1. RELIGIOUS ATTITUDES
TO ANIMAL RIGHTS

2. WHAT WOULD CHRISTIANS SAY?
YES NO
Not all humans are capable of thinking rationally, eg people with brain injuries, people who are mentally disabled and very young children cannot do this.
Humans are more intelligent and can make decisions based on reason, whereas animals act on instinct
Humans are capable of making moral decisions
ARE HUMANS
SUPERIOR
TO ANIMALS?
Not all humans can/do act morally, some have done some horrendous things, eg Hitler killed 6 million Jews, the 9/11 attacks and Ian Brady and Myra Hindley murdered children.
Humans live in organised societies that strive for a better quality of life, eg through education – animals that live in organised societies do so for survival
WHAT WOULD CHRISTIANS SAY?
AUTHORITY
In the Bible it says…
BELIEF
This suggests to Christians that…
CONTEXT
Therefore
Let them have dominion over the earth
Humans are superior as God put us in charge of looking after the earth
Humans are more important than animals and can use them if they need to.
The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it
Animals belong to God
Even though humans are superior, we should still treat animals well because they belong to God so we should look after them for Him.
Humans care for weak and vulnerable members of society whereas many animal groups either kill or abandon them.

3. WHAT WOULD CHRISTIANS SAY?
SHOULD ANIMALS
HAVE RIGHTS?
YES
Animals are SENTIENT beings which means that they have feelings and so should also have rights
Organisations such as the ALF (Animal Liberation Front) have protested by breaking into research labs and freeing animals, blowing up buildings, setting fire to lorries and threatening to contaminate products so that they have to be removed from sale (and cost the company who made them a lot of money).
Some people say that they have gone too far and should be less violent, other people think that this kind of direct action is the only way to get people to pay attention. NO
Organisations such as Compassion in World Farming have used peaceful methods of protest such as marches, petitions, boycotts and letter writing campaigns to the government to get them to make tougher laws on animal welfare. Some people criticise these methods for taking too long to see results, others think that they are effective.
Humans are intellectually and morally superior and therefore we should be able to do what we want with animals
WHAT WOULD CHRISTIANS SAY?
AUTHORITY
In the Bible it says…
BELIEF
This suggests to Christians that…
CONTEXT
Therefore
Let them have dominion over the earth
Humans are superior as God put us in charge of looking after the earth
Humans should have more rights than animals as we are superior but we should treat animals well because this is part of our job in looking after the earth for God.
The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it
Animals belong to God
Even though humans are seen as superior, we should still treat animals well because they belong to God and we should look after them for Him.

4. WILD AND PET ANIMALS WHAT WOULD CHRISTIANS SAY?
SHOULD WE KEEP
ANIMALS AS PETS?
SHOULD WE KEEP ANIMALS IN ZOOS? NO
YES
We can learn more about animals and seeing them in a zoo may inspire someone to do more to help protect animals in the wild
It is a good way of protecting endangered species such as pandas
Zoos cannot recreate animals natural habitat and so many are unhappy and bored
Some zoos keep the animals in cramped and dirty conditions
YES
They encourage responsibility in children and prepare them for bereavement.
Many pets are well looked after and lead happy lives. NO
Many people underestimate how much time and money looking after a pet requires and as a result many are neglected.
We cannot recreate the natural environment for an animal in a house, eg parrots are meant to fly freely but many people keep them in cages.
The animals will never go hungry and can be helped if they are sick
We should not be using animals just for our own entertainment
WILD AND PET ANIMALS
THE ASSISI DECLARATIONS
In 1986, leaders
of all six major world religions met in Assisi, Italy, the home of St Francis, the patron saint of animals. Leaders from each religion made statements about how people should act responsibly for the welfare of animals.
WHAT WOULD CHRISTIANS SAY?
AUTHORITY
In the Bible it says…
BELIEF
This suggests to Christians that…
CONTEXT
Therefore
Let them have dominion over the earth
Humans are superior as God put us in charge of looking after the earth
It would be acceptable to keep an animal in captivity if it was well looked after and in the case of wild animals, if it was helping to protect an endangered species, as this would all be part of our job of looking after the earth
The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it
Animals belong to God
It is not acceptable to keep wild animals in zoos if they are kept in poor conditions and just for our entertainment. Also, people should only have pets if they can look after them properly and give them a suitable environment to live in, as they belong to God so we should be looking after them for Him..
THE RSPCA
The RSPCA was started in 1824 by the Reverend Arthur Broome and
other Christians in response to cruelty to animals. It was the world’s
first animal welfare organisation. It tries to look after wild and pet animals.

