J. Regina Hyland

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Janet Regina Hyland (aka J. R. Hyland) [November 30, 1933; 4:25 a.m.; New York, NY - 10/09/2007, nonfiction and philosophical author. Because she is seen as a pioneer in the field of Animals & Religion, the magnitude of her intellectual impact is difficult to assess.

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[edit] Early Life and Family

Both of Regina Hyland's parents divorced and remarried in the 1940s, and ill health seemed to plague her family. Her brother Don, born on May 18, 1935, died of meningitis in June 1943. Regina and her half-sister Jean, born in 1942, shared a common birth mother but different fathers.

She said she was never close to her father, whom she described as an idealistic journalist in New York City, who "only watched TV" but "cared for no one and did nothing for anyone". He died in the early '70s. Though her birth mother was still living, Regina said she became close with her stepmother Mildred and loved her dearly, though she described Mildred as "self-centered and narcissistic". Mildred died in the early '60s, while Regina's birth mother died in the late '80s.

Regina and her stepsister Jean had lived together since 1970, then from 1985 to Regina's death in 2007 lived near to one another. Regina said they didn't become really close until 1995, the year Regina Hyland founded VIATORIS MINISTRIES and the Humane Religion bimonthly.

Regina was married to Glen Edward on July 2, 1954. Just a month later, Glen was struck by a drunk driver, on August 9, 1954. For a year, Glen was in a coma, then for seven years after that in a "persistent vegetative state" until he died, making Regina a young widow who never remarried, having enjoyed only a month of marriage.

[edit] Education

Hyland was reared as an Irish Catholic and attended Catholic school as a youth, but, since the Catholics don't ordain women, she found the Assemblies of God, a denomination that ordains women, and "went over to the Protestants" in order to be ordained as an evangelical minister. She reverently referred to Jesus as "my guru." Her undergraduate and graduate work at an Assemblies of God Seminary were in religious studies. She began seminary studies in biblical theology in 1955-58, but didn't complete a Masters in Theology until the late '70s through early '80s. Beginning in 1982, she studied with the Assembly of God Home Missions, and was ordained by them on November 24, 1984, close to her birthdate.

She said she religiously read a copy of Bhagavad-gita as it is, which Murthi sent her years ago. She obtained a copy of Srila Prabhupada's book, The Path of Perfection when living in Texas a few decades ago, and says that while she was attracted to Srila Prabhupada's teachings on yoga and meditation, she was put off by his (apparently) sexist comments about women.

[edit] Health Problems

Hyland suffered several health ailments. While her husband was still in a coma in 1957, she was found to have an ovarian tumor. She described herself as having been "on the ropes" from 1961-63, i.e., in and out of hospitals.

Later on, during the 1970s, Hyland became vegetarian, but she found it odd that many Christian (including Assemblies of God)), Jain, Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, and other religious vegetarians frown upon alcohol and other mind-altering substances as "carnal" or "unspiritual". However, according to Murthi, she admitted that her fondness for alcohol may have stemmed from her Irish Catholic upbringing. Until her death of breast cancer at just short of 64 years, she maintained that the Bible permits alcohol, though only in moderation.

[edit] Overview

J. Regina Hyland, a Long Island (NY) native, was a frequent speaker at humane conferences, including animal rights events. Before her 'conversion' to ethical vegetarianism in the early 1970s, she had become well-known for writing Evangelical Sunday School literature. Hyland is credited with founding VIATORIS MINISTRIES in 1995, a Christian publication and pro-animal vegetarian Christian parachurch resource ministry of Sarasota Florida, which published bimonthly 'HUMANE RELIGION' in which she always wrote, sometimes including segments of her books. Both usually are seen usually written in 'all capitals'). Also, one of her first publications after founding VIATORIS was Sexism is a Sin, published by VIATORIS. She remained its director until her death in October 2007. At its peak, the Humane Religion monthly journal (founded in 1995) had over 3,500 paid subscribers. Hundreds of copies of each issue were sent to churches and other ministries, in an effort to raise consciousness within the Christian community. In 1998 printing and postage costs became prohibitive, so publication was suspended until the work was continued as a free online publication at www.HumaneReligion.org, retaining the Humane Religion name.

Known largely by her pen name, J.R. Hyland, she became vegetarian for ethical reasons around 1973 and moved to Sarasota FL in 1985. Hyland believed that God created animals to be human companions and, unlike a number of Christian vegetarians who were offended by their tactics, she often cooperated with PETA and other animal rights groups.

She maintained the philosophy that one's diet is a personal choice and did not condone forcing that opinion on others, but her convictions about her own reasons for ethical vegetarianism were very strong and often based on New Testament texts about human sinfulness before a perfectly loving God who cared for all creatures, human and nonhuman. She frequently noted that: "just as Western culture used the Bible to denigrate women, to prolong slavery, and to justify war, the Scriptures have been used to terrorize animals. The New Testament puts it succinctly: 'All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.' Hyland said she has been vegetarian for since 1973, since she witnessed brutal animal experiments in a college laboratory.

