Animal Rights teachings

CHRISTIAN

man 'may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky'

therefore idea of dominionship supported, humans could use animals for food, sport and science

CHRISTIANITY

the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being

therefore man is worth more than animals

CHRISTIANITY

are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? yest not one of them is forgotten by God

therefore god values animal life

CHRISTIANTY

dont be afraid; you are worth many sparrows

therefore christians see human life worth more than animal life.

CHRISTIANITY

a righteous man cares for the needs of his animal

therefore christians will want to care for their animals in order to be seen as righteous by God

CHRISTIANITY

the godly care for their animals, but the wicked are always cruel

therefore they look up to and admire God and will not want to be punished or seen as wicked

MUSLIM

central concept if Islam is Tawhid or the Unity of God. allah is unity and his unity is reflected in the unity of mankind - his trustees are responsible for maintaining the unity of his creation.

therefore muslims will want to take this responsibily seriously and keep unity and balance with the treatment of animals

MUSLIM

the earth is green and beautiful and allah has appointed you his stewards over it. whoever plants a tree and looks after it until it matures and bears fruit is rewarded.

so Muslims will want to take care of all life in order to be rewarded with Paradise - given a responsibility of stewardship.

MUSLIM

whoever is merciful even to a sparrow, Allah will be merciful to him on the Day of Judgement

therefore muslims will be merciful and compassionate to animals because they want to enter Paradise

MUSLIM

a good deed done to an animal is like a good deed done to a human being, while an act of cruelty to an animal is as bad as cruelty to a human being

therefore Muslims will want to avoid animal cruelty and be good towards them as this is equally as important as towards human life in the eyes of Allah

MUSLIM

whoever is kind to the creatures of God, is kind to himself

therefore this suggests to muslims that animals are sacred to God and also that if they want kindness themselves, they must show kindness towards animals

christians believe that God created the world, including animals and people, and put animals in charge.

therefore animals are sacred to christians as they were created by God - also supports idea of stewardship

CHRISTIANS believe they have a duty to care for all creation, including animals. jesus spoke about the value of every living creature

therefore they will see animal life as having significance

MUSLIMS believe the world belongs to its creator Allah who appointed humans as stewards or trustees over it.

therefore they believe they must care for animals and treat them with respect

MUSLIMS believe animals have feeling and purpose in their lives and those who are cruel to them will answer to Allah.

therefore they will not want to be cruel to animals and punsihed by Allah

MUSLIMS have rules about food; cannot eat pigs and all other animals must be killed by Halal slaughter.

this promotes kindness and compassion towards animals.

1995, religious leaders issued spiritual principals:

• recognise the need to treat the environment, including animals with care
• sustaining environmental life is a religious responsibility
• nature needs to be treated with respect and compassion

RSPCA - started in 1824 by a Reverend and other Christians

GREENPEACE

WWF

ISLAMIC FOUNDATION FOR ECOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

ANGLICAN SOCIETY FOR WELFARE OF ANIMALS

in ISLAM animals must not be kept in limited spaces or trained to perform tricks

therefore most Muslims do not have pets (even though not forbidden) but can keep working dogs for hunting or guarding their home.  

ISLAM teaches working animals must not be beaten or overworked. must be well fed and watered. people realised contact with animals can be therapeutic to children with autism, sick people, elderly and prisoners.

therefore most religious people would support the use of animals to heal in this way

JUDAISM:

After the great flood God told Noah that the animals may be used for food but not abused.

therefore Jews will support animals for food but avoid cruelty as this opposes God's orders

CHRISTIANITY:

St Paul wrote that all foods could be eaten but that Christians should not eat anything that causes someone else to sin

some christians may interpret this to mean that eating meat should be discouraged

some CHRISTIANS believe that hunting is justified since God told humans to bring animals under their control

others believe animals are part of God's creation and humans have a duty as stewards to protect them

MUSLIMS believe Allah will hold a person accountable if they kill an animal for no useful purpose.

therefore muslims will not want to use animals for sport or leisure because they wouldnt want to be judged by Allah

MUSLIM:

animals have had legal rights in Islam since the 13th Century. caging animals is forbidden but animals may be used to find cures for diseases if suffering is minimal.

therefore muslims may be against animals for transport/work if caging involved

Pros:

• lets you see animals up close
• educational
• gives people more respect for animals
• prevents extinction and helps research

Cons:

• animals can be in bad conditions and suffer stress
• the environment is different from their natural one  - can be too difficult to adjust

HINDUISM:

Animals are part of Samsara and should be treated well. it is a Hindu's duty to protect animals and not harm them.

therefore Hindus will be kind to animals in order to fulfil their religious duties

HINDUISM:

many deities use animals or appear as animals and the cow is sacred

therefore hindus will want to respect animal life as animals play an important and sacred role in their religion

