Understanding the Theology of the Church of Aphrodite

The key to the theology of the Church of Aphrodite is the Neoplatonic understanding of Empedocles’ cosmology, as in the philosopher Simplicius' Commentary on Aristotle's Physics. Aphrodite (Love) rules eternally in unified world of the Intelligible (Nous), while in the changing world of Sensible (Nature or Physis), there is an ongoing battle of Aphrodite (through unification) and Strife (through dissolution). The reign of Aphrodite relates to the Intelligible primarily and to the Sensible only in so far as it is in accordance with the Intelligible. The Golden Age is the state in the Sensible most in accordance with the Intelligible. Today, anything we do here to prevent dissolution, the work of Strife, aids to conform this world with that of Nous and to manifest Aphrodite here as well. This includes not killing, not eating meat*, as well as extending lives through healthy living, healing, feeding, and scientific advancement. The "Heaven of Aphrodite" in the Church of Aphrodite's teachings is Nous, while "Chaos" is Strife. The single commandment "Pursue Love, Beauty and Harmony. Shun hatred, ugliness and discord" is precisely doing what we can as mentioned above as love, beauty and harmony are related to unification/unity, while hatred, ugliness and discord are related to dissolution/separation.

*One might object that plants have life too and that the vegetarian thus also kills to eat just like the meat eater. However, this is a fallacious argument. Fruits, nuts, and many vegetables (like broccoli, brussels sprouts, baby spinach, baby arugula for example) are taken from plants without killing them. Grains and legumes are taken from plants that have already died on their own. That leaves us with a small number of vegetables - mainly tubers and roots - to which the argument would seem to apply. Even in those cases, the argument generally is not valid. Some tubers or roots are harvested after the plant has died on its own - potatoes or onions for example. In other cases - like carrots, green onions, or beets for example - part of the uprooted plant can be regrown and replanted even while eating another part. Thus, the plant life is not taken even then.