This, like a few more to come, will be a post inspired by a particular quote from the outstanding ‘Young Atheist’s Handbook’ by Alom Shaha.
I hope that these will help a few to consider donating to the campaign to get copies of the book in all English and Welsh secondary schools, the website for which can be found here: http://yah4schools.org.uk/.
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“I remember the first time I ate bacon. It was a momentous, pivotal moment in my life, requiring courage, strength and determination. Well, kind of.” – Alom Shaha, The Young Atheist’s Handbook.
I remember the last time I ate bacon. I think.
I was aged somewhere between 4 and 6 years old, sitting at the window of a Spanish motorway-side service station restaurant while tucking in to a thick Spanish omelet. It was the first time I remember eating one, but, as with all young memories, I could well be mistaken.
And while the details of the significance of that meal itself are vague, what happened next was scarred into my brain.
“Does this have bacon in it?” I asked my Mum.
“Yes, see those little red bits” she replied, pointing.
“They’re yummy…”
Outside, a truck began to pull up. Trucks were constantly pulling up, so I’d become accustomed to the strong rumbling of engines and squeaking of brakes as I sat there. This one stood out though.
Louder than the engine, and more piercing than the brakes was a wailing. A tortured, human-like wailing – and all coming from the many metal cages piled on top of one another at the back of this vehicle, filled to bursting with live pigs.
I can’t remember either finishing or not finishing the omelette, the memory ended with the creatures: with a disgust at the way these animals were being treated, at the again all-too human noise they were making.
This was, now that I think about it, probably one of the main reasons I must have had for eventually deciding to be a vegetarian a few years later. There were others, but this was significant, I feel.
Should I then, now, have a problem with the fact of Alom Shaha’s (kind of) most ‘pivotal’ moment in his journey to openly declaring unbelief being centred around the eating of pork?
I don’t think so. For him, the eating of pork was (and I assume still is) a statement of defiance. Just as Alom is respectful of vegetarianism (saying here that he doesn’t “believe there’s any good reason (apart from vegetarianism) not to eat pork“), I can sympathise with the feeling of wanting to declare oneself progressive, forward-thinking, and logical through even one’s eating habits - even if that includes eating meat, as there is indeed no good reason not to eat pork other than vegetarianism.
The decision symbolised a final statement of irreligiosity for Alom, a move to shake off an irrational fear instilled in him from a very young age. It worked, and it was empowering.
But it’s hard for many people. Even after leaving behind the religion of their parents, individuals will often find that it is these irrational fears or knee-jerk feelings of disgust that linger the longest and take the greatest mental hold on them.
For some, a genuine fear of burning in hell keeps them from even entertaining doubts. But once these doubts have been entertained, thoughts of hell seem much more easily discarded than an irrational gagging at the idea of even eating a meat which is just as safe to eat, nowadays, as any other animal product. Perhaps it’s because ‘hell’ is so extremely strong an image that one can’t help but question the reality of it, whereas a statement like ‘pigs are dirty’ is simply thought about less as childhood-rooted revulsion becomes an instinct.
I don’t know. But, at least for Alom, the simple act of eating a particular food continues to bring joy as his ‘final step’ to admitting to himself that he is no longer a Muslim, and no longer believes in God – a sentiment with which I am sure a fair amount of people can relate.
Carnun 
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The ‘Young Atheist’s Handbook 4 Schools’ campaign: http://yah4schools.org.uk/