BUDDHISM:

first moral precept 'ahimsa' not to harm any living creature

therefore Buddhists will not want to partake in anything that involves harming of an animal because this will be breaking their first moral precept

ISLAM:

it is God who provided for you all manner of livestock, that you may ride on some of them and from some you may derive your food

therefore muslims may use animals for food and for sport/pleasure because it is permitted by God

CHRISTIANITY:

Into your hands they are delivered. every moving thing that lives shall be food for you

Factory farming:

where animals are kept indoors in crowded conditions, farmed intensively to generate profit

Free range farming:

where animals are raised to roam freely and live a life like they would in a natural environment

BUDDHISM:

Believe that animals are part of the cyle of death and rebirth

therefore Buddhists may not want to eat meat or kill an animal as this could be an ancestor reincarnated in a new life

BUDDHISM:

Buddhists can eat meat as the Buddha accepted meat from his followers. However harming animals and breaking ahimsa may result in bad karma

therefore Buddhists would not have occupations such as fishing or butchery because this could bring them bad karma and these jobs are not Right Livelihood

BUDDHISM:

Buddhists would also see the gambling associated with horse racing as being linked to the Three Poisons (greed, ignorance and hatred)

Therefore Buddhists would avoid partaking in or supporting using animals for sport because of this

Some religious people don't agree with scientists 'playing God' and interfering with nature by cloning or genetic modification

therefore some religious believers will be against animal experimentation because they dont want to be seen as playing God

BUDDHISM:

testing on animals could lead to bad karma and rebirth. It does not show metta - loving kindness

therefore Buddhists will not want to endorse animal experimentation because they do not want to bring about bad karma

CHRISTIANITY:

The 10 Commandments suggest animals should rest on the Sabbath.

There this infers to Christians that animals should be cared for and that they should not be subjected to cruelty

CHRISTIANITY:

Animals do not have souls whereas humans do. Moreover, humans are made 'in God's image' and animals are not

this suggests that God values human life more and therefore some Christians may belive using animals for medical experimentation is allowed.

CHRISTIANITY:

God is the creator of animals as well as humans and the Bible says that humans should respect God's creation.

therefore Christians would not be cruel to animals i.e. use them for work because this would be disrespecting what God has created.

BUDDHISM:

Buddhists believe that all life, in all forms, should be respected, and no suffering should be caused.

Therefore to a Buddhist animal experimentation or bull fighting etc. is not permitted

BUDDHISM:

The Buddha taught compassion and metta (love and kindness) for all life. Harming animals is not showing compassion or metta.

therefore Buddhists would cherish animal life so as to follow Buddha's teachings

what rights do animals have:

• Animals must not be exploited, harmed or abused
• Animals are protected by law from cruelty and neglect
• Some creatures cannot be kept as pets such as dangerous dogs or rare birds
• Testing on animals is inspected to ensure animals are not suffering too much
• There are strict rules about animals being transported and slaughtered

CHRISTIANITY:

the bible says that all living things have value, but humans have more worth than animals

therefore some Christians may believe using animals is okay however they must be respected and not treated with cruelty.

CHRISTIANITY:

if God looks after animals then so should humans

therefore Christians will want to care for animals because this is following God's example

Dominion is an area over which humans rule

stewardship is the idea that humans are responsible for the world and should take care of it

HINDUISM:

The Vedas says Hindus should avoid meat because it cannot be obtained without harming living creatures

therefore Hindus would want to be vegetarians to follow their teachings

SIKHISM:

Sikhs may eat meat only if animals are treated and killed humanely

therefore Sikhs may only eat free range food to ensure the animals were not treated with cruelty

SIKHISM:

a teaching by a Guru states that all food is pure because God provided it for people

therefore some Sikhs may not have trouble eating meat

BUDDHISM:

In Buddhism, there is an idea of interdependance

therefore Buddhists would want to preserve animal life because of the way that human life depedns on it

BUDDHISM:

Buddhists practice meditation to develop feelings of loving kindness towards all living beings, all of whom have the same rights to happiness, this includes animals

therefore Buddhists should value animal life in the same way they value human life

BUDDHISM:

Buddhists do believe that animals are lower than the human realm and if you are reincarnated as an animal it is because you have accumulated too much bad karma in your previous human life

therefore Buddhists should maybe value human life above animal life

SIKHISM:

humans will be judged on their treatment of animals

therefore Sikhs will want to take care of animals so as to be judged favourably by God

SIKHISM:

Humans have a duty to look after animals

therefore Sikhs will not want to mistreat animals in any way to fulfil their duty

SIKHISM:

God created the world and dwells in all things, including animal life

therefore Sikhs will not want to eat meat or harm animals because of God's presence in animal life

HINDUISM:

All creatures are respected because they are part of Braham (God)

therefore Hindus will want to respect animal life to respect God