Hello, intelligent individuals of the Internet.

[Sean_353]

I'm a 14 year old atheist and vegetarian.

I value rationalism and objective reasoning above all else and consider intellectualism a fundamental human pursuit.

When one objectively evaluates the historical development of religion it becomes readily apparent that the concept of an intangible spiritual entity such as god is a human invention, a function of primitive psychology intended to comfort us. Indeed, it serves to ignorantly attenuate the reality of death, but paradoxically instills fear in us, produces widespread religious conflicts, provides false justification for discrimination, and effectively undermines our extraordinary biological attributes as a species. There is no, nor will there ever be, scientific evidence for God. Even most theists seem to agree with that.

Welcome to reality. It's nice here. Certainly better than eternal damnation.

[garrethdsouza]

Hi Sean, what's your atheist/vegetarian story? What are your thoughts on veganism?

How is it like being an atheist/veg*n where you live, which is where?

[Sean_353]

Hi Sean, what's your atheist/vegetarian story? What are your thoughts on veganism?

How is it like being an atheist/veg*n where you live, which is where?

Hello. I've long been encouraged to think critically by my parents (who are both atheists) and discover my own answers. Conceivably the fact that my parents are atheists could discredit me because I've somehow been indoctrinated against religion. This is not the case, however; as a child I was consistently motivated to determine whether or not I believed in a god. Naturally I approached the only rational conclusion, and I've been an advocate for both human and animal rights, and atheism since. I discovered that santa isn't real at 8, simply by approaching my mom and asking.

I live in South Hamilton, MA. Thank you for asking. I have a few atheist/vegetarian friends but, understandably, a majority of my acquaintances are religious. Which is fine. Until they try to convince me that God exists, which is admittedly an amusing occurrence.

I hypocritically support Veganism and yet am only a Vegetarian. This is predominantly because I find difficulty in consuming sufficient amounts of protein and calories without the occasional egg, cheese, etc., and because otherwise I'd drive my family insane (my parents are meat-eaters). Eventually when I'm no longer an adolescent I plan to become entirely vegan. The consumption of animal products (particularly meat) is simply irrational and "immoral"*, considering it is not environmentally sustainable nor beneficial to humans or the animals which we torture for hamburgers.

*I just created a post on morals; feel free to read it.

[brimstoneSalad]

Hi Sean, welcome.

If you're having trouble going vegan now, maybe you could consider rope grown oysters instead of eggs and cheese?
Eggs and cheese are morally abominable, so if you really think you need animal protein now due to life situations or whatever, oysters (probably non-sentient) may be the best most conscientious option.

Maybe you could even convince your parents to give it a try instead of the less sustainable and more atrociously cruel tetrapod meats.

[garrethdsouza]

I hypocritically support Veganism and yet am only a Vegetarian. This is predominantly because I find difficulty in consuming sufficient amounts of protein and calories without the occasional egg, cheese, etc., and because otherwise I'd drive my family insane (my parents are meat-eaters). Eventually when I'm no longer an adolescent I plan to become entirely vegan. The consumption of animal products (particularly meat) is simply irrational and "immoral"*, considering it is not environmentally sustainable nor beneficial to humans or the animals which we torture for hamburgers.
.

You could try reducing your dairy/egg intake so you'd be veganish, a vegetarian version of a reducetarian. Like trying plant based milks like soy etc as far as possible?
To see if your diet is balanced in terms of your RDAs for different nutrients you can check out www.cronometer.com and see if you can substitute any vegan options there. Protein and calories are generally very easy to meet on a vegan diet. maybe writing out your diet here which is a common exercise so folks here could give you tips.

as a child I was consistently motivated to determine whether or not I believed in a god. Naturally I approached the only rational conclusion, and I've been an advocate for both human and animal rights, and atheism since. .

So did your conclusions on God also automatically make you also interested in animal rights?

[Sean_353]

You could try reducing your dairy/egg intake so you'd be veganish, a vegetarian version of a reducetarian. Like trying plant based milks like soy etc as far as possible?
To see if your diet is balanced in terms of your RDAs for different nutrients you can check out www.cronometer.com and see if you can substitute any vegan options there. Protein and calories are generally very easy to meet on a vegan diet. maybe writing out your diet here which is a common exercise so folks here could give you tips.

I only occasionally consume eggs or cheese, and invariably substitute animal milk with almond or coconut milk, and butter with Earth Balance. Usually eggs are supplanted by flax eggs in recipes, as well. I generally avoid large quantities of soy due to its content of isoflavones (effectively estrogen)*, though I recognize it as an excellent source of protein. Rather I'm constantly eating nuts, beans, legumes, whole grains, etc.

*apparently the purported health effects are scientifically contentious; I'm still researching. Please don't kill me.

So did your conclusions on God also automatically make you also interested in animal rights?

To be entirely honest, I was an atheist long before switching to a more conscientious diet. Veganism and Atheism, however, are unequivocally quite similar in principle; they are products of critical thinking, logic, morality, etc. Understandably I began to research the atrocities of the meat industry and simultaneously the negative consequences of meat and dairy consumption in general. I initially became vegan along with both my parents; my parents lazily returned to meat-consumption, however, and I eventually started consuming eggs again, albeit infrequently. Essentially, my conclusions about god motivated me to continue questioning that which the uneducated masses consume in excess, whether it be religion or animal products.

Religion is the opium of the masses, and meat is, well, the meat* of the masses.

*I tried to type the name of a certain pig flavored meat product and it said "penis" in the preview. Well done.