Your Views !!

[Áine]

I have my own views on this but I am interested to see how you view it... here goes !!

A witness family in my neighbouring congregation, father elder... etc are very much into self sufficient living etc...

One of their new ideas was to breed rabbits for meat and to sell, they bred lots of rabbits... huge white ones with pretty little black noses... anywhoo they found that they couldn't sell any, last week their 13 year old daughter.. who is very naiave, and not a worldly little girl... asked her parents if they could kill one for the dinner, her parents answered her firmly no...

She goes outside takes the rabbit from its house knocks it on the head and then cuts its throat and presents it for dinner...

There was blood everywhere... as you could imagine, I know this to be absolutely true as her parents are good friends of mine, they are very firmly in the truth..

I know what my first reaction was !! but then I stopped and thought about it ??

[trottigy]

It looks like they are going to have to start selling them as pets. Maybe a pet store will take them?

As to eating them - they are easy to kill and skin and they do taste good, but there isn't much protein in a rabbit.

Rabbit eaters, if they have no fat from another source—beaver, moose, fish—will develop diarrhoea in about a week, with headache, lassitude and vague discomfort. If there are enough rabbits, the people eat till their stomachs are distended; but no matter how much they eat they feel unsatisfied. Some think a man will die sooner if he eats continually of fat-free meat than if he eats nothing, but this is a belief on which sufficient evidence for a decision has not been gathered in the North. Deaths from rabbit-starvation, or from the eating of other skinny meat, are rare; for everyone understands the principle, and any possible preventive steps are naturally taken.

[GrumpysWife]

I'm not sure of your question though. Are you asking about killing the animal to eat? Grumpy and my sons raised pigs and rabbits and they killed them and we ate them. I wasn't crazy about it but as long as I only had to see the meat all dressed up and ready to cook, it was OK.

[Áine]

I'm not sure of your question though. Are you asking about killing the animal to eat? Grumpy and my sons raised pigs and rabbits and they killed them and we ate them. I wasn't crazy about it but as long as I only had to see the meat all dressed up and ready to cook, it was OK.

Yes what are the views regarding the fact that a 13 year old girl went outside and did that to her 'pet rabbit' as that was the way she viewed it... first of all I was shocked ... and then I thought that maybe her parents had brought her up properly and that she understood that in order to eat meat someting had to die and she was willing to do it... the members of the congregation are taking a very dim view of it...

[GrumpysWife]

We had a few that felt that even going hunting was wrong but we talked to our CO and he said as long as it was for food and not to just kill something there was no problem. Sometimes people tell too much to too many people and things get discussed way beyond what is necessary. There are a lot of country's where this is the only way to get meat for the table. Down here in Redneck Country, nearly everyone goes hunting for the meat, or raises animals for their meat. Personally, I think that's how the Isrealite's did it and so what's the big deal?

People are loosing sight of what Jehovah said was OK and get overly emotional about animals. I just don't get it. I loved my pets but I guess not the way some people do.

[pinkpopcorn]

Maybe the kid thought the parents just couldn't kill it and SHE did it herself. And she DID bleed it - which is scriptural! And - WHY are her PARENTS telling everyone? Talk about embarrassing your own child and putting a label on her - RABBIT KILLER! Why are they not thinking ahead? DUH! They are the parents! HELLO!

Was the girl worried about overpopulation of rabbits? Are they out of control in their cages, with too many? Is she worried about food? Is she an out of control teenager or is she a teen in subjection until now?

I think there are many unanswered questions looming to label anybody! Please, find out the back story and let us know. Glad you refrained from posting publicly.

[ava]

We had a few that felt that even going hunting was wrong but we talked to our CO and he said as long as it was for food and not to just kill something there was no problem. Sometimes people tell too much to too many people and things get discussed way beyond what is necessary. There are a lot of country's where this is the only way to get meat for the table. Down here in Redneck Country, nearly everyone goes hunting for the meat, or raises animals for their meat. Personally, I think that's how the Isrealite's did it and so what's the big deal?

