Back in the day

Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth.  The fear and dread of you will fall on all the beasts of the earth, and on all the birds in the sky, on every creature that moves along the ground, and on all the fish in the sea; they are given into your hands.  Everything that lives and moves about will be food for you.  Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.    Genesis 9:1-4 (NIV)

This weekend was spent running here and there with our kiddos and their friends.  It's exhausting, but we wouldn't have it any other way.  It was great family/friend time.  As we were dropping one of the extras off and near the area where the old slaughter house used to be, a conversation started.

Jay and I told the kids that when we were in 8th grade and taking the Intro to Ag class, we did a unit on the various cuts of meat and took a field trip to the local slaughter house, where we experienced the entire process.  From start to finish.

Like, everything.

Live cow.  Dead cow.  Skinned cow.  Cuts of meat.

I think back on that now and can't even believe that was a school-approved activity...but I'm thinking of it in terms of present day.

Back in the day, it's what we did.  There wasn't much discussion about it because, after all, that is the natural process of what goes on between the cow standing in the field and the hamburger or steak we eat.  Plain and simple.

We are meat eaters and accept that that is the process.

We are also Christians and believe that animals like a cow, for instance, were created by God to nourish our bodies.

I can only imagine what kind of chaos would ensue if this field trip were suggested today.  We must protect our kids from these horrific images - you know, the blood, the guts, the gore.  It could cause real psychological damage.

But it's okay if they watch gory movies and play bloody video games because they're only pretend.

Oh, how I wish sometimes we were back in the day...