Paradise Recovered

April 27, 2010           Author: Denis Henry Hennelly

My friend Andie Redwine recently did two things I never would have expected.  And I am enormously proud of her and humbled by both.

I went to high school with Andie.  We co-wrote a column for the school paper called “Mo’ Better Bagels” in which we pontificated upon numerous subjects and generally raised questions regarding society, culture, and our sanity.

Andie grew up in a repressive religious environment, and as an adult she has dedicated much of her time to helping others who have escaped from cults.  A few years ago she mentioned to me that she was interested in making a film about cult survivors.  Living in LA, I’m surrounded by people who say they want to make a film.  The vast majority of them never do.  Andie does not live in LA.  She lives in a rural southern Indiana community.  She knew nothing about how to write a script or make a film.  But she taught herself how to do both in the most efficient way possible… by doing it.

Here’s the trailer for the film she wrote and produced totally outside the Hollywood system, created solely by her passion and energy.

The second thing Andie did that I never expected was to go vegan.  Her film is called Paradise Recovered.  I think it’s worth noting that in Paradise (Eden), Adam and Eve were not consuming animals.

She recently wrote me and my business partner Casey a letter about her decision.  She agreed to let us share it.  It’s one of the more moving things I’ve ever read.

Dear Denis and Casey:

Despite the fact that I feel absolutely fantastic about not contributing to the deaths of animals and eating their pain and grief…and that should be enough there, right?…I want to share with you both the benefits of going completely vegan for 30 days.  Completely vegan means no animal products with an emphasis on low fat and fiber.  A lot has happened both physically and spiritually for me.  It’s been pretty amazing.

First, my eyes are brighter, my skin is smoother, and I have a lot more energy. I wake up in the morning on fire for the day…and that is saying quite a bit.  I’ve been able to kick the morning coffee as well…who needs it when you feel this good!

Second, I have had a few headaches, especially at first, but I find that when I drink plenty of water, they go away. I also realized that I need to eat a lot of fruit and protein before working out hard, or I feel kind of faint.  Eating more?  Bonus.

Third, painless periods.  No cramps, no nothing.  Take that, Midol!

Fourth, my double chin is going away. Our nanny said to me that my whole body looked “smoother” — and that was only after 2 weeks!  I’ve lost 8 pounds and 9 inches from my initial measurements.

Fifth, the kids are pretty much on board, and I haven’t been adamant about it. My husband is extremely supportive. He has always been a healthy eater — mostly fruits and veggies and using meat as more of a condiment, but he’s feeling less sluggish since he gave up meat and dairy.  He commented this evening that he feels fantastic.

Sixth, my blood pressure is now 110/65. It was 130/90.

Seventh, nutritional yeast on popcorn sprayed with Bragg’s is amazing.

Eighth, I feel that living as a vegan is my natural extension of following the teachings of Jesus. As a Christian, how can I seek to alleviate suffering when I have just eaten a big piece of steak from a poor cow murdered in a slaughterhouse by unskilled workers desperate for income?

Denying myself and taking up the cross is the call for a Christ follower, and every time I say ‘no’ to meat, despite the ridicule and the nastiness of people, I say with my actions that suffering of any type is not acceptable. And this includes remembering the farm workers (most of whom have no health insurance and are illegal to boot) just as much as it does the animals who are abused.

When I started writing Paradise Recovered, Denis, you suggested that I read Matthew Skully’s Dominion. And I did. And it changed me. I just started eating non-factory farmed meat and organic dairy. I thought that I was off the hook.

I’ll admit that I started this journey for health reasons. But, it was the same as when I stopped shopping at Wal-Mart. It just felt icky to know that my money and life-energy was going to support an abusive system that was just mean and ugly to people.

We always said that we didn’t eat factory farmed animals, but the truth is that we did. When we would stop for a sandwich or something…convenience trumped the day. And watching that kosher slaughter house on meat.org…well, that did it for me forever. And I have had to wrestle with the notion of “ethical killing.” I hate abortion because the world is deprived of a life…why in the hell would I be okay with this?

It’s Easter, and I am reminded that Jesus was a Passover lamb that willingly sacrificed himself to satisfy the demand for justice for the things that we do to offend God and one another.  Crucifixion was a brutal death, but some of what I have seen from videos of slaughterhouses equal that kind of brutality.  I have often wondered how calloused someone would have to be to actually crucify and beat someone beyond recognition.  And yet, the industry demands that we create these kinds of workers to do this exact thing to animal.  Why?  For cheap burgers?

The only way that I could eat meat or dairy again would be if a poor person or child unaware of what is happening offered it to me in love. I think of the folks that I have worked with who have brought pretty unappetizing things for me to eat, and I have always been humbled by their offerings and willingness to share. In that way, compassion would trump dogma, mainly because it was offered in love.

I can’t make this decision for my kids or my husband, but I can make this decision for me and my kitchen. And I can talk with them about it gently and model it, as you, Denis and Casey, have done for me for years. I always honored that in you, but I never really got it. Well, I got it now. I got it. I am sorry that it took me so long to get it.

I know that you both have a lot on the line right now, and I am sure that you are about to have an onslaught of garbage coming your way. I will continue to pray for both of you…for peace, for wisdom, and for hope.

Once we went to a museum in San Antonio that showed pictures of segregated drinking fountains. My oldest son was probably 9 at the time, and the younger one was 5. They wanted to know what that was. My husband explained to them about Jim Crow laws.

