What Rights Do Animals Have?
Photo by adam morse on Unsplash
“Whoever is righteous has regard for the life of his beast,
but the mercy of the wicked is cruel.”
Animals are great. All of them are fascinating, some of them are beautiful, a few of them make wonderful pets, and several of them are delicious. But recently, ethicists and activists have been debating whether animals do or should have personal rights. People have been asking hard questions like:
• Is it ok to perform dangerous experiments on chimpanzees if it might provide medical benefits for humans?
• Is it moral to keep large, intelligent creatures like orcas in captivity so they can entertain people?
• Should we destroy habitats of endangered species to feed starving people?
• Should there be laws against keeping undomesticated animals as exotic pets?
• Are factory farms inhumane?
• Should we give animals more rights? If so, which ones?
There are many moral questions surrounding the relationship between people and animals.
What does the Bible say?
The Bible mentions animals frequently, which isn’t surprising; it was written in a culture where people relied daily on animals to meet their needs, and lived with animals constantly. In scripture, animals are sacrifices, food, metaphors, vehicles, and, in the case of Balaam’s ass, prophets.
The first chapters of Genesis are rich with theology pertaining to animals. Here we read that God created all animals and called them good (though I still suspect that spiders are a result of the Fall). Then, God delegated authority over the animals to mankind, first by inviting Adam to name all of the creatures, and then by charging Adam and Eve to practice stewardship over all the Earth.
The scriptures thus establish a hierarchy of life: God, then humans, then animals (and presumably plants). This is not a license for humans to use animals destructively, but a nurturing responsibility for our fellow creatures.
Adam didn’t name the animals based only on their use for him, or we’d just call cows “walking steaks” or chickens “pre-cooked rotisseries.” Animals have value in and of themselves, so even though we are at the top of the food chain, we have a responsibility to make sure animals have as little pain and as much pleasure as reasonably possible as long as they live, and to make sure they die as humanely as possible when we do use them for food and other things.
The verse from Proverbs above makes it clear that how a person treats animals is a reflection of that person’s heart toward God, righteous people care about animal welfare. Jesus said that God knows when every sparrow dies (Matthew 10:29). Though God has made mankind in His own image, He has not forgotten the other creatures.
C. S. Lewis wrote a fascinating chapter in his book The Problem of Pain (1940) about animal suffering. He argues:
“The problem of animal suffering is appalling…because the Christian explanation of human pain cannot be extended to animal pain. So far as we know beasts are incapable either of sin or virtue: therefore they can neither deserve pain nor be improved by it.”
(page 132)
And in his essay “Vivisection,” Lewis points out the dangers of performing painful experiments on animals, especially in a secular society:
“Once the old Christian idea of a total difference in kind between man and beast has been abandoned, then no argument for experiments on animals can be found which is not also an argument for experiments on inferior men.”
“In justifying cruelty to animals we put ourselves also on the animal level. We choose the jungle and must abide by our choice.”
(from God in the Dock)
Animals suffer because of other animals and natural causes. And animals must sometimes die in order for humans to flourish. But if animals suffer because humans mistreat them or neglect their welfare, then we are demonstrating that we do not care about the things God has made. Insulting God, in this way or any other, is unwise.
That doesn't mean we shouldn't use animals for our benefit. But it means we must be wise about what we do and examine our motives. If an experiment is going to cause an animal to suffer (one that's sentient; insects and spiders and perhaps fish don't seem to have any consciousness to speak of), then justice demands the experiment be justified by real benefits to human beings, and the suffering should be minimized as much as reasonably possible. And it makes sense that the higher you go on the scale of intelligence and awareness, the fewer things can justify the suffering of an animal. Many labs now refuse to do testing on apes and monkeys for that reason.
Christians and Animal Welfare
Christian efforts to reduce animal suffering have been patchy at best, for several reasons. First, even many believers who love animals see this as a secondary issue. When there are starving children in the world, it can be difficult to justify focusing on dogs, horses, or cows. Also, while people can come to saving faith in Jesus and inherit eternal life, the eternal destiny of animals is less clear. (Some say they have no soul, so they simply cease to exist when they die, others say that animals can continue in some state. I don’t really know, but I really hope there are dairy cows in Heaven, so there can be ice cream.)
