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    Pagan views on hunting

    I'm curious as to how others view the practice of hunting while being a practicing pagan, specifically the ethics behind it and if the two match up at all.

    Personally I take the maximum amount of animals allowed each year for every hunting season where I live. Before each hunt I make an offering to the spirits of my land and afterwords to the animals I do take. I never really saw hunting as coming into conflict with the ideals of paganism but I always wondered what thoughts others would have on it.

    #2
    Re: Pagan views on hunting

    I've never hunted, I have no interest in hunting, it upsets me personally to think about myself taking the life of another creature, and with that it doesn't match up with my religion. But I feel that if I wasn't so opposed in the first place, that would result in my practice.

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      #3
      Re: Pagan views on hunting

      I see it like this. If you hunt for necessity, okay as long as you
      show respect for the fallen animal and thank it for it's sacrifice.

      If you hunt for "sport" It's not okay in the slightest.
      Needlessly killing an animal for "fun" shouldn't be done ever.
      "The fire could not be tamed with the wind,
      nor the wind suppressed by the flames.
      As blending the Light with the Dark
      merely results in Grey." -Ville Friman

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        #4
        Re: Pagan views on hunting

        Personally, I am veggie and love animals, so wouldn't hunt myself, but these preferences are not influences my religious views as I'd still feel this way regardless of the religion I chose to follow. Personally though, I have way more issue with meat farming than with hunting and I wish we weren't so horrifically overpopulated that we could never sustain ourselves on hunting. If only people had two choices: hunt it yourself, or don't eat meat at all. I'd love that but know it's impossible.

        Meat farming is far less humane than hunting, hunting has a tiny carbon footprint per kill compared to farming, and there is no production cost for the end product if you're taking it from the wild.

        When I don't agree with hunting: when it's for sport (like people who just want to stuff the poor beast to prove they're big clever men with big boom boom guns.. get a f*cking life you morons); when it is of threatened or endangered species.. why would you? Honestly, why would you? Or when you know the animals are nursing. Otherwise, it seems a lot more pagan to me, to catch your own meat. Meat eaters will argue this until they're blue in the face, but we really don't need nearly as much meat in our diets as we get. A few carcasses a week, would be more than enough to supplement the diet of one's family and probably much healthier than processed, chemical enriched crap from an intensive farming facility.
        夕方に急なにわか雨は「夕立」と呼ばれるなら、なぜ朝ににわか雨は「朝立ち」と呼ばれないの? ^^If a sudden rain shower in the evening is referred to as an 'evening stand', then why isn't a shower in the morning called 'morning stand'?

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          #5
          Re: Pagan views on hunting

          Originally posted by Jembru View Post
          Personally, I am veggie and love animals, so wouldn't hunt myself, but these preferences are not influences my religious views as I'd still feel this way regardless of the religion I chose to follow. Personally though, I have way more issue with meat farming than with hunting and I wish we weren't so horrifically overpopulated that we could never sustain ourselves on hunting. If only people had two choices: hunt it yourself, or don't eat meat at all. I'd love that but know it's impossible.

          Meat farming is far less humane than hunting, hunting has a tiny carbon footprint per kill compared to farming, and there is no production cost for the end product if you're taking it from the wild.

          When I don't agree with hunting: when it's for sport (like people who just want to stuff the poor beast to prove they're big clever men with big boom boom guns.. get a f*cking life you morons); when it is of threatened or endangered species.. why would you? Honestly, why would you? Or when you know the animals are nursing. Otherwise, it seems a lot more pagan to me, to catch your own meat. Meat eaters will argue this until they're blue in the face, but we really don't need nearly as much meat in our diets as we get. A few carcasses a week, would be more than enough to supplement the diet of one's family and probably much healthier than processed, chemical enriched crap from an intensive farming facility.

          I'm an Agriculture major in college lol. A ten minute conversation over American meat farms and I usually have people double thinking their Hamburger To clarify, I''m a farmer and the things that happen to those poor livestock on commercial farms are ridiculous. I won't eat it unless I grow/raise it myself. But that's a whole other rant.

          And no, I don't approve of sport hunting either. Every single piece of any animal I take is used for a purpose.

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            #6
            Re: Pagan views on hunting

            As long as the meat doesn't go to waste, I don't see anything wrong with hunting. Generally speaking, I think it's a better way to connect with the land, and with what's going into your body, than just going down and picking up a pound of hamburger from the grocery store.
            Hearth and Hedge

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              #7
              Re: Pagan views on hunting

              If you are hungry, eat.

              That's what the food is there for.

              Hunting has the same moral implications as does buying a sack of potatoes.
              Every moment of a life is a horrible tragedy, a slapstick comedy, dark nihilism, golden illumination, or nothing at all; depending on how we write the story we tell ourselves.

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                #8
                Re: Pagan views on hunting

                Most Pagans love hunting and animal products in general.

                Personally i find it deplorable and sad, but that's not the general consensus round these parts so you're in good company.
                Please disregard typos in above post. I browse the web on a Nook and i suck at typing on touch screens.

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                  #9
                  Re: Pagan views on hunting

                  Originally posted by XIII View Post
                  I see it like this. If you hunt for necessity, okay as long as you
                  show respect for the fallen animal and thank it for it's sacrifice.

