The Bible Christian Church was a Christian vegetarian sect founded by William Cowherd in Salford, North West England in 1809. [1] To join the church, members had to sign a pledge that committed them to a vegetarian diet and abstention from alcohol. [2] Followers of Cowherd's ideas were commonly known as Bible Christians or "Cowherdites." Cowherd was one of the philosophical forerunners of the Vegetarian Society founded in 1847. [3]
Bible Christians put great emphasis on independence of mind and freedom of belief, stating that they did not presume "to exercise any dominion over the faith or conscience of men." They believed in free will and had a Pelagian approach. [1] They argued that religion when properly understood reveals the same truth to all men. There was no emphasis on original sin or conversion. Man was not saved by faith alone but by his actions and the value of his life as a whole. Vegetarianism formed part of this belief. [1]
William Cowherd founded the Bible Christian Church following a split from the Swedenborgians. Their first chapel was known as Christ Church and located in King Street, Salford, Greater Manchester. The church later moved to new premises in Cross Lane. Further chapels were also established in Hulme and Every Street, Ancoats. [4] One distinctive feature of the Bible Christians was a belief in a meat-free "vegetable diet", known today as ovo-lacto vegetarianism, as a form of temperance. [1] [5]
In 1816 William Cowherd died and Joseph Brotherton was appointed his successor. Brotherton held the position for 40 years until his death in 1857. [6]
By 1932, unable to attract enough vegetarian members, the English Bible Christians merged into the Pendleton Unitarians. [7]
The church's message was later preached in the United States, as about 40 members under the leadership of the Reverend William Metcalfe and the Reverend James Clark crossed the Atlantic in 1817 and formed the Philadelphia Bible Christian Church. [8] These members subsequently provided a nucleus for the American vegetarian movement. [1]
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to religion:
Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the consumption of meat. It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slaughter.
Sylvester Graham was an American Presbyterian minister and dietary reformer known for his emphasis on vegetarianism, the temperance movement, and eating whole-grain bread. His preaching inspired the graham flour, graham bread, and graham cracker products. Graham is often referred to as the "Father of Vegetarianism" in the United States of America.
The Vegetarian Society of the United Kingdom is a British registered charity which was established on 30 September 1847 to promote vegetarianism.
The Christian Vegetarian Association (CVA) is an international, interdenominational Christian vegetarian organization that promotes responsible stewardship of God's creation through plant-based eating. The CVA advocates vegetarianism from a biblically-based, Christian perspective and sees dietary choice as a valid way to bear witness to Christ's ministry of love, peace, mercy and compassion, and prepare for the Peaceable Kingdom as foretold in the Bible.
Christian vegetarianism is the practice of keeping to a vegetarian lifestyle for reasons connected to or derived from the Christian faith. The three primary reasons are spiritual, nutritional, and ethical. The ethical reasons may include a concern for God's creation, a concern for animal rights and welfare, or both. Likewise, Christian veganism is not using any animal products for reasons connected to or derived from the Christian faith.
The practice of vegetarianism is strongly linked with a number of religious traditions worldwide. These include religions that originated in India, such as Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, and Sikhism. With close to 85% of India's billion-plus population practicing these religions, India remains the country with the highest number of vegetarians in the world.
The earliest records of vegetarianism as a concept and practice amongst a significant number of people are from ancient India, especially among the Hindus and Jains. Later records indicate that small groups within the ancient Greek civilizations in southern Italy and Greece also adopted some dietary habits similar to vegetarianism. In both instances, the diet was closely connected with the idea of nonviolence toward animals, and was promoted by religious groups and philosophers.
William Cowherd was a Christian minister serving a congregation in the City of Salford, England, immediately west of Manchester, and one of the philosophical forerunners of the Vegetarian Society founded in 1847. He was the founder of the Bible Christian Church; Cowherd advocated and encouraged members of his then small group of followers, known as "Cowherdites", to abstain from the eating of meat as a form of temperance.
Joseph Brotherton was an English reforming politician, Nonconformist minister, Swedenborgian and pioneering vegetarian. He has been described as the first vegetarian member of parliament.
The Order of the Golden Age (OGA) was an international animal rights society with a Christian, theosophical and vegetarian emphasis, which existed between 1895 and 1959.
William Edward Armytage Axon was an English librarian, antiquary and journalist for the Manchester Guardian. He contributed to the Dictionary of National Biography under his initials W. E. A. A. He was also a notable vegetarianism activist.
Lacto-ovo vegetarianism or ovo-lacto vegetarianism is a type of vegetarianism which forbids animal flesh but allows the consumption of animal products such as dairy and eggs. Unlike pescetarianism, it does not include fish or other seafood. A typical ovo-lacto vegetarian diet may include fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, meat substitutes, nuts, seeds, soy, cheese, milk, yogurt and eggs.
Greengate is an inner-city suburb of Salford in Greater Manchester, England. It is bounded by the River Irwell, Victoria Bridge Street and Chapel Street, Blackfriars Road and Trinity Way. Greengate is the original historic core of Salford and sits within the easternmost part of the City of Salford. Greengate is currently experiencing a period of intensive development activity and growth, benefiting from its location just across the River Irwell from the City of Manchester.
Weaste Cemetery is a public cemetery in Weaste, Salford, Greater Manchester, in England. Opened in 1857, it is the oldest of Salford's four cemeteries, covering 39 acres and containing over 332,000 graves.
The relationship between Christianity and animal rights is complex, with different Christian communities coming to different conclusions about the status of animals. The topic is closely related to, but broader than, the practices of Christian vegetarians and the various Christian environmentalist movements.
William Gibson Ward was an English activist for vegetarianism and anti-vaccination.
Vegetable Cookery: With an Introduction, Recommending Abstinence from Animal Food and Intoxicating Liquors is the first vegetarian cookbook, authored anonymously by Martha Brotherton (1783–1861) of Salford.
Henry Stephen Clubb was an English-American Swedenborgian, abolitionist, chartist, journalist and author, who was state senator for Michigan, and founder and first President of the Vegetarian Society of America (VSA).
William Metcalfe was a British-American minister in the Bible Christian Church, homeopathic physician, and activist for vegetarianism, pacifism, temperance and abolitionism. He was a prominent figure in the American vegetarian movement.