Religion and Animal Rights Essay

Speciesism Discrimination in opt of one species, usu in every last(predicate)y the pityingsity species, any(prenominal)place a nonher, e extraly in the exploitation or mis cut acrossment of sensuals by gentle cosmealy concerns gentle domains. Sentient Able to feeling pain conscious through the senses. shoal ecology preserving the surroundings to the close that it benefits homophilee race bes. (This is an anthropocentric view of ecology valet centred). Deep ecology Giving all demeanor respect and pry pity for all of disposition, non middling the fits of nature which benefit hu objet dart bes. Dominionism Judeo-Christian head that humanity beings deliver a excess place in the raw(a) orb they be given the power to persist over it (as over percolaters) in behalf of its creator, graven image. Stewardship Judeo-Christian thinking that human beings build a special responsibility for the natural serviceman (and thence all other areas of res ponsibility much(prenominal) as other people, their money and possessions) play biteing as treat flashrs on immortals behalf. Autonomy Free de patch, able to self-govern.Deontological debt instrument take sexual climax. Emphasis on the act itself in determining lesson officeeousness. Inaugurated eschatology The found of graven image was started/established in the agapeistic animation, conclusion and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and continues in the invigoration of the church, moreover will be fulfil lead afterward on bodily death in heaven. effected eschatology The kingdom of god is here and right a steering on earth, through agape and the manners of the church. Futuristic Eschatology The Kingdom of God will come in the forthcoming subsequently bodily death, resurrection (bodily or spiritual) in heaven. Vivisection Experimenting on wildcats.Instrumentalist approach A pragmatic (practical) approach that says an action should be taken in order to ac hieve an industrious solution to a problem. Mutate Change, transform (e.g. as objet dart of the process of evolution). fastness Unable to change (e.g. from species to species). Commodification To turn into and treat as a commodity an name suitable for trading/buying and selling.ScholarsAristotle identify the hierarchy of being placing human beings above wildcats. Augustine Human beings are brilliant to savages as human beings are rational, being make in the image and gloss of God, coevals 126. doubting doubting Thomas Influenced by Aritotle sentient beingsby divine providence are int check for mans recitation in the natural order.. Charles Darwin Theory of evolution stock of Species, 1859. The process of natural selection, challenged the Bible, and in incident the multiplication creation humbug which claims that human beings are created in the image of God, contemporaries 126. Albert Schweitzer A pioneer of animal rights with his reverence for life ethic .For Schweitzer all life is sacred, sensate or non-sentient, animal or vegetable. A mysterious ecologist. St Francis of Assisi a equitable deal referred to as, The Patron Saint of animals. God has created the field and so the created order reflects Gods ethicalness and pattern of design and order, animals are a particularly authorized aspect of that created order. Peter vocalizer If a being has interests then they are deterrent examplely important and should stool rights sentient, self-conscious beings have interests. What matters is not what species a being be huges to, smooth to what extent a being is a soulfulness fulfils Personhood criteria. Jeremy Bentham Believed that unnecessary suffering was morally wrong, irrespective of the species.KEY TEACHINGS FROM CHRISTIANITY AND AWARENESS OF HOW RELIGIOUS leaders AND OTHER FAITH MEMBERS HAVE interpret THESE TEACHINGS AND APPLIED THEM TO LIFE IN baseball club TODAY. Religious beliefs about the status of animals.SCHO LARS* Aristotle (4 BC a foundation and influence for later Christian thought) -everything had a telos, an end train. The end purpose of nature (and animals) according to Aristotle, is human fulfilment hierarchy of Being, Anthropocentric (human centred), Speciesist approach. * Augustine (4th to fifth century AD). Human beings are superior to animals as human beings are rational, being made in the image and likeness of God, contemporaries 126. , To refrain from the cleanup spot of animals and the destroying of plants is the height of superstition. (Augustine). Hierarchy of Being. Speciesism. * Thomas Aquinas (13th century AD). Influenced by Aristotles ideas there is no sin in exploitation a thing for the purpose, telos, which it is intended. There is no possibility of sinning against non-human animals or against the natural world which exist for the use and good of humanity. Hierarchy of Being. Anthropocentric. Speciesist.