5. CHRISTIANS AND HUNTING WHAT WOULD CHRISTIANS SAY?
YES
SHOULD WE USE
ANIMALS IN SPORTS? NO
Sports that involve animals doing something that is natural for them should be considered alright as long as the animal is not put at unusual risk and is well treated, eg pigeon racing .
UNSURE ?
Dog and horse racing could be alright if the animals are treated well, fed properly, not over worked, and in the case of horses, not made to take part in dangerous races with high jumps in them. This is not always the case as there have been many reports of dogs that are staved to make them run faster and horses being whipped to run faster, also at least 1 horse dies every year in the Grand National events due to falling at a jump.
The above sports all involve a long and painful death for the animals involved. We should not kill animals just so that some people can make money and others can be entertained by it.
CHRISTIANS AND HUNTING
Christians believe that it is acceptable to use animals it we need to, therefore we can hunt them for food if this is necessary, but we cannot hunt them for sport and luxury good such as fur and ivory because we don’t need these things.
WHAT WOULD CHRISTIANS SAY?
AUTHORITY
In the Bible it says…
BELIEF
This suggests to Christians that…
CONTEXT
Therefore
Let them have dominion over the earth
Humans are superior as God put us in charge of looking after the earth
We can use animals if we need to but, as sports are not a necessity, we shouldn’t really be using them or at least only using them in sports that don’t cause harm and don’t make them do something that is unnatural, eg pigeon racing
The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it
Animals belong to God
We should not be using animals in sports that cause them harm, eg dog fighting and bull fighting as these involve long and painful deaths for the animals, and we are supposed to be looking after them for God, not killing them for our own amusement.

6. NO YES SHOULD WE USE ANIMALS FOR WORK? WHAT WOULD CHRISTIANS SAY?
We are superior and so should be able to use animals for useful things such as guide dogs.
Many jobs involve an animal doing what is only natural for them, eg carrier pigeons are only flying
Some jobs put animals at risk, why should we put them at risk just to benefit ourselves?
WHAT WOULD CHRISTIANS SAY?
Some of the jobs that animals are asked to do are unnecessary and humiliating for them, eg circus animals
Christians would approve of all of these jobs because, the animals are well treated, they are doing a useful job and they are only being put at risk to save human lives.
AUTHORITY
In the Bible it says…
BELIEF
This suggests to Christians that…
CONTEXT
Therefore
Let them have dominion over the earth
Humans are superior as God put us in charge of looking after the earth
We should treat working animals well and only them for things that are necessary and/or benefit humans such as guide dogs. We should only put animals at risk if it is to save human life, eg search and rescue dogs.
The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it
Animals belong to God
We should not use animals for things that we don’t need, eg circus animals as it is not fair to put them at risk through dangerous stunts or humiliate them by silly trick as this is not useful, it is just for entertainment.
Christians would not approve of these jobs because they are not useful, they can put the animals at risk and they can also be humiliating for animals.
Christians would approve of all of these jobs because, the animals are well treated, they are doing a useful job and, if people use them responsibly, they are not at any significant risk.
CHRISTIAN’S CRITERIA FOR WORKING ANIMALS?
1, It must be a useful job
2, The animal must be well treated
3, The animal can only be put at risk to save
human life