People are loosing sight of what Jehovah said was OK and get overly emotional about animals. I just don't get it. I loved my pets but I guess not the way some people do.

For me it's not about the animals it's about owning guns and having them in your home. That is my issue with hunting. So many people die due to accidental gun deaths, or a kid takes the gun out and plays with it and shoots it's sibling.

That is my only issue.

[Musky]

Maybe the daughter is the one that has to clean the cages, so she is trying to phase out her work one rabbit at a time!

I think I'd be a little concerned if my 13 yr old daughter didn't have a problem with cutting her animals throat. Unless they are "farm people" and this is something they commonly do I would be locking my bedroom door at night.

[trottigy]

Maybe the daughter is the one that has to clean the cages, so she is trying to phase out her work one rabbit at a time!

I think I'd be a little concerned if my 13 yr old daughter didn't have a problem with cutting her animals throat. Unless they are "farm people" and this is something they commonly do I would be locking my bedroom door at night.

Debbie and I were just talking about this last night.

We were watching last season's last episode of Bones. The lady has a baby. I say, "they are cute and everyone is happy."

My wife says - "Yeah until they become teenagers."

"Yeah and then they sneak in your room at night and whack you with an ax in the head."

Its a crazy world these days.

[Musky]

My brother's son Kyle was a very quiet kid growing up (still is). It used to bother my brother because none of us are quiet. He said he had a dream that he woke up one night and Kyle was standing over his bed with matches and a can of gasoline! LOL

[trottigy]

My brother's son Kyle was a very quiet kid growing up (still is). It used to bother my brother because none of us are quiet. He said he had a dream that he woke up one night and Kyle was standing over his bed with matches and a can of gasoline! LOL

Can you imagine if Kyle had been standing there - no matches or gas - just standing there.

[Musky]

My brother's son Kyle was a very quiet kid growing up (still is). It used to bother my brother because none of us are quiet. He said he had a dream that he woke up one night and Kyle was standing over his bed with matches and a can of gasoline! LOL

Can you imagine if Kyle had been standing there - no matches or gas - just standing there.

Actually, that is what he said must have triggered the dream. He woke up several times at night with Kyle just standing there. He was a big kid too, bigger then "normal" for his age.

[GrumpysWife]

And - WHY are her PARENTS telling everyone? Talk about embarrassing your own child and putting a label on her - RABBIT KILLER! Why are they not thinking ahead? DUH! They are the parents! HELLO!

I wondered about this also.

For me it's not about the animals it's about owning guns and having them in your home. That is my issue with hunting. So many people die due to accidental gun deaths, or a kid takes the gun out and plays with it and shoots it's sibling.

That is my only issue.

Grumpy always kept his gun in a place that was safe in our bedroom closet, they were locked up. But I do agree with your concerns, they are very scary.

[Brother_Bliss]

Maybe the kid thought the parents just couldn't kill it and SHE did it herself.

That's what I was thinking as I started through this thread.

If it were a 13 year old boy would it be just as much of a shocker?

Here in town, people would be taken back by such action. But just 10 miles out and in the country, children have probably killed their first animal long before the age of 13.

[Astrid]

I think I'd be a little concerned if my 13 yr old daughter didn't have a problem with cutting her animals throat. Unless they are "farm people" and this is something they commonly do I would be locking my bedroom door at night.

yes, me too.

About hunting:

our speech last sunday was about how Jehovah sees life; human life but also life of animals. And that killing animals for fun is not so good. And I don't know if a person how declares hunting as his/her hobby is doing it for meat and not just the thrills.

[Shawnster]

Yeah, her actions don't bother me that much. They were raising the rabbits for food, after all.

Of course, I'm from rural Indiana originally and I don't really live in a metropolis now. I've known a number of brothers that go hunting. Some because they definitely needed the "free" food (it's not free if you have to buy guns and ammo now, is it?) and others that, while not necessarily needing to hunt, still chose to do so. They eat the meat though.

