posted February 02, 2008 10:31 AM         

A moving true story from the Autumn/Winter 2007 edition of Catholic Concern for Animals' newsletter, The Ark - http://www.all-creatures.org/ca

Confessions of a Slaughterman
by Peter Razpet

After 25 years of working in slaughterhouses, Peter Razpet, from Kamnik in Slovenia, experienced an intensive spiritual change which made him put down his butcher's knife forever. Now, after almost five years of living a new life, he is happy, because he has recognised the love of God. This is his story...

I left school young because I felt that I did not need an education. At that time we had a bull who would relate only to me, as my father, the village butcher, had once beaten him up. He decided to sell him, so we took him to the cattle market in Cerkno. The butchers from Idrija bought him, but couldn't get him on their truck. He obeyed only me. However, I can still see the look in his eyes when I tied him to the truck and said good bye. When the butchers saw how the bull followed me without any resistance, they offered me a job in the slaughter-house. Next week I started work there. I shall never forget my first day. They cut off the heads of 20 fully conscious calves right there in front of me. I felt like throwing up. A young cleaning-woman noticed my disgust and said: 'There's nothing to it, boy. If I can kill an animal as a woman, it will be much easier for you as a man!' Then she took an axe and hit a living cow with it. Something broke inside me and I said to myself: 'Well, okay then, I'll be a butcher'.

Bad times

Everyone has to experience darkness before he can recognise brightness and love. Therefore we mustn't judge anyone. When I was a butcher, I simply didn't notice the beauties and wonders of nature, God and all the universe. (Slovenian societies for animal rights should organise visits to slaughter-houses, so that people can see how their steaks get on their plates. Most meat eaters would resist in disgust if they were told their puppies would be slaughtered, but most of them really don't care what goes on behind the walls of slaughter-houses.) I thought that operating my own slaughter-house would be an excellent investment. I already had the building, the business plan was made and the documentation was ready.

But I ran into trouble with the project. Many business partners didn't pay me, so I soon ran into debts myself. My own people at home turned their backs on me too. In great distress I took refuge in praying to God. Once I prayed to Mary Mother of God and begged her to give me power of forgiving. Instead I heard a clear voice: Do not kill! I thought it referred to people only, because I had many debtors of whom I sometimes said in despair that I would kill if they didn't pay me my money. But then I realised that it also referred to animals! I told my wife I would not kill animals nor eat meat from that day on. I kept to my promise. A few days later, at the end of the year, I was at a birthday party with my friends. I was the only one not eating meat, ignoring their remarks about what kind of a butcher I could be if I didn't eat meat.

Am I ever tempted to slaughter an animal? No, not at all. Nowadays I cannot even kill a fly because it also has the right to live. My evening prayer is: I send my love to all people, my brothers and sisters and to all creation, given to us by God, who said: Love each other.

Activism and dedication

However, I do believe that there are people in this world, including priests, who are getting more aware every day. With their help we will slowly change the world to what it used to be from the very beginning. Evil was created by man, not God, therefore we will have to eliminate it by ourselves. A proverb says: God will not ask you, how many times you attended Mass, he will be interested in your acts. Faith in God is not enough, it is necessary to be active. We will have to unroot evil by ourselves.

I established a society to help people in distress. Having experienced hard times, I can understand them and help them in different ways. I dedicated myself to nature. I also started to gather medicinal herbs and treat many diseases which cannot be healed by official medicine. I also work on my spiritual development and, using my own experiences, I help people who are pushed into distress by the modern way of life and are searching for new ways. But I am most thankful to God for sending me to this world right now to accomplish all these things. I experience a lot of beautiful, unforgettable moments. I enjoy very much various handicraft skills and like making all kinds of products. I especially cherish Christmas time. Every year I make a big crib in memory of my new way. Together with God and Mary I can experience the birth of Jesus, whom we can see in every living being and nature, if we wish so.

Tolstoy said that people would kill each other as long as there were slaughterhouses. I say a little differently: Blood will be shed until man becomes aware that God created animals to be his friends. Not only animal blood, but man's as well. First we have to raise the spiritual consciousness, then slaughterhouses will automatically disappear from the Earth. People will not eat meat anymore, therefore it will not be necessary to kill animals and destroy nature as well as everything that was given to us by God as a present.

Thanks to the Catholic Concern for Animals for permission to reproduce this article

posted March 01, 2008 10:39 AM         

quote:

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Am I ever tempted to slaughter an animal? No, not at all. Nowadays I cannot even kill a fly because it also has the right to live. My evening prayer is: I send my love to all people, my brothers and sisters and to all creation, given to us by God, who said: Love each other.

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