1º(B.A. Bible/Biology)*
IT'S ACTUALLY A GOOD thing that Indians don't eat their cows. In raising cattle a lot more grain has to be wasted. It takes about ten pounds of grain protein in feeding a cow to get back one pound of beef protein. I'm not sure of the exact ratio, but the point is a lot of grain becomes wasted that could be used to feed people.
Besides this, cows provide milk for hundreds of millions of Indians. And milk provides complete protein. Yes, even most Indians who are Hindu consume a lot of milk and milk products. Cows also are used to till the fields and they provide villagers with dung that they use for fuel to cook with, etc.
It's not necessary for us to eat meat to get all the protein humans need. If you combine rice and lentils (beans) you'll get all the necessary (or essential) amino acids for protein that humans require. In vegetarian diets it's necessary to combine two or more foods to get all the complete protein that's found in meat.
It's not immoral to eat meat but it's not necessary either. However, when animals are killed for food it should be done humanely.
The Bible teaches us to have sensitivity to animals’ feelings. We read in Deuteronomy 14:21 “Do not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk” (NIV). Deuteronomy 22:6 says, “If you come across a bird’s nest beside the road, either in a tree or on the ground, and the mother is sitting on the young or on the eggs, do not take the mother with the young” (NIV).
The main problem in India is that millions of tonnes of grain that are stored eventually end up being consumed by rats and other vermin. India must make much more improvements to its infrastructure so that various foods get to the market quickly. Much of it spoils in route!
Since 1991, when India started its economic reforms, India has lifted 300 million people out of poverty. If India had started its economic reforms much sooner it would have been where China is now or even ahead of China.
Many in the West enjoy making fun of India, but India contributed a lot to the world. Our modern numerals and mathematics originated from India, not from the Arabs. The Arabs borrowed their numeral and decimal system from India, and the Europeans got them from the Arabs. That's the reason why the Europeans called them "Arabic numerals" even though the Indians invented them.
Without Indian numerals modern science would have been impossible. The Roman numerals weren't efficient and were too cumbersome to do advanced mathematical calculations.
Albert Einstein said, “We owe a lot to the Indians, who taught us how to count, without which no worthwhile scientific discovery could have been made.”
The Greeks actually got their geometry, including Pythagoras' famous formula, from ancient Indian (Hindu) writings. There was a lot of contact between ancient Greek civilization and ancient Indian civilization (which is much older). Remember that Alexander the Great invaded northwest India.
Author of popular Internet article, TRADITIONAL DOCTRINE OF HELL EVOLVED FROM GREEK ROOTS
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*I have given successful lectures (with question and answer period afterwards) defending creation before evolutionist science faculty and students at various colleges and universities. I've been privileged to be recognized in the 24th edition of Marquis "Who's Who in the East."