Not wanting to harm cows and pigs is no more of a religion than not wanting to harm cats, dogs, and humans. Veganism is quite simply a moral obligation.
Unlike believers, vegans base themselves on knowledge, facts, studies, and statistics. Their motivation is ethical and not founded on the sacred. A religion is a set of beliefs defining humanity's relationship with the sacred, marked by practices and rites, whereas a philosophy is a way of interpreting the world that guides our behaviors. Non-human animals are not considered sacred since they are not perceived as belonging to the separate, intangible, inviolable domain of religion that inspires fear and demands respect under threat of retaliation or with the intent of obtaining privileges.
Religion consists of getting people to believe in things they can neither see nor prove. Veganism gets people to see and feel things they do not want to believe, yet which are very real and proven.
Veganism has no guru, no dogma, and no central authority: vegans do not follow commandments dictated by a divinity, but apply a logic of ethical consistency in the face of exploitation and avoidable suffering.
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