Actually the reason I became a vegetarian is this:

I don't think that I have the moral right to choose which animals to eat and which animals to not eat. Cultural mores and traditions decide it is ok to eat cows and not dogs or vice versa. I decided that I could not make those value judgements, so in order to be consistent I would have to eat all animals or none. Since I cannot put my cat upon a spit and call it dinner, I chose none. This was a personal philosophical choice on my part and does not reflect what anyone else chooses. I can just as well tell you that because you eat meat, you are being illogical in not including cat, dog and raccoon in your diet. Let me know when you make cat stew and I will come over for dinner.

A couple of other notes. Religion and science are not incompatible. They come to knowledge in two separate ways. Metaphysics, which is the realm of philosophy and religion has no place in science. Perhaps we are differing in our definition of religion here. I do not include vegetarian groups as religions.

Of course I can respect others choices. Just because I consider all life valuable and basically equal I am not arrogant enough to not understand that there are other viewpoints. Again, I am not an idiot. Nor am I close minded.