Is killing a goose part of the true meaning of Christmas?
No, killing a goose is not the true meaning of Christmas. It’s true meaning is in the Bible John 3;16 and Luke the Gospel. We have a farm and our cows are dairy cows, our sheep are raised for wool and our chickens for eggs. We don’t kill animals. Eggs are not chickens unless they have been fertilized and we get them before they are. Merry Christmas and Happy Hanuka to the Jewish nation. If I spelled it wrong I’m very sorry.
Well, it’s not going to be a part of my Christmas celebration this year. Admittedly, most of my problem with eating meat lately has to do with some abrupt change in my metabolism and/or psychological make-up. But the slaughter of animals really disturbs me, to say nothing of the miserable lives that most of them lead before they’re killed. And as far as the Christmas/Christian element is concerned, my research says that meat eating in the days of Jesus was a fairly rare occurance — limited to things like wedding feasts and welcoming visitors to your home. The average daily diet was heavy on grains, cheeses, breads, vegetables, etc. So technically, Christian vegetarians like myself are probably celebrating the birth of Jesus in a way that’s closer to the original than those who are eating roast goose and other meats.
I, too, have no problem with the concept of killing animals for food. It’s not the killing of an animal that’s awful, it’s the method of slaughter and the quality, or lack thereof, of their lives before they are taken to slaughter, that is totally inexcusable. I saw a sticker or bumper sticker or
Jesus was born in a stable, and I’ll bet you a fiver all of the animals in there ended up in the production of some type of non-vegan food. I REALLY doubt Christ family had anything against the production of meat. Again, it was shepherds the Angels appeared to, not crofters. It’s worth noting that the ceremonial eating of a goose (or turkey these days as they’re cheaper) is a custom many hundreds years older than Jesus. In Yule, the festival which was adapted to meet Christianities needs and from whence we get most of todays Christian customs, people got together with their family and feasted on meat, traditionally goose. While it may have nothing to do with Christ, meat’s certainly an integral part of Christmas, and has been for many millenia. Thus, in answer to the question ‘Is killing a goose part of the true meaning of Christmas?’ the answer has to be that it is one of them. True you don’t need to eat it, David Dickerman, but you don’t need to give presents, another tradition older