* St Francis of Assisi (12th to 13th century). Franci s of Assisi thought that the natural world, and in particular animal life, was an face of the creative will of God and was model(prenominal) of respect. Patron Saint of animals, emphasised the grandeur of sentient beings as part of Gods creation. piece should gestate as accountable stewards to commission and look after all of Gods created creatures. shallow ecology preserving the natural world, including animals to the extent that human beings benefit. (This is an anthropocentric view of ecology human centred) where human beings have a caretaker division over nature. * Albert Schwietzer (20th century). Albert Schweitzer was a Christian who pioneered animal rights with his reverence for life ethic. He was astonished at the indifference that human beings see to fellow creatures on the planet. Schweitzer was a deep ecologist who believed that all life was sacred sentient or non-sentient human, animal, plant.BIBLICAL TEACHINGS* Human Beings created perfect, imago dei (St. Augustine). Genesis 127. * Genesis 128 Dominionism (to rule over, use, control) Then God utterHave dominion over the tip of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground. This was the traditional position of the church towards animals as set by Peter Singer. * Genesis 215 Stewardship (to look after and care for on Gods behalf) The original God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. to a greater extent recently this is the spot taken by the church, replacing dominionism with responsible stewardship.* Genesis 2 creation story has focus on creation of man and woman (Adam and Eve). Human beings have a soul (animals do not) The Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed (ruach) into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living being (Genesis 27) * Human beings, but not animals have free will, autonomous, with the opportunity of choosing a erotic love relationship wit h God. Love God, love your neighbour. (Jesus, fool 1230/31). With autonomy comes responsibility, stewardship (see church teachings below). * A righteous man cares for the necessitate of his animals, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel. Proverbs 1210. * The wolf will live with the lamb Isaiah. An O.T. eschatological vision of harmony amidst all sentient life. * Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? stock-still not one of them is forgotten by God. Luke 126.CHURCH TEACHINGS romish Catholic Catechism (1994) God willed creation as a gift addressed to humankind. creatures, like plants and inanimate beings, are by nature designate for the public good of past, present and future humanity. Anthropocentric, arises out of the shallow ecology approach to the natural world that is the usual the way for Christianity to deal with this area of ethics/moral issues. Animals do not have rights but earth do have duties towards animals. Roman Catholic Papal Encyclicals Centes imus Annus and Solicitudo Rei Socialis (Pope John capital of Minnesota II) Human beings are stewards of Gods creation, not masters of it. Animals are part of Gods creation and moldiness not be abused. The Church opposes abrasiveness / exploitation of animals.The earth and all life on it is a gift from God given to us to share and develop, not to dominate and exploit. Church of England documents Our Responsibility for the backing Environment (GS 718) and Animal Welfare (GS 341) Animals have been created by God and deserve respect. The value of animal life is secondary to human beings. world have a common heritage with, and have an obligation to animals. human being are the most efficient predators and and so must exercise responsible stewardship. checkup / scientific interrogation within clean limits is acceptable as it promotes the common good of humanity. Quaker Peace Testimony* fork up a loving consideration of all the creatures, maintain the beauty and variety of the world and show reverence for life.* Quakers have long supported vegetarianism.* Quakers oppose animal experimentation for weapons.* They also oppose the use of animals for the test of cosmetics.* just about Quakers oppose the fur trade.* Quakers do support the use of animal testing for medical research.The extent to which animals are divers(prenominal) from humans and their relative value.Humans are animals.* Charles Darwin 1859 Origin of the Species * Evolution, Natural Selection, Survival of the Fittest. Humans have evolved to become the dominant/ compulsive species. * With all these exalted powers humanity still bears in its bodily frame the ineradicable stamp of his lowly origin. (Charles Darwin) * Darwin challenged the idea of a designer God, and the anthropocentric view of the world. Humanity in their arrogance think themselves a great work, worthy the (inter)position of a God. More humble, and I believe true, to consider them created from animals. (Charles Darwin). * some(prenominal) religious believers accept evolutionary guess as a way of explaining the origins of life on this planet, but still see that Gods power was back the very start-theistic evolution (God the reasonless exertion brought everything else into existence based on Thomas Aquinass cosmogonic argument). How stomach an anthropocentric approach be upheld if humans are descended from animals all are of represent worth and value deep ecology. Hierarchy of species.