Challenge Responses

The following is unedited notes on this topic that need to be organized.


 * From church leaders: you are evil/bad/etc.
 * Beliefs are what divide us, values unite.  We are aligned on values - family, respect, being nonjudgemental, community.
 * Let's focus on what we can do together to make peoples lives better right now -
 * Let's put aside things that divide us and focus on things that unite us
 * Let's really move the marks on income disparity and poverty, on education and career rediness, on child neglect, on healthy living, on promiting things that will make us all happier, regardless of what beliefs you may have.
 * Are you the antichrist: I can't answer that question.
 * You exclude people
 * High standards
 * FIrstly, we do not exclude, we invite everyone to hold themselves to a high standard.  Not everyone is interested, and that's fine if we disagree.
 * Yet there's a deeper question here - what if someone is interested, but not able?  What if you face mental disabilities that make it difficult to thrive in our communities?  What if you struggle with inner demons - obsessions, outbursts, lack of energy or motivation?
 * My only concern is the someone does not think they can change - they can.  Everyone can change, and the science will back me up here.  But you have to be willing to give it a try.
 * So yes, we set high standards, but they are standards that we know every human being is capable of meeting, with help.
 * We believe that there is a place for everyone in society
 * We are all different, and our differences make us strong
 * We believe that your history, your wealth and your body are all seperate from your right to live a fulfilling live.  Everyone can have a place.
 * Veganism is too much to ask, excludes everyone
 * There is no single change more powerful than this one.  Let's dream for a minute, about a world where everyone is Vegan.
 * That world would have plenty of food: 60% of our crops currently go to raise animals to eat.
 * That world would have far less disease - heart disease & diabetes are mitigated nearly entirely with a Vegan diet.
 * Even processed foods are better as Vegan - nearly healthy!
 * That world would have less obesity - one of the most costly human behaviors ever.  Thinner people can move around easier, travel and explore our world better, require less medical care and live longer lives.
 * That world would be released from an unhealthu obsession with food - we'd have fewer industries preying on our base human addictions to sugars and fats.  Food would become local, precious, and deliciously fresh and rich in everything the body needs to thrive.
 * Bottom line: a Vegan world would be happy, healthy, and most important for humanity, is a sustainable way to inhabit this planet.
 * Change is important
 * This is an important message to us: anyone can change.  Becoming Vegan is the ultimate test of that - if we offer a better way to live day to day and support people in adopting it, will people be successful in changing?
 * If people can change, this is the ultimate test of that theory.
 * Imagine how powerful you'd feel if you could change your diet, and as a result have more energy, be healthier and feel in control of your body.  What else could you accomplish?  You'd feel like you were on top of the world!
 * Plus, this change is more about individuals - that's just the start.
 * We are on a bad course.  Obesity is on the rise.  Health care costs are astrynomical.  And we're depleating rare resources on earth.
 * If we as humanity can change this one thing, the way we eat, we can really resolve some of the most pressing problems in society today.
 * You see, we're just ambitious.
 * Values are important
 * Because we believe so strongly in the philosophy behind the Vegan movement, the diet is just a matter of principle.
 * This is about letting the world know that it's no longer necessary for us to raise and kill animals in order to have a fully happy and healthy life.
 * This is about feeding your body the nutrients it needs so that you can spend your valuable minutes in life feeling great and having fun
 * This is about realizing that we have to take an active, individual role in taking care of our resources and our planet.
 * This is about making a clear seperation, to take a stand against the cancers of society.
 * Nonviolence - what if you're challenged?
 * Violence is a response, often to a need, to a feeling or to a threat.
 * We do not threaten anyone.
 * We offer help to everyone who wants to join us
 * Violence will never be our response.
 * That doesn't mean that we may suffer from violence
 * At the end of every conflict, someone agrees to relent, that's where we start.
 * If we've cause harm to someone, we want to make that right
 * Whatever reason someone may have to cause us harm, we want to know what that reason is and do something about it
 * We end violent cycles, not start them
 * We see no answers, no happiness, no promises with violence, therefore we do not beleive the violence is useful in any setting.
 * War is unjust and unfair
 * We will help those running from violence, and some of us will risk their lives to do so
 * We will help those suffering from violence in whatever way we can
 * If challenged, we will run away from violence.
 * Evil people do not exist
 * Mental illness is often the true problem
 * If we change the way we interact with others, we can change the kinds of interactions we have
 * We will talk to anyone, and we will listen.  And by listening, we will learn what needs to be done to find peace.
 * Conflict management is the real issue
 * We can't all agree on everything, so the real challenge is to learn to manage conflict better.
 * For our part, we are purposeful about what we say and do so that we don't incite conflict
 * When in a conflict, we work hard to find common values, identify specific greivances, and try to change behaviors based on what we've learned in the process.
 * Common values - a discussion about values does two things: 1) it deescalates emotions that cloud rationality, and 2) it provides a starting point for a new conversation based on respect.
 * Grievances - specifics must be addressed in a way that both parties understand how their own actions were inturpreted by the other party.  Only then can we gain insight into how our behaviors affect others.
 * Change - using what we've learned about ourselves, we can move forward by committing to make changes so that our actions will not be inturpreted wrongly.
 * Impasses happen - and when no resolution can be found, both parties must weigh the cost of not changing with the cost of conflict.
 * You are not a real religion
 * Religion is defined as a system of beliefs.  Here are our beliefs:
 * We believe that everyone can change
 * We believe that everyone can be happy, healthy and have a place in society.
 * We beleive that understanding ourselves is vital to knowing what will make us happy and healthy
 * We believe that
 * We believe that scientific inquiry is the best method to learn truths
 * We believe that everyone can change
 * You hurt yourself by limiting your membership
 * The true goal is building community - and the ability of the religion to do so.  If there was someone who agreed with every tenant of our religion but was excluded for some reason, that would be a problem.
 * We do not recruit.  We do not seek to include anyone who isn't coming to us.
 * We promote people who want to change the world into a position to make that change happen.
 * Our membership is not limited to anyone, and will continue to grow every year.
 * Our movement started thousands of years ago, with those wisest among us.  Their thoughts have inspired the structure of our governments and economies.  Today we have been pushing forward the most progressive and socially liberal agenda this globe has ever seen.  Civil rights, etc...
 * And we are the future of this movement, more organized and powerful than ever before.
 * We are not limited, but by definition, limitless as a our very imaginations.