The Bible Christian Church was a Christian vegetarian sect founded by William Cowherd in Salford, Greater Manchester, in 1809, as a spilt from the Swedenborgians. Members of the church were committed vegetarians and the church was foundational in the formation of the British and American vegetarian movements.
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. [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". Members of the church including Joseph Brotherton and James Simpson were involved in the founding of the Vegetarian Society in 1847. [3]
In 1816, Cowherd died and Joseph Brotherton was appointed his successor. Brotherton held the position for 40 years until his death in 1857. [4] He was succeeded by James Clark (1830–1905) in 1858, who served as pastor for nearly 50 years. [5]
By 1932, unable to attract enough vegetarian members, the English Bible Christians merged into the Pendleton Unitarians. [6]
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 [note 1] crossed the Atlantic in 1817 and formed the Philadelphia Bible Christian Church. [8] These members subsequently provided a nucleus for the American vegetarian movement and, later, the American Vegetarian Society. [9]
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. [9] 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. [9] Cowherd is said to have stated: "..If God had meant us to eat meat, then it would have come to us in edible form 'as is the ripened fruit'" [3]
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.
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. Pescatarianism was widespread in the early Church, among both the clergy and laity. Among the early Judeo-Christian Gnostics the Ebionites held that John the Baptist, James the Just and Jesus were vegetarians.
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 Bible Christians or "Cowherdites", to abstain from the eating of meat as a form of temperance.
Joseph Brotherton was an English reforming politician, Bible Christian minister, and a pioneering vegetarian activist. 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, previously known as Salford Borough Cemetery, is a public Grade II listed Victorian cemetery in Weaste, Salford. Opened in 1857, it is the oldest of Salford's four cemeteries, covering 39 acres (16 ha) and containing over 332,000 graves. It was established due to the overcrowding of churchyards, officially opening on 1 September 1857, with its first interment being Joseph Brotherton on 14 January 1857. The cemetery, which was bombed during the 1940 Manchester Blitz, now features a heritage trail and guided tours, with several Grade II listed monuments. It also holds graves of 373 Commonwealth service personnel from both World Wars, with special memorials and listings for those buried abroad and in unmarked 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, anti-vivisection 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.
Why I Am a Vegetarian is an 1895 pamphlet based on an address delivered by J. Howard Moore before the Chicago Vegetarian Society. It was reprinted several times by the society and other publishers.
Henry Stephen Clubb was an English-American Bible Christian, abolitionist, chartist, journalist and author, who was state senator for Michigan, and founder and first President of the Vegetarian Society of America (VSA).
Carrica Le Favre was an American physical culturist, dress reform advocate and vegetarianism activist. She founded the Chicago Vegetarian Society and the New York Vegetarian Society.
William Metcalfe was an English-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.
James Scholefield, was an English religious leader, social reformer, undertaker and medical practitioner. He is known for his contributions to the Bible Christian Church, his advocacy for vegetarianism and temperance, and his involvement in the British radical reform movement.
James Clark was an English Bible Christian Church minister and activist for temperance and vegetarianism. Clark was deeply involved in social causes, including relief efforts during the Cotton Famine and service on the Salford Board of Guardians. As Honorary Secretary of the Vegetarian Society, he represented the organisation at international congresses and helped found the International Vegetarian Union.
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