In a 2006 lecture in Sarasota, she outlined a belief in progressive historical revelation in human history: "I want people to understand that how we treat animals is part and parcel of human revelation," said Hyland, speaking about the earlier days of killing animals for meat and hides. "It is a sign of the times. You can now make man-made fabrics that are warmer than fur. We don't have to kill animals anymore to keep warm." http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-12381283_ITM

Her close intellectual friend, Vasudev Murthi, who had long sought to woo her intellectually towards Hinduism, brought her a set of japa (prayer) beads in August 2003, but (he writes in personal communication) "couldn't show her how to use them in the bead bag, since she was left-handed." She was familiar with Western astrology and told Murthi she believed in reincarnation.

During the 20th century, and likely before (as with the 19th century New England Transcendentalists who claimed to have integrated "Eastern thought" with "Western thought", a long scholarly discussion took place, claiming that the historical Jesus was intellectual indebted to Asian and Indian thought. Seminarians in many liberal and modernist seminaries were given this claim to consider, and a number of seminary faculty explored the claim seriously. That Regina Hyland was influenced by Hindu or other Indian thought is not in itself evidence that she had veered outside the classical parameters of Christian thinking, though critics of her thought might wish to explore this matter more deeply.

Within the Roman Catholic tradition, as with the Anglican tradition, and with some "oceanic Chris8tianity" thinkers like Vergilius Ferm and Paul Tillich, engaging other religious, philosophical, and wisdom traditions was considered very desirable, if not de jure. Open questions remain of whether reincarnation could ever have been considered by some (within the breadth of Christendom but who were not basing their understanding on Scripture alone or primarily) to be acceptable "Christian" thinking.

However one evaluates the claims, such "bold" attempts to "patch" "Eastern" metaphysical beliefs into Christian rhetoric were, among some popularions in America and Europe, were sporadic, but not uncommon. Maverick "freelancing" of religious beliefs made this a feature of some "countercultural" probles of "private spirituality" often claiming to be "existential" or "phenomenological."

Understanding who Regina Hyland was doctrinally may be more of a puzzle than an open book. Indeed, books could be written examining claims that she had veered outside Christendom, for such claims demand more specificity of definition of Christendom, if not of Christianity itself. It is clear thr0ough her friendship with Vasudev Murthi, an ardent prolifer and anti-abortion author, that Hyland was willing to reach outside theological frameworks to engage other prolifers in constructive interfaith dialogue, however that intellectual engagement would be construed.

In early October 2007, she died of breast cancer.

[edit] Credentialing

• Ordained by International Ministerial Fellowship of Minneapolis as an Evangelical Minister

[edit] Career

  • 22 years of ministerial experience, including co-authorship of Evangelical Sunday School literature
  • Engaged in various para-church ministries through the years. ("Para-church" indicates something other than pastoral ministry in a church setting)
  • Active in migrant worker and prison ministries and in social justice advocacy

[edit] Politics

Regina Hyland described herself as an ardent feminist and as a "dyed-in-the-wool Democrat." Murthi, an ardent prolifer or a Hindu bent, notes that, "before she died, she was hoping that as an alternative to abortion, science would come up with a form of birth control that even the Pope would approve." (personal correspondence) Murthi also noted (in personal correspondence) that before she died, I spoke to Regina Hyland over the phone. Among her last words to me were: "The Christian God cares (for animals)."

[edit] Theological Comparison with Other Christian Vegetarian Thinkers

Though a minority position historically, Christian vegetarian authors have connected Biblical texts with vegetarian and humane values. Hyland read the Bible as a story of the human failure to fulfill a Divinely-assigned role as compassionate caregiver for other species. While rejected ecumenically at the same time that the World Council of Churches was considering a statement "On the Celebration of Life" (later narrowly rejected), Hyland moved to write "The Slaughter Of Terrified Beasts: A Biblical Basis for the Humane Treatment of Animals," (published in 1988), revised and reissued in 2000 by Lantern Books, NYC, under the title "God's Covenant With Animals".

Her work speaks to the goal of discovering during Bible reading a motivation to bring about changes in traditional Christian attitudes towards animals, which traditionally has found enormous resistance on the part of religious functionaries, such as priests, ministers, and various church groups to the biblical teaching that both humans and animals are (in Hebrew) "nefesh chaya": beings who live because of the soul infused by their Creator.

