Pardon your turkey; eat plant products
President Trump may be getting his pardon pen ready as the Mueller investigation starts indicting his associates.
Recently, he practiced on two very innocent Minnesota turkeys. The other 244 million turkeys killed in the U.S. this year have not been so lucky.
They were raised in crowded sheds filled with toxic fumes. Their beaks and toes were clipped to prevent stress-induced aggression. At 16 weeks of age, their throats were cut by slaughterhouse workers, and they were dumped in boiling water to remove their feathers.
Consumers pay a heavy price, too. Turkey flesh is laced with cholesterol and saturated fats that elevate risk of chronic diseases. Prolonged cooking is required to destroy deadly pathogens inside them.
However, per capita consumption of turkeys is down by a whopping 34 percent from a 1996 high of 303 million, as one-third of our population is actively reducing meat consumption.
Our supermarkets carry a rich variety of convenient, delicious, healthful, plant-based meat products, including several oven-ready roasts.
This Thanksgiving holiday, as we give thanks for life and good fortune, let's also skip the gratuitous violence and grant our own pardon to an innocent animal.
Lee Shuff
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Thanksgiving should focus fully on God
Thanksgiving must not merely be celebrated once per year in November.
A true heart of thanksgiving must be a way of living. A thankful heart acknowledges God for all that he has done. The season must not merely be focused on man-centered traditions but completely on God.
A proper perspective of Thanksgiving is not just another holiday; more importantly, it should be viewed as a holy day. Joy is the byproduct of a grateful heart.
In Psalm 100, the psalmist states that an attitude of gratitude will adore the Lord (verses 1 and 2), get acquainted with the Lord (verse 3), and approach the Lord with a joyful heart of thanksgiving and praise (verse 4).
Food and fixings have their place on the table, but expressions of gratitude toward God are what bring about the joy of Thanksgiving.
Kenneth Ware, M. Div., New Sholar Avenue Baptist Church