Animals and Religion

Paper Summary:

In this article, the writer compares and contrasts how the different major world religions view animals and notes that these views are varies, as each faith has primary but mostly secondary ideas about the role of humans and the role of animals and the significance of each. The writer then explains that, for the most part, the Judeo-Christian and Islamic faiths tend to believe that animals serve a role of support for humans whereas Hinduism is more responsive and reflective of the primary role of animals in the cosmos. The writer concludes that animals have a place in the hierarchy, that if not equal to humans, is at the very least equivalent to the rest of the natural world, which deserves sanctity and spiritual protection.

From the Paper:

"This new emphasis among these three faiths on reinvesting in old traditions that make animals sacred aspects of the earth, rather than beasts of burden to be used and abused to serve the human purpose is a welcome idea that has been reflected in the ecumenical sense.
"Hinduism on the other hand has a tradition of emphasis on the sacred animal that goes back centuries and has not in many ways been lost, as it has been in these other traditions. One scholar, speaking of the Hindu view of animals make clear that animals have played a significant role in the folklore and imagery of the faith and are often symbolic of broader concepts and ideas. The protection of productive animals is integral to Hinduism as well as a contentious worship of the bhraman, which is bovine and the symbol of the highest ranking cast of the faith."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Chapple, Christopher Key. "Gandhi's Hope: Learning from Other Religions as a Path to Peace." Buddhist-Christian Studies (2006): 237.
• "God and Animals: In Defense of Creation" May 10, 2008 at: <http://www.godandanimals.com/PAGES/religions.html>.
• Marinatos, Nanno. The Goddess and the Warrior: The Naked Goddess and Mistress of Animals in Early Greek Religion. London: Routledge, 2000.
• Setia, Adi. "The Inner Dimension of Going Green: Articulating an Islamic Deep-Ecology." Islam & Science 5.2 (2007): 117.
• Totton, Mary-Louise. "Narrating Animals on the Screen of the World." The Art Bulletin 85.1 (2003): 6.

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