I have been thinking of writing up something about religion and vegetarianism. To love God also means to love others as we love ourselves. Many Christians as well as people of other faiths take this to mean mercy to all creatures - not just kindness to humans, and death to lower animals.
Here are a couple of quotes for you to consider:
"We the Christian leaders, practice abstinence from the flesh of animals to subdue our bodies...the unnatural eating of flesh-meat is polluting." --- John Chrysostom (345-407 A.D.)
"It is far better to be happy than to have our bodies act as graveyards for animals. Accordingly, the Apostle Matthew partook of seeds, nuts and vegetables, without flesh." --- Clement of Alexandra, an early church academician (160-240 A.D.)
From Eusebius (264-349 A.D.), an early church father, quotes a previous chuch authority (Hegesippus circ. 160 A.D.) that James, accepted by many as the brother of Christ, also abstained from eating the flesh of animals.
Many early Christians (including, IIRC, Benedict, the founder of the Benedictine monks) concluded that Christian love and mercy should be extended to the animal kingdom as well as fellow humans.
People can be perfectly healthy without eating meat. Why cause suffering and bloodshed when it isn't even necessary? I'm certainly not a pacificst - I enthusiastically support the death penalty when justified, and just war. But those who are innocent of any crime should be protected - such as unborn children.
The idea that animals have no souls in not supported in the Bible or other scriptures of the world. It's interesting to look at the original Greek and Hebrew words... I am NO scholar, I can only read what others have researched. But what is life? Life comes from God. The spark of life is the soul. Animals are not machines. When they die, the soul leaves. They experience suffering, fear, and pain. I don't want to be part of causing that, just to eat.
I don't talk about this much on FR... I figure if people can get to the point of not suppporting the killing of helpless unborn and invalids, then the mercy may extend to animals.