Does religion, Bible and Torah help people to get empathy for people and animals?

My reply to a person:
Eric,
"You do have a point."
Great that you think so.
Please watch this to understand more what the animals are going through: http://earthlings.com/

You wrote: "The same way turning a person to righteousness"
Well, me being a Christian from 2001 to 2007 actually disconnected me more from the animals. I stopped eating meat for a while becoming awakened by a vegan friend, but then I started doing it again because of verses that I found in the Bible.
And me following the Torah didn't help either. Throughout all of these years I have wanted to treat the animals well, but I was disconnected and didn't fully understand how much suffering and death my actions were causing. And I justified my actions with that the "Bible" or the "Torah" says so.
So just by observing how religious people act I see that faith in the Bible does not cause a person to become vegan -- regardless of how well-intentioned his/her actions are.
Usually what makes a person vegan - i.e. what makes a person to understand that is morally wrong to inflict suffering and death to other sentient beings - is caused in other ways.

I think that waking up to reality and stop eating animal products and in other ways stop contributing to animal's death and suffering is waking a person up more and more. It is very hard to see that one is commiting an atrocity, when one partakes of it several times per day. Furthermore, I think that this will have an effect of other areas as well -- the more we develop our empathy and love to all sentient beings - the more we will see and ensure that our actions are not causing someone else suffering and/or oppression (like stealing, adultery, gossiping and lying).

What do you think?