The answer in all three of those examples is also … no.

A religion can be anything and pretty much anything can be turned into a religion. Especially a cult. For many vegans, I would say veganism does take the place of religion. Albeit a life affirming religion in the here-and-now. Perhaps it is time for Donald Watson to replace St Francis of Assisi as the patron saint of animals and the environment? His reach has certainly gone much further and has, ultimately, been more benign in its balance than the Franciscan Order was.

Had Donald Watson been born India or Tibet, he would have been hailed as a saint or a reincarnated Buddha by now, and have several temples named after him! Perhaps we should put his name forward?

Many vegan certainly go through an evangelistic period especially in their ‘born-again vegan‘ youth. There are certainly ‘fundamentalist vegans‘ at loggerheads with ‘reformed vegans‘ and some noted philosophical vegans. We all experience (albeit minor) persecution and we have our genuine martyrs. Individuals such as Barry Horne, Jill Phipps and the many vegans imprisoned for putting their beliefs into direct action, who will one day be hailed just as the martyrs against the Church of Rome, anti-slavery or female emancipation activists are.

It could even be possible to argue that the environmentalism which drives many vegans is also ‘faith-based‘ and against rational and scientific analysis. A wishful dream of a Utopian Heaven on Earth … if only everyone was as vegan as possible.

It is vision I buy into but not just for the obvious reasons.

In a way, it is almost as if vegans have taken one element of religion … Ahimsa … the First Precept of Buddhism … or the “Thou shall not kill” of Christianity … and made it their only mantra. Most religions are far less selfless and less far reaching in their effect.

So, within this theoretical framework, how does “conversion” to Veganism happen? That is an interesting question to ask. Personally, I think it does actually come about from some kind of limited inner enlightenment, and should be recognised as such.

“All beings fear before danger, life is dear to all. When one considers this, one does not kill or cause to kill.”

Dhammapada, 129-130

Is Veganism a religion? The simple, and politically correct answer is, no. Many vegans are certainly anti-orthodox religion and would argue against that. However, can we deny the many similarities, and would the movement not benefit from at least being legally recognised as have ‘equal rights’ to the “religious freedoms” which religions have?

What this means is that, if my wish is to practise a vegan lifestyle then other individuals, and society as a whole, should allow me to follow it without suffering persecution, prejudices or force?

To make a specific example, if Japan has to and can offer Muslim immigrants dedicated prayer rooms and allows them to observe their dietary laws when they come to work for Japanese companies without prejudice … should Japanese companies not allow and support Japanese vegans to follow their lifestyle choices and diet equally without prejudice?

We hear of Japanese vegan being made unemployed because of their diet, being forced or being made to feel forced to eat animal products.

Is this not against their legal rights in accordance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Nihongo) ?