John Todd Ferrier (7 November 1855 — 31 August 1943)[1] was the founder of the Order of the Cross,[2] whose 'aims and ideals' state that it is an informal spiritual fellowship, "having for its service in life the cultivation of the Spirit of Love towards All Souls: helping the weak and defending the defenseless and oppressed: abstaining from hurting the creatures, eschewing bloodshed and flesh eating and living upon the pure foods so abundantly provided by Nature: walking in the Mystic Way of Life whose Path leads to the realisation of the Christhood and sending forth the Mystic Teachings unto all who may be able to receive them - those Sacred interpretations of the Soul, the Christhood and the Divine Love and Wisdom for which the Order of the Cross stands".
[1] An early publication of some of his works, "Sacrifice a necessity; or the atonement in the light of our Lord's teaching, and the unfolding of the sacrificial idea", summarised eight lectures he delivered in 1885 at the Congregational Church in Preston where in 1888 he was reported to be a pastor.
[7] In the informal spiritual communion of the Order of the Cross, the members are both vegetarian or vegan and pacifist.
Ferrier often spoke in defence of 'the creatures', and stated that a true Christian should be vegetarian.
In his writings (over 40 volumes) he emphasised the underlying unity of all religious aspirations and suggested that many traditional Christian teachings are allegorical and universal in nature.