7. WHAT WOULD CHRISTIANS SAY?
OTHER OPTIONS
SHOULD WE USE
ANIMALS FOR FOOD?
VEGETARIANS
People who will not eat meat but will eat things from animals that don’t involve them being killed such as milk and eggs.
VEGANS
People that will not eat any products that come from animals.
YES NO
Meat has traditionally been part of our diet
Just because something is traditional it does not make it right – it used to be traditional to keep slaves!
The proteins in meat are good for our diet
Many of the proteins in meat can be found in other foods or supplements
It is a natural part of the food chain for us to eat meat
The majority of our meat is farmed specifically for that purpose, it has nothing to do with controlling the number of animals
It is possible to be healthy following either a vegetarian or vegan diet as long as people make sure that they are getting the proteins that they would have gotten from meat elsewhere.
Some people have concerns that artificial sources of protein are not as good for the body as those found naturally in meat. Other people would argue that much of our meat is now factory farmed (see page on that topic) and so is actually contains few nutrients anyway.
Religious Slaughter (Jews and Muslims)
Non-religious slaughter
WHAT WOULD CHRISTIANS SAY?
Main vein cut with a knife – should cause instant death
If done incorrectly will cause pain
AUTHORITY
BELIEF
CONTEXT
I give them to you as food
God said it was alright to eat meat
Christians believe that eating meat is allowed as it says so in the Bible.
The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it
Animals belong to God
Even though God said it was alright to eat animals, they should still be treated well whilst they are alive and killed humanely as they belong to God and so should be treated well. NB – Christians use NON-RELIGIOUS SLAUGHTER when killing animals for meat.
Captive bolt stunning – the animal is stunned first and then killed whilst it is unconscious
The animal will be stressed at being somewhere new
Has a prayer said over it – seen as a more dignified way to die

8. WHAT WOULD CHRISTIANS SAY?
FREE RANGE
This is when animals are given more space, usually with the freedom to go outside. Free Range products cost a little more than factory farmed ones but many people believe it is worth paying the extra as the animals are kept in better conditions and the meat is not full of antibiotics.
FACTORY FARMING
BAD FOR ANIMALS
BAD FOR HUMANS
Kept in cramped conditions that spread disease
Mutilated to stop diseases spreading
Given hormones to make them grow bigger – some chickens grow so big they cannot stand properly
Diseases in meat can be passed to humans
Eating meat filled with antibiotics will mean that when we are sick, we will need higher doses to make us better
Eating meat filled with hormones can lead to increased feminine characteristics in boys and men
MONEY
TRANSPORT
Factory farming is all about making money by allowing good to be sold cheaply so that more people will buy them.
Currently animals spend on average 60hrs in transit, the conditions are poor as they are overcrowded and do not have access to food and water.
WHAT WOULD CHRISTIANS SAY?
AUTHORITY
BELIEF
CONTEXT
Let them have dominion over the earth
Humans are superior as God put us in charge of looking after the earth
Even though it is acceptable to eat animals, we are still supposed to be looking after everything so we should not keep them in dirty and cramped conditions as not only is this cruel to them but it is dangerous to us as diseases could be passed on though food.
The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it
Animals belong to God
Christians would not approve of factory farming practices such as using hormones to make the chickens grow bigger as this is cruel because it leaves the birds unable to move and we are supposed to be looking after animals for God.