It was a moment, really. Here was my husband, whose formative years took place under desegregation, talking to his two sons about something that they couldn’t understand. Moreover, his two adopted sons were non-white. Had this been 1960, he wouldn’t have had the opportunity to share a drinking fountain with these kids, let alone adopt them!

So here’s to hoping that your work will make animal cruelty strange and foreign to my grandchildren. That there will be a National Slaughterhouse Museum in Washington where I will have to confess to my grandchildren that yes, I ate meat…but I had no idea what was happening in the slaughterhouse. This isn’t the days when Farmer Brown took the pig out back because the family was hungry and had no other access to protein, or even when a pre-literate Jewish family hand raised a Passover lamb as a reminder that sin has consequences…in this case, the death of a prized possession.  These are animals that have been genetically mutated, filled with chemicals and artificial hormones, forced to live in repulsive conditions, stripped of any natural defenses, beaten and abused, starved and dehydrated on trucks, and then skinned and gutted alive as they hang upside down.

This is changing the way I look at Easter.  And I think that perhaps Jesus, through his crucifixion, lowered himself to the worst imaginable state…a state that many animals suffer.  Jesus went willingly to his cross…these poor animals have no choice.

I am proud of both of you. You need to know that you have changed me, and I am thankful and will be forever grateful.  Thank you for being a voice for the voiceless…human and non-human.

Grace and Peace,
Andie


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Comments

15 Comments on Paradise Recovered

  1. Andie Redwine on Tue, 27th Apr 2010 4:13 pm

    2. Wow, Denis. Thank you so very much. Your continued love and friendship continues to challenge me to be a better human being. Our film would not have been made without the support of you and your amazing team at Open Road. We are forever in your debt.

    Looking forward to Mo’ Better Bagels: The Movie.

    Here’s to freedom!
    xoxox,
    Andie

  2. Gary Smith on Tue, 27th Apr 2010 4:44 pm

    3. Andie,

    I am so happy that Denis posted your letter. It is breathtaking. Literally. You reflect the best that religion has to offer. Thank you.

    Your film looks fantastic. Please let us know when it is available.

    Best,
    Gary

  3. Kezia on Tue, 27th Apr 2010 8:23 pm

    4. Thank you, Andie, for your clarity and vision. I can’t wait to see the film!

  4. Susan on Wed, 28th Apr 2010 1:05 am

    5. As always, Andie, you give food for thought, and I am honored to know you

  5. Andie on Tue, 18th May 2010 5:08 pm

    6. Andie. I am truly moved by your letter.
    As a fellow Christian I am so touched to see more believers coming to this realization.
    You are an inspiration and I can’t wait to see your film!
    Blessings!

  6. Valerie on Tue, 18th May 2010 5:10 pm

    7. Oops. I just realized that I typed in Andie’s name by mistake.
    Silly me! lol

  7. Andie Redwine on Tue, 18th May 2010 7:01 pm

    8. Hey Valerie! Thanks so much! We are proud to share fans with Open Road. Your note made my day!

  8. Valerie on Tue, 18th May 2010 9:03 pm

    9. Hey Andie.
    I’m so glad to here that!
    Are you on Facebook? I would love to stay in touch.

    Take care

  9. Andie Redwine on Thu, 3rd Jun 2010 5:49 am

    10. I am on Facebook, Valerie. And so is Paradise Recovered! Take good care!

  10. Tweets that mention Paradise Recovered : Bold Native – A film about animal liberation. -- Topsy.com on Thu, 3rd Jun 2010 7:59 am

    11. [...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Robert Shutter, Paradise Recovered. Paradise Recovered said: Some very kind words about us on @BOLDNATIVE — can't wait to be at the world premiere! http://bit.ly/cqPfBP #indiefilm [...]

  11. Valerie on Sat, 12th Jun 2010 4:46 am

    12. That’s great Andie. I’m a fan of the Paradise Recovered page on Facebook.
    But I’m having trouble finding your page.
    If you like, you can friend me here: http://www.facebook.com/valerie.mcgowan

    Have a great weekend.

    God bless!

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  13. chris carmel on Fri, 26th Nov 2010 4:40 am

    14. I cannot understand how you can call yourself vegan, then say you’ll eat meat if it’s given to you in love. That’s not embracing veganism at all. It’s YOU who must give the love, in educating those doing the offering, that you cannot in good conscience eat the dead, eat other beings who have suffered from birth through death, and been brutally slaughtered by those bitter at promises broken regarding their new life in the United States. YOUR new knowledge must be used to free others, not to still consume flesh. You are in fact pre-vegan, and are wished well at comprehending that veganism encompasses moral and ethical beliefs–not a diet.

  14. Sue on Mon, 7th Feb 2011 6:15 am

    15. Wow, really moving letter. And brave. Christians and vegans are often on the very opposites sides of the fence and I don’t exactly know why. This puts it all so eloquently. I struggle with my faith and my relatively new vegan lifestyle. I realize that everyone must find their own way and I try not to prothelytize. Not that I am shy about sharing or educating. I am grateful to have read this post. Thank you! :)

  15. Michelle on Wed, 30th Mar 2011 10:59 pm

    16. I was so very moved by both the trailer and especially this letter. Andie is a hero in my mind. Thank you for sharing!
    Blessings,
    Michelle







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