* know above. God created animals for a purpose to be of value and support to human beings. Human intelligence operation versus animal instinct. * Rationality, intelligence and autonomy set humans apart from animals. * Capacity for modern regularitys of communication is a human skill. * Creativity (music, literature, art) and complex/sophisticated (developing/utilising science and technology) societies for a good and worthwhile quality of life rather than for natural excerpt are hallmarks of human existe nce. * Most humans protect the weak and unprotected arguably for altruistic motivations rather than for survival of the species. * Humans sewer choose to behave morally.* Humans are spiritual beings. However, just because the status of animals is lower than humans galore( venturenominal) argue for care and respect. * Stewardship. Deep ecology. Animal Rights. * The question is not kitty they reason, gutter they talk, but foundation they suffer. Jeremy Bentham (19th century). * Peter Singer thinks that if a being has interests then these things should be satisfied, other things being equal. What matters is not what species a being belongs, but to what extent a being fulfils the criteria of personhood- rational, sentient (experience pleasure / pain), self-conscious, can establish relationships and can communicate. Religious views on animal rights and the path of protecting those rights. See scholars, biblical and church teachings above.* Rev Humphrey Primatt (19th century) argue d all life was made by God and any sentient creature has the right not to have pain inflicted upon it including animal suffering. Pain is pain whether inflicted on man or beast (Primatt). The work of Humphrey Primatt led to the foundation of the RSPCA in 1824. * Organisations such as WWF and RSPCA campaign for animal rights so that they may live according to their own nature and not be harmed, exploited or abused, maintaining a dignified existence. * Such military press groups oppose factory farming (a method of raising animals intensively for maximum frugal gain and to produce food at a lower cost for consumers, resulting in the commodification of animals), animal experimentation (vivisection) and using animals for enjoyment, although opinions vary on all these issues. * disputation exists about vivisection and the extent of justifiable profess on animals behalf SPEAK campaign desire to end the building of new animal labs for scientific experimentation on animals at Oxford University, often using intimidation and count on action which was judged by the law courts to be illegal.If possessing a higher intelligence does not ennoble one human to use another for his own ends how can it entitle humans to exploit non-humans for the same purpose? professor Peter Singer VERSUS You cant go to a rejuvenate without having treatment that has been tested on animals you cant pick and choose. Professor Colin Blakemore, Oxford University. * multinational Animal Rights Day = December tenth annually. * British law protects animals form severity and neglect which are criminal offences. * Revd Professor Andrew Linzey Department of Theology at Oxford university = worlds first academic post in Ethics, Theology and Animal Welfare. Rejects an participant view of animals as speciesist privileging one species, human beings, giving them a unique moral status. For Linzey, animals are part of Gods creation, and have God-given rights, or theos-rights, and thus have moral s tatus.Religious responses to the preservation of species from extinction. * Genesis 112 Species were created immutable (fixed and unchanging). Dominionism means human beings have used species and their environment for the good of humanity which has inevitably led to extinction of some. However, stewardship imposes a duty of care implying preservation and conservation of Gods sacred, creation for future generations upholding biodiversity. * Evolution teaches that species naturally change, mutate, and die out as part of the process of survival of the fittest and natural selection. whatever religious people accept evolutionary theory theistic evolution (God the Uncaused Cause brought everything else into existence based on Thomas Aquinass cosmological argument). * Breeding programmes in zoos have helped to assuage species from extinction. * Ohito Declaration 1995 sustaining environmental life is a religious responsibility.