No one complains about people fishing but it's the same principle.

[Shawnster]

our speech last sunday......

Speech? I'm not sure about European English, but in North America we say Talk, Public Talk or Public Discourse (rarely this last one). One of those pesky lil things that gets lost in translation, eh? LOL!

Just picking on you, Astrid.

Sorry if you find Little Britain disturbing, there are some episodes, that go too far, but their Hunters are pretty much what most people think in Europe about American Hunters.....

EH EH EHHHHHHH!

[Astrid]

I speak German, English is only my second language, and I've been long out of school, and forgot a lot. So sorry, should be Talk instead of Speech.

[Áine]

I speak German, English is only my second language, and I've been long out of school, and forgot a lot. So sorry, should be Talk instead of Speech.

I think speach sounds cute

My concern about the rabbit killing... is that fact that she was able to do it !! personally I could not, but then again I do eat meat and have sent animals to the slaughter house... but to physically kill a animal... then no I could not. I also think there is something disturbing about it, I have to say the girl does seem to be a bit lacking in emotion regarding a lot of other issues.

I also agree with you Chris... why on earth did her parents start announcing it !! they seem very proud of her actions. The family don't have a farm, they live on a area of about 1 acre, any hen that seems a bit old they kill it for dinner, and they also raise the odd orphan lamb for meat (which they send to the slaughterhouse)

My own girls who are all adult age now are absolutely appaled by it... and say that she obviously has a few issues... to me it just seems to border on a horror film script !!

[ava]

Yeah, her actions don't bother me that much. They were raising the rabbits for food, after all.

Of course, I'm from rural Indiana originally and I don't really live in a metropolis now. I've known a number of brothers that go hunting. Some because they definitely needed the "free" food (it's not free if you have to buy guns and ammo now, is it?) and others that, while not necessarily needing to hunt, still chose to do so. They eat the meat though.

No one complains about people fishing but it's the same principle.

My parents grew up on farms in Illinois and even at 13, both of them knew how to kill an animal, take the feathers off if it was a chicken or turkey, and prepare it for dinner, they probably knew how to do that before age 13. That's just how it was. On farms you learned these things very, very young, especially back then. Children are raised much differently now then they were 50+ years ago.

[Astrid]

my Father (born 1950) had to help with pig slaughtering when he was a boy - and he hated it. He said the screaming was just horrible, and the smell and all the blood. If you couldn't buy meat, he wouldn't eat any.

[Shawnster]

astrid

I speak German, English is only my second language, and I've been long out of school, and forgot a lot. So sorry, should be Talk instead of Speech

Just giving you a hard time. It's all good...

[Astrid]

[ava]

my Father (born 1950) had to help with pig slaughtering when he was a boy - and he hated it. He said the screaming was just horrible, and the smell and all the blood. If you couldn't buy meat, he wouldn't eat any.

My mom use to say she didn't like it either, but it was what you had to do, simple as that. Things were a lot tougher back then, there was no grocery store on the corner for you to buy your meet. They grew their own vegetables, canned them and stored them for the winter, killed animals for food, it was their life.

I think when you grow up in a city and you don't have to think about these things, we just don't understand what it is like for ones who live in rural areas, far away from civilization, things are different for those people. They have no qualms about killing for food, and taking feathers off and draining the blood to prepare it to eat. Whereas most of us would think that is just sick, lol, for them it is their life.

[Astrid]

My father didn't grow up on a farm, his father was working as a bricklayer. But the fifties and sixties were a hard time in eastern Austria (Burgenland: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burgenland) - and so they always had two pigs, which they slaughered after some months (I guess in winter?).

And yes, it was something that had to be done. But he isn't saying I'm glad I had to help, it made me to the man I am today, blablabla. He hated it and would prefer he didn't had to help with that.

And I'm glad I don't have to do it.