Animal Rights

What rights do animals have?

Some questions I'd like to see discussed here are:

~Is it okay to make animals work for us?
~Is it okay to cull animals to make living better or so we can settle in their land?
~Is it okay to torture or kill animals for the fun of it?

OK, I feel rather strongly about animal rights. :)

Yes, I believe that it is alright to have animals work for us such as pulling a buggy or cultivating crops as long as we feed them adequately and treat them gently.

NO! I believe that it is NEVER correct to hurt an animal for fun! Ever. In the third world country that I am living in now there are a lot of starving animals.

Consider…

"Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God?" Luke 12:6

" I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are mine." Psalm 50:11

Jesus rode on a donkey foal, and there are innumerable times in the Bible where animals have worked for man, and it was acceptable by both God and man. "Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; *have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth*.”" - Genesis 1:28

Ruthlessly slaughtering animals to populate the area without giving them a place to go is not "tending the garden" nor being good stewards of God's creation. If the culling is to build a hospital in a remote area where it would benefit people, then I consider it acceptable.

Torturing animals is in every was unacceptable; J, that was excellent Bible support; I need not add anything to it.

Domesticating animals to work for us is part of taking dominion. It may depend on the type of work, though. Using, for example, a sheep to do an ox's work would be abusive to the sheep, and not a conducive environment for it. As stewards of God's creation, we should do as much as possible to make the world a good place for us and the animals.

Should we kill animals? If the need arises, yes. For food, for clothing, for tools, or whatever, I would agree that it is allowable (and even encouraged) by the Bible for us to kill animals when necessary. Not whenever though. I believe that "sport hunting", killing animals when you don't need the meat or even intend to harvest it, is a waste.

This ties into the second point, and the answer is a resounding "NO!". You can't take care of a garden by burning the fruit, nor can you steward the ecosystem as given us by God if you are twisting and destroying what He's given you. Torturing animals, or forcing them to attack and kill each other is wrong.

I believe that trying to protect the environment is a good thing, but that it becomes an end in and of itself for so many people nowadays, that the true meaning is distorted under the propaganda and lies. Should we control where we build ? Yes. Before building, I believe that taking the area in question into account would be a good and fair decision. But, we should not put the welfare of animals before the welfare of humans. But…I said welfare, not want. If an area is good for oil drilling, but drilling there would be destructive to the ecosystem there, perhaps you should try somewhere else. But at the same time, if you can drill there, make it safe, and if there are enough animals in the region that our operation would not significantly hurt the environment, I'd say that it should be fine to drill there.

It's an intriguing topic to think about. :)

What if what you are doing isn't for the sake of torturing the animals? Sport fishing, you don't kill the fish, but I guess that the hook in the mouth is quite painful.

What if what you are doing isn't for the sake of torturing the animals? Sport fishing, you don't kill the fish, but I guess that the hook in the mouth is quite painful.

I don't know if it is, actually…

1. Proverbs 12:10 The righteous care for the needs of their animals, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.

I have to say No. However what if I get pleasure out of fishing… well lets turn the tables. I'm standing in a field of starving wolves what rights do I have?
what most of us call fishing is not considered torture because the fish cant feel the hooks (in they'er mouths).

In most states you are not permitted to: http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/fisheries/recreational/regulations/fw/illegal

dose it seem like fish have "rights" to you? or are these laws just telling us what we know is a right way to treat what God has given us?

In a field of starving wolves, you have a right to defend yourself from death, even if it is torturous to the wolves; because your life is more important than theirs–and even if it wasn't, welcome to nature.

As for fish, it helps to know that they can't feel it.

It's okay to use animals for work in some cases… e.g. riding horses, police dogs, milk cows, etc. But it is NOT okay to be cruel to them in the process - e.g. dog fighting or the nineteenth-century way they treated fancy horses by forcing their heads up all day long!

As far as killing animals, I think it's fine, as long as the animal is killed quickly, not made to suffer if it can be helped. Like butchering animals on a farm, or hunting/fishing. I just took a hunting class and they stressed the importance of making a clean shot - not having to shoot three or four times to kill the deer, or whatever you're hunting.

And for sport… I love watching rodeos! I've never been to one in person, but I love watching them on TV when I can. The animals aren't harmed, other than getting them worked up for a little while, but that doesn't hurt them in the long run. But dog fighting, where they pit a dog against a dog - or a dog against some other creature - that's cruel. Because one of the dogs is going to get hurt. (I don't think it's legal most places anymore, anyway.)

(That was kind of long-winded… :P)

It's okay to use animals for work in some cases... e.g. riding horses, police dogs, milk cows, etc. But it is NOT okay to be cruel to them in the process - e.g. dog fighting or the nineteenth-century way they treated fancy horses by forcing their heads up all day long! As far as killing animals, I think it's fine, as long as the animal is killed quickly, not made to suffer if it can be helped. Like butchering animals on a farm, or hunting/fishing. I just took a hunting class and they stressed the importance of making a clean shot - not having to shoot three or four times to kill the deer, or whatever you're hunting. And for sport... I love watching rodeos! I've never been to one in person, but I love watching them on TV when I can. The animals aren't harmed, other than getting them worked up for a little while, but that doesn't hurt them in the long run. But dog fighting, where they pit a dog against a dog - or a dog against some other creature - that's cruel. Because one of the dogs *is* going to get hurt. (I don't think it's legal most places anymore, anyway.) (That was kind of long-winded... :P)

I agree with your post. Do you think its OK to hunt for the fun of it?

Do you think its OK to hunt for the fun of it?

If having fun is the ONLY reason you're doing it and nothing else profitable is being accomplished, then no; that's bad stewardship. I hunt because it's fun, but also because I get meat out of it. remembers the delicious oven-fried squirrel (not kidding)

Well, if you eat the squirrel that's OK in my opinion! If your just doing it for "fun" and to display the animal or to brag on how many you've killed I think that is definitely NOT OK.

The Bible is clear that we have dominion over the earth (including animals), but abusing that dominion, like killing or hurting an animal just for fun, is wrong.

But I'd be lying if I said I don't enjoy a good burger ;).

In my class that I'm taking right now, my professor was talking about how animals are sometimes killed or in some way harmed in order to help scientists study the brain. There is a big emphasis on making sure the animals do not suffer pain in the process, even though the animals are often killed. What do y'all think about that? It seems good to me, because it has aided a lot in finding things to help people deal with illnesses relating to the brain.

we as humans have dominion.

^and responsibility^