"The righteous know the needs of their animals, but the mercy of the wicked is cruel."
Christianity is the World's largest religion and thus has much to say about the status of non-human animals. Interestingly, it is possible to detect a change in attitude towards animals over time.
Early and Medieval Christianity focused on human superiority, whilst Contemporary Christianity is more "animal-friendly with phenomena such as Animal Preachers and Church Blessings on the rise.
Domination
The traditional Christian view on animals was one of domination; animals exist so that humans can "utilise" them. Genesis 1:26, which speaks of dominion over "every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth" was the scriptural basis for this view.
The BBC Religion website on Christianity and Animals gives three reasons for why Christians believed in animal inferiority:
- Animals are created for human use, not the other way round.
- Animals do not have the faculties of reason, nor do they possess souls.
- Animals should be considered solely from the human perspective, not their own.
The Giants of Christian thinking, St. Augustine, St. Aquinas and Karl Barth also preached similar views, emphasizing the fact that God revealed Himself in human form (in Jesus PBUH), not in animal form.
The existence of Animal Preachers is not completely due to contemporary thinking; many medieval Saints famously preached to animals, including St. Anthony of Padua, who preached to fishes and St. Francis of Assisi, the Patron Saint of Animals.
St. Francis is a popular figure and is used by many Animal Rights groups to further their cause, as the following video shows:
If the concept of Animal Preaching was revolutionary then; today it is seen as essential for Christian ministry. A GodWeb article on animals concludes by stating, "...each of us is called to a ministry of, by and for all creatures, great and small."
The Internet is also used to encourage Christians to become Animal Preachers and Chaplains.
Church Blessings
Many Churches offer services where animals are blessed. Most notable is the Cathedral of St.John the Divine:
Also, there are many websites dedicated to animal prayers, where users can request for other members to pray for their pets. Click here and here for two examples.
Conclusion
Christianity has clearly undergone a shift in thinking. Animals were primarily regarded as being beneath humanity and this was God's Will. Humans are made in the "Image of God;" animals are not. And God chose to become a human, not an animal.
However, through the centuries, Christians have rejected domination for stewardship, in the sense that human beings are responsible for looking after God's Creatures. Yet, even in this revised model, the onus is on humanity as the pinnacle of creation, humans are to look after animals, not vice-versa.
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