A Vegan Christian’s Take on Mothering Day. By Dr. Chapman Chen

Executive Summary: Mothering Day in the UK, celebrated on the 4th Sunday of Lent (30 March in 2025), differs from American Mother's Day in both origin and timing. Rooted in Christian tradition, it originally involved returning to one’s “mother church” and evolved into a day honouring mothers, now celebrated with cards, gifts, and family time. The Bible offers many verses affirming maternal love, such as Isaiah 49:15 and 66:13, where God compares divine compassion to maternal love, e.g., "Can a woman…show no compassion for the child of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you" (Isa. 49:15); "As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you” (Isa. 66:13). Jesus echoed this maternal imagery, expressing a desire to gather Jerusalem’s people like a hen shelters her chicks (Matt. 23:37). He also showed mercy to animals, taking both a donkey and her foal into Jerusalem to avoid separating mother and child (Matt. 21:1-7) —praised by C.H. Spurgeon (1885) as an act of tenderness. “Do to others what you would have them do to you,” commands Jesus (Matt. 7:12 NIV). Contrastively, we humans usually treasure our children more than diamonds, whilst most of us treat animals’ children as if they were trash. In the dairy industry, calves are taken from their mothers shortly after birth; male calves are often killed as they have no commercial use. In the egg industry, male chicks are macerated shortly after hatching. Animals raised for meat are typically slaughtered while still young: pigs at 5–6 months, beef cattle at 12–24 months, and broiler chickens at just 5–7 weeks. When you have no mercy for God’s creatures, God will have no mercy for you! (Zech. 11: 4-6). To honour all mothers—human and animal alike—we are called to choose mercy and embrace a vegan lifestyle.

Full Text: https://www.vegantheology.net/post/a-vegan-christian-s-take-on-mothering-day-by-dr-chapman-chen

1. The Origin of Mothering Day

As opposed to the American Mother’s day, which is the second Sunday in May, Mothering Day in the UK  falls on the fourth Sunday of Lent, In 2025, it's on 30 March, i.e., today. Mothering Day is rooted in Christian tradition, particularly in the Church of England and other Anglican churches. It’s originally a day when people returned to their "mother church" (the church where they were baptised or attended as children). Over time, it also became a day when domestic servants were allowed to visit their mothers and families — hence, the connection to honouring mothers. Tis now widely celebrated similarly to the American version: cards, flowers, gifts, and family time.

2. God Comparing Divine Love to Maternal Love

The Bible abounds with beautiful and poignant verses that reflect a mother’s love, nurturing, and care for her children. The Infancy Gospel of James describes Jesus sucking milk from Saint Mary (cf. Luke 11:27); the mainstream Bible mentions jackals and other animals breastfeeding their own young (Lamentations 4:3). God Himself often compares divine love to that of a mother nursing her baby — a profoundly intimate and protective image. For example, "Can a woman forget her nursing child, or show no compassion for the child of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you." (Isaiah 49:15); "As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you; and you will be comforted over Jerusalem." (Isaiah 66:13).

3. God & Christ Love You as a Hen Gathers Her Chick Under Her Wings

Indeed, both God and Jesus Christ are minded to shield us in the same way a hen covers her chicks with her wings:- "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing," says Jesus (Matthew 23:37 NIV).

Jesus also showed compassion to the donkey mother and her kid. Before entering Jerusalem, Jesus took both the foal and its mother, even though the foal was older than seven days—the age beyond which Jewish law forbade separating a calf from its mother (Matt. 21:1-7). The famed Baptist Minister C.H. Spurgeon (1885) commented: ‘This appears to me to be a token of [Jesus’] tenderness: he would not needlessly sever the mother from her foal. I like to see a farmer’s kindness…”

4. The Golden Rule Laid Down by Jesus the Vegan Christ

"So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets." (Matt. 7:12 NIV). This the Golden Rule laid down by Jesus. Contrastively, we humans usually treasure our children more than diamonds and pearls, whilst most of us treat animals’ children as if they were trash.

5. The Atrocious Dairy and Egg Industries

In the dairy industry, calves are kidnapped from their mothers soon after birth so as to seize the cows’ milk; and male calves are shot in the head because they cannot produce milk and thus have no “value”. In the egg industry, too, most eggs are seized from hens for human consumption; and male chicks are usually macerated shortly after hatching because they cannot lay eggs and are not suitable for meat production. Globally, it is estimated that 7 billion male chicks are cruelly murdered each year.  In the UK, it's estimated that about 29-32 million male chicks are exterminated annually.

6. The Murder of Kids

In general, the ages at which animals are typically murdered for human consumption are shockingly young — they are often literally just kids when slaughtered. Pigs, for example, are killed at just 5 to 6 months old, despite having a natural lifespan of around 15 years. Cows raised for beef are usually slaughtered at 12 to 24 months, while dairy cows are used for milk for 4 to 6 years before being killed once their productivity declines. Calves raised for veal are taken from their mothers and slaughtered at only 4 to 5 months old, even though cows can live up to 25 years. Chickens raised for meat (broilers) are typically killed at just 5 to 7 weeks of age. Egg-laying hens are kept for 12 to 18 months, then slaughtered when egg production drops. Naturally, chickens can live up to 8 to 10 years. Lambs, too, are typically killed at just 4 to 12 months old, with “spring lamb” being slaughtered as young as 8 weeks, despite sheep having a natural lifespan of 12 to 14 years. Three trillion animals are annually murdered by humans in this way!

7. Blessed are the Merciful!

 “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy,” says Jesus' (Matthew 5:7 NIV). When you have no mercy for God’s creatures, God will have no mercy for you! (Zech. 11: 4-6). Let’s go vegan and be compassionate toward animal mothers and their kids. #VeganChrist #VeganGod #VeganTheology