Holy Cow! (Plus Sacred Calves, Bulls, Etc.)

India, a predominantly Hindu nation, prohibits cows being slaughtered for food and reverences them as a part of their religious tradition.

I used to think that one of the obvious solutions to India's food shortage would be to have them stop pampering their cattle and begin using them for food. Never mind the fact that their sacred cows are useful as work animals and are a source of much needed milk. Besides, they tend to feed along roadsides and help earn their keep as work animals, while also providing dung for fuel and fertilizer. 

So maybe rather than judging our Indian neighbors for their beliefs and practices, we should ask what golden calves or sacred cows we could be sacrificing in order to help feed the hungry. In contrast to India, which has the largest percentages of vegetarians in the world, we have become addicted to having a major portion of our diet involve the fattening, slaughtering and importing of beef and other flesh, a system that requires an exorbitant and  inefficient use of far more protein than is consumed by all of India, which has a much larger population. And reducing our consumption of beef even by half, some believe, would free up enough farm land and resources to practically eliminate malnutrition and hunger worldwide. 

And speaking of sacred animals, we have a pet industry in the US that costs us some $150 billion a year. I'm not against pets, per se, but the obvious fact that we would never, ever consider eating any of our beloved dogs, cats or horses should help us understand how our Hindu friends feel about their beloved cattle. 

Another near sacred industry involves our love affair with motor vehicles, resulting in our having more licensed sedans, SUV's, pickups, vans, trucks, motorcycles and other gas guzzling means of transportation in the US than there are licensed drivers. These all demand a major share of the world's limited supply of energy, and emit alarming levels of greenhouse gasses that threaten the life and health of the planet.

Professional sports represent another kind of near sacred enterprise in this country, having become an over $1 trillion a year industry. According to the Global Institute of Sport, that represents 40% of all the money spent on sports worldwide. According to the National Retail Federation, testimated spending on Super bowl Sunday in the U.S. this year for food, drinks, apparel, decorations and other purchases for the day was expected to reach a record $20.2 billion, or $94.77 per person.

Other sacred cows and golden calves may be associated with our assumptions about what kinds of real estate we feel we need to build and maintain as "houses of worship." What kinds of accommodations and how many paid staff persons would Jesus prescribe for church gatherings of a couple of hours a week? 

National allegiances and political parties and/or political leaders can also become sacrosanct and demand a cult-like idolatrous loyalty, whether on the part of those on the right or the left.

In short, how we spend our time and money is a literal measure of the worth we attach to the objects or activities in which we invest. The word worship actually derives from an old English word "weorth-ship." 

This calls for paying attention to the very first two of the Bible's Ten Words, or Ten Commandments, as follows:

“You must not have any other god but me. You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods." 

Exodus 20:3-5 New Living Bible

The 15-foot statue on the right is on the 800-acre luxury golf course and hotel complex in Doral, Florida, purchased by the president in 2012.