Vegetarianism. The dietary practice of not eating meat. There are several subsets of vegetarianism, such as simply not eating red meats (where fish and chicken are OK) through to the strictest subset – vegans – who do not eat or drink any animal, fish or dairy products (including milk and cheese).

People choose to be vegetarian for all sorts of reasons from the simply philanthropic (eg, not wanting animals to be killed for the sake of their own human stomach) through to religious. While we've given vegetarianism itself a Neutral rating, there are a couple of reasons to approach with caution. Some people choose vegetarianism because they think it is something they must do for religious reasons. While we respect that choice there is actually no biblical reason for not eating meat. Quite the opposite – Genesis 9:3 says that we are to eat meat now.

Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything. (NIV)

Jesus ate fish even after being resurrected (Luke 24:41-43). Also see Mark 7:15-19, where "Jesus declared all foods clean".

¹⁵ Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them.”

¹⁷ After he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about this parable. ¹⁸ “Are you so dull?” he asked. “Don’t you see that nothing that enters a person from the outside can defile them? ¹⁹ For it doesn’t go into their heart but into their stomach, and then out of the body.” (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean.) (NIV)

Those people who try vegetarianism thinking it is automatically healthier than an omnivorous lifestyle should be aware that on average it is no more healthy than being an omnivore. Like with any diet, individuals will get varying results. As with any diet, there are particular issues involved with vegetarianism. For example, note the hospitalisation of actor Ashton Kutcher on the "fruitarian" diet.

Arguably the most infamous is the risk of vitamin B12 deficiency. B12 is only available from animal products. Plant products such as seaweed claimed to have B12 actually have an inactive form that the human body can't digest. (For more information about the complex process of B12 absorption in humans see Vitamin B12 – Evidence of design.) In other words, strict vegans will at the very least have to take an occasional dietary supplement that originated from an animal... or die from something icky like megaloblastic anaemia. A B12 deficiency can take a while to occur in vegan adults because the body stores enough B12 for several years (mostly in the liver), but vegan children do not have this store and permanent damage can be done before symptoms of B12 deficiency are noticeable. One sad case of a New Zealand child with B12 deficiency was Caleb Jan Moorhead who died in 2002. For more information on vegetarians and B12 see the New Zealand Vegetarian Society's B12 info page or the (international) Vegetarian Society's B12 info sheet.

Supplements with the active form of vitamin B6 are also recommended.

Vitamin A also only comes from animals. The body can make vitamin A from vege-sourced carotenoids but quite inefficiently (12:1 for beta carotene, 24:1 for other carotenoids), and only if there is adequate fat in the diet. Vegetarians who do not eat vitamin A-carrying eggs and dairy products need to make sure they eat more yellow, orange, and dark green fruit and vegetables to compensate – just something else to be aware of.

Vegetarianism is listed here because of its strong association with some harmful religious groups and cults, not because we are singling out vegetarianism as a particular diet.

	Neutral: The group or belief/practice is considered spiritually neutral, or quite secular (most companies and ecological groups, for example). This list mostly does not attempt to define the pros and cons of such organisations, or their morality.
	Caution: The group/person or belief/practice has false or questionable doctrine that to varying degrees may be directly or indirectly harmful to its members/followers and their families. Such groups/people/beliefs/practices are not necessarily bad but should be approached or used with caution.
	Hot Topic: The group/person or belief/practice has recently featured in the secular news media, has generated notable correspondence, is a popular conversation topic, etc. Note that this rating has nothing to do with the "cultishness" of a group.

Printed on 20 January 2021 at www.cults.co.nz.
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