In one draft of his book, Good News for All Creation, Dr. Stephen Kaufman writes of the Jungian dualism in Hyland's worldview:

"As R.J. Hyland has noted, Jesus' ministry showed how a complete human being should manifest both archetypical male and female attributes. The 'male principle', she has argued, involves action and overcoming. The 'female principle' features care-giving and concern. Though all people have innate desires to display degrees of both principles, cultures have often discouraged men from manifesting the 'female principle' and women from exhibiting the 'male principle'. However, action and overcoming without care-giving and concern easily leads to violence, and destructiveness, and care-giving and concern without action and overcoming does not prevent violence and destructiveness. Jesus repeatedly showed care-giving and nurturing in his dealings with his disciples, friends, and even strangers, while also displaying action and overcoming, such as his defense of the adulteress (John 8:3-11), his confrontation with the heartless scribes and Pharisees (Matthew 23:13-29; Luke 11:42-43), and his turning over the money-changers' tables in the Temple."

Frances Arnetta (founder in the 1980s of CHAP, Christians Helping Animals and People, a more fundamentalist Christian animal rights group) condemns factory farming as "diabolical" and endorses vegetarianism as "God's best for all concerned", but she refuses to say one must be a vegetarian in order to be a good Christian. In contrast, Hyland plainly said of meat-eating, "It's a sin."

[edit] Mission Statement

The VIATORIS MINITRIES website (www.HumaneReligion.org) website states: "HUMANE RELIGION is a bimonthly publication printed under the auspices of Viatoris Ministries. We are committed to providing scriptural support, and encouragement, to those who have been called to be part of the spiritual evolution that is manifesting itself among those who understand that love and compassion must be the hallmark of our relationship with all God's creatures."

Their mission statement promises: "HUMANE RELIGION is committed to developing materials that will nurture and support those who have been called to be part of the spiritual evolution that is manifesting itself among those who understand that love and compassion must be the hallmark of our relationship with all God's creatures."

They continue to spell out their 'doctrinal statements' and 'fellowship policies': "We offer our services to people of any faith and to people of no faith. We work with individuals as well as with groups, to help develop strategies and materials to reach Sunday School classes, small group meetings, seminars and whatever other venues people want to develop. Our materials are based on the bible which teaches that animals were specifically created to be the companions of humans, that humans were created to be vegetarians, and that animals, as well as humans, have a soul that lives on after death. There is no charge for any of these services."

[edit] Publications

Hyland, whose writing style was brief and to the point, wrote, in addition to articles in her periodical, Humane Religion, a number of Christian books about Christian duties towards animals and Creation:

Sexism is a Sin: The Biblical Basis of Female Equality. (1995) Sarasota, FL, Viatoris Ministries.

Animal Rights: Contemporary Concern or Ongoing Issue?

The Slaughter of Terrified Beasts: A Biblical Basis for the Humane Treatment of Animals (1988);

  reissued in 2000 by Lantern Books under the title God's Covenant With Animals

God’s Covenant With Animals: A Biblical Basis for the Humane Treatment of All Creatures New York: Lantern Books, 2000. PETA described this book as "a must-read for anyone hearing the Bible misused to justify animal cruelty."

Sexism Is a Sin: The Biblical Basis of Female Equality. Sarasota: Viatoris Publications, 1995.

Viatoris publications focuses on humane topics: positively on vegetarianism and negatively on hunting and fur-wearing. Archives of the HUMANE RELIGION Journal are available at www.HumaneReligion.org.

Foreword to They Shall Not Hurt or Destroy, by Vasudev Murthi (calling it "a valuable resource" and "a must for every humane library)

[edit] Citations of Gratitude in Other Published Books

With much gratitude, she's cited in several widely-distribued books on Christian vegetarianism:

I thank in particular Gene and Lorri Bauston, Bernard Unti, Andrea Lane, Nicolette Harm, Nicole Cardello, Naomi Rose, Patricia Forkan, Regina Hyland, ...

... Bernadette Sonefeld, Regina Hyland, ...

We thank Keith Akers, Regina Hyland, Betsy Kaufman, Linda McDaniel, Eithne Nunez, and Stephen Webb for numerous contributions. Among the many people who ...

[edit] Final Days

Regina Hyland had been scheduled to appear the SFVS World Vegetarian Weekend Festival in San Francisco at the end of September (October 21 is World Vegetarian Day), when she suddenly fell ill. She lived three weeks longer and died on Tuesday, October 9, 2007.

Sources from VIATORIS seemed unsure what the future of Humane Religion bimonthly might be, but they expected it to continue indefinitely into the future, under some auspices.

[edit] Sources

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(Shortly before passing away in early October 2007, Hyland agreed to have a Hindu astrologer analyze her astrological chart. Some biographical information provided here comes from what was given to the astrologer, as it was shared by Vasudev Murthi.)

[edit] Humane Religion Archives

[edit] See also

[edit] External links