9. WHAT WOULD CHRISTIANS SAY?
THE FUR TRADE
WHAT WOULD CHRISTIANS SAY?
TRAPPING
FARMING
METHODS OF KILLING
LUXURY PRODUCT
Some are trapped in steel jaw leg traps which cut through their flesh to hold them in place. The animals sometime will chew their own legs off to escape.
Those bred in farms are often kept in cramped conditions with little food and water.
Often anally electrocuted (so as not to mark the fur). This is incredibly painful and also not reliable as many animals end up being skinned alive.
Fur is a luxury product, in modern society it is not needed as there are alternatives that provide both the look and warmth of fur.
In the Bible it says, ‘Let them have dominion over the earth’
This suggests that humans are superior to animals because God put us incharge of looking after everything
Therefore Christians would not approve of the fur and ivory trades because they both involve killing animals for luxury items and we should only use them for things that we actually need.
In the Bible it says, ‘The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it’
This suggests that animals belong to God
Therefore Christians would not approve of the fur and ivory trades because they both treat animals cruelly, eg animals used for fur are often anally electrocuted which is incredibly painful and elephants killed for ivory are sometimes awake when their heads are cut into. We are supposed to be looking after animals for God, not abusing them for our own ends.
Both of these trades are all about making money
THE IVORY TRADE
HUNTING AND TRAPPING
METHODS OF KILLING
LUXURY PRODUCT
Caught in wire snares around their necks. Some poachers tie bottles of acid to trees, when the elephant walks past the noise of the bottles shaking alerts the poacher and the acid stuns the elephant.
Shot with poison darts – this does not always kill the elephant so it is sometimes still alive when it ivory is removed. 25% of an elephants ivory is inside its head – most poachers will cut into the head to remove it all.
Ivory is a luxury product commonly used to make ornaments and jewellery, there are other material that we can use for these

10. SHOULD WE USE ANIMALS IN EXPERIMENTS? WHAT WOULD CHRISTIANS SAY?
YES
We don’t need many of the things that we test on animals, eg we already have lots of types of cosmetics NO
Animal experiments have led to vaccines and cures that have saved millions of human lives.
They hurt
and kill animals
There are alternatives for many types of experiment such
as skin cell testing and
computer programmes
Animal experiments have led to developments in veterinary medicine and benefitted millions of animals.
The results are not reliable, eg penicillin kills guinea pigs but cures humans.
There are some experiments for which animal testing is the only option
WHAT WOULD CHRISTIANS SAY?
AUTHORITY
In the Bible it says
BELIEF
This suggests
CONTEXT
Therefore
Let them have dominion over the earth
Humans are superior as God put us in charge of looking after the earth
Christians would accept using animals in necessary medical experiments, as a last resort, as this can save human lives and these are seen as being more important than animal lives, eg the small pox vaccine was developed on animals and has saved millions of people worldwide.
The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it
Animals belong to God
Christians would not accept experimenting on animals for cosmetics as these cause animals pain and distress for something that is not necessary. We should be looking after for God, not hurting them for no real purpose.

11. SHOULD WE CLONE AND GENETICALLY MODIFY ANIMALS?
MODIFICATION
When something is added, taken away or altered from an animal’s DNA
CLONING
When an exact copy of an animal is made
YES NO
Some modifications are cruel to animals
GM animals have helped with the development of cures to diseases such as AIDS
If we can GM animals to be bigger, this may solve food shortage problems
GM and cloned animals only live for half as long as normal animals which makes some people think that they are not safe to eat
YES
Experiments on cloned and GM animals give results that don’t apply to human diseases and conditions
Cloning has led to developments in the cure for diseases such as cystic fibrosis – Dolly the sheep was cloned from Tracey the sheep whose milk produced a protein that helped treat cystic fibrosis. If we can clone animals that produce these proteins we will have a never ending supply
Some people worry that if we start cloning animals, it won’t be too long before we start cloning humans
WHAT WOULD CHRISTIANS SAY?
AUTHORITY
BELIEF
CONTEXT
Let them have dominion over the earth
Humans are superior as God put us in charge of looking after the earth
We can clone and GM animals if it is to save human lives, eg develop cures for AIDS etc, as human life as seen as more important than animal life.
The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it
Animals belong to God
We should not experiment with cloning and GM animals for no real purpose as this can be cruel to animals, eg some are modified to be too big and this puts a strain on their joints, also cloned animals only live half as long as normal ones. We should be treating animals well as they belong to God.