                  If you hunt for "sport" It's not okay in the slightest.
                  Needlessly killing an animal for "fun" shouldn't be done ever.
                  Hunting for necessity I can understand and even respect, because I know it takes a lot. Hunting for sport... Just no.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Re: Pagan views on hunting

                    Originally posted by Just_Wondering View Post
                    Most Pagans love hunting and animal products in general.

                    Personally i find it deplorable and sad, but that's not the general consensus round these parts so you're in good company.
                    Most humans like animal products. If they don't they are called Vegans.
                    Satan is my spirit animal

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                      #11
                      Re: Pagan views on hunting

                      I have a degree in biology, with a concentration in conservation biology...I love hunting. At least when its done legally. I don't even object too much if its for sport--not my thing...but...some people are in to that. And really, I'd rather see someone trophy hunting legally than oh, poaching bushmeat for food. Hunters pay big money for conservation programs, to the DNR, etc. Hunters act as a top predator in ecosystems where there are no longer top predators, which leads to increased biodiversity and more dynamic populations. Now, I *don't* agree with hunting T&E species or canned hunts...but when its done legally in a way that supports biodiversity and conservation programs, especially when they are using the entire animal, I'm perfectly fine with it.
                      Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of HistoryPagan Devotionals, because the wind and the rain is our Bible
                      sigpic

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                        #12
                        Re: Pagan views on hunting

                        Originally posted by thalassa View Post
                        I have a degree in biology, with a concentration in conservation biology...I love hunting. At least when its done legally. I don't even object too much if its for sport--not my thing...but...some people are in to that. And really, I'd rather see someone trophy hunting legally than oh, poaching bushmeat for food. Hunters pay big money for conservation programs, to the DNR, etc. Hunters act as a top predator in ecosystems where there are no longer top predators, which leads to increased biodiversity and more dynamic populations. Now, I *don't* agree with hunting T&E species or canned hunts...but when its done legally in a way that supports biodiversity and conservation programs, especially when they are using the entire animal, I'm perfectly fine with it.

                        A man... er woman after my own heart I'm working on a Forestry, Wildlife Biology double major at the moment, and for the record I only hunt in season on my own land. Barring the random fox or coyote who goes after the chickens.

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                          #13
                          Re: Pagan views on hunting

                          See, I think having a zoology degree (also massive emphasis on ecology and conservation), could be why I too have similar feelings as Thal. Hunting is natural behavior. I understand why some people are against it, I love animals too, but it irritates me when some pagan-types think that hunting is cruel and against nature. If they knew the slightest thing about nature: the system they claim to centre their religion around, they'd know just how cruel and unforgiving it actually is. As I said earlier, I don't eat meat so have no interest in hunting, but it is a far better, kinder and greener method of getting meat on your table than buying it in a store. I greatly applaud the OP's preference for hunting over mass produced, horrifically cruel shop-bought meat. And as Thal said, a population unchecked can destoy ecosystems and as we have often removed top preditors because they were in competition with us, then we kinda need to step in and return some balance. Then again, this is also why I have some terrifying controversial opinions on war, famine and disease... I'm an evil dictator in a sweet little lady's body, I'm sure of it.
                          夕方に急なにわか雨は「夕立」と呼ばれるなら、なぜ朝ににわか雨は「朝立ち」と呼ばれないの? ^^If a sudden rain shower in the evening is referred to as an 'evening stand', then why isn't a shower in the morning called 'morning stand'?

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Re: Pagan views on hunting

                            Around here, there are thousands of privately owned acres which are all undeveloped (wild), and will probably remain undeveloped as long as they are in the hands of hunters.

                            Hunters do more for the environment by sitting on land for a year than most people will do in a hundred years of driving energy efficient cars.
                            Every moment of a life is a horrible tragedy, a slapstick comedy, dark nihilism, golden illumination, or nothing at all; depending on how we write the story we tell ourselves.

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Re: Pagan views on hunting

                              Originally posted by Jembru View Post
                              See, I think having a zoology degree (also massive emphasis on ecology and conservation), could be why I too have similar feelings as Thal. Hunting is natural behavior. I understand why some people are against it, I love animals too, but it irritates me when some pagan-types think that hunting is cruel and against nature. If they knew the slightest thing about nature: the system they claim to centre their religion around, they'd know just how cruel and unforgiving it actually is. As I said earlier, I don't eat meat so have no interest in hunting, but it is a far better, kinder and greener method of getting meat on your table than buying it in a store. I greatly applaud the OP's preference for hunting over mass produced, horrifically cruel shop-bought meat. And as Thal said, a population unchecked can destoy ecosystems and as we have often removed top preditors because they were in competition with us, then we kinda need to step in and return some balance. Then again, this is also why I have some terrifying controversial opinions on war, famine and disease... I'm an evil dictator in a sweet little lady's body, I'm sure of it.

                              Being a wildlife Biology major tends to have me thinking in a similar manner, I scare people when I say we need to loose 5 billion or so of the population rofl.

                              - - - Updated - - -

                              Originally posted by B. de Corbin View Post
                              Around here, there are thousands of privately owned acres which are all undeveloped (wild), and will probably remain undeveloped as long as they are in the hands of hunters.

                              Hunters do more for the environment by sitting on land for a year than most people will do in a hundred years of driving energy efficient cars.

                              I have 600 acres of prime forestland that shall be a pristine killing ground for as long as I'm alive

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