The answer to these concerns, I believe, is to remember that there are many different roles in the Body of Christ, so the people of God can champion each thing that is important to God. Genesis 1-3, Proverbs 12, and Matthew 10 say that God cares about animals. So it is reasonable to assume that He will use people in His Church to look after the things He cares about.
Many Christians are frustrated by animal activists, many of whom deny the special place of mankind in creation. Some people, such as Moral Philosopher Peter Singer at Princeton, say that human rights and animal rights are on the same level because humans are just especially complex animals. But Singer is an extreme example; he also argues that infanticide and killing people with a "poor quality of life" are moral acts.
While most people wouldn't go that far, there are animal rights activists who would agree with Dr. Singer's premise: that because humans are just really smart animals, we don't have any special claim on the land or resources of the world, and we ought to step back into our place in the great web of life. Most Christians look at this suggestion as dippy hippy stuff, and for good reason. G. K. Chesterton made a forceful case for the specialness of mankind in his masterpiece, The Everlasting Man (1925). We are much more than animals; though we share the same biological material, biology is only one part of what it means to be human, and we appear to be unique in creation.
We are more than animals, and we are in a position of authority and stewardship over our fellow creatures. That gives us certain rights (like the right to eat animals), and it gives us certain responsibilities (to treat animals humanely). And if animals don't have eternal souls, we are especially burdened to make sure their earthly lives are as good as possible, because they will not find justice in Heaven.
Pets
We are responsible for our pets. We needn't pamper them, or treat them better than children (even if they behave better than children). But we should respect their animal natures and allow them the freedom to be a little wild. Dogs should be able to run. Cats should be able to explore. Fish should be able to do whatever fish do. And perhaps we should think twice about keeping birds in cages (as one comic put it, "bird owners love birds so much, they take away the best thing about them”).
Food
“Eating is an agricultural act.”
We are also responsible for our food. In today's marketplace, we have more opportunities than ever to vote with our wallets at the grocery store or farmer's market. We can buy organic, all-natural, grass-fed, hormone-free, free-range, and other thoughtful options. And as the options grow, prices are falling, and we have more opportunities to buy local and natural foods than our parents could have dreamed of. I don't know if every Christian is morally bound to purchase free-range chickens or grass-finished beef (humane meat is still pricey), but I do think we ought to put more thought into our food, now that it’s easy to know what goes on at factory farms.
Wildlife
“So, my tactic with conservation of apex predators is to get people excited and take them to where they live.”
We are responsible for wild animals. Obviously, we can't keep wild animals from suffering or being eaten by other wild animals. Nature is unfortunately cruel, and pain and death are part of her rhythms. But we can make sure that we respect the delicate balance of ecology and do our best not to disrupt it.
We must be humble enough to admit that we don't fully understand any natural system (they're far too complicated), and we must do our best to minimize and mitigate the changes we inevitably make to the natural world. That means protecting endangered animals, plants, and ecosystems. It means not overfishing or over-hunting. And it means creating space for nature to be nature, being wise about how and where we build civilization.
Zoos
“Zoos have gone from being unimaginative menageries of animal curiosities to what the AZA-accredited zoos are today—fun, clean, parks filled with amazing animals that are well-cared for and healthy.”
We are responsible for captive animals. Animals in zoos and aquariums are valuable for education and raising awareness about animals in the wild. You can watch a dozen National Geographic documentaries about tigers, but when you stand in a zoo, just feet away from a full-grown tiger and separated by only a pane of glass or some bars, you really begin to understand how awesome they are.
Zoos increase our knowledge about the animal kingdom and help people to care enough to protect animals. But, of course, there is a downside. Every animal that is in a zoo is not running free and living out it's full, God-given animal nature. Some people are opposed to zoos altogether. Others think that since animals don't have the same intelligence and emotions as people, what we do to them in zoos doesn't really matter.
A prudent approach would be to recognize the tremendous value of zoos, for the public and for conservation, but to expect that they are run well, with plenty of room and food for animals, as natural an environment as can be provided, and opportunities for them to act on their instincts in ways that are suited to their species. I have seen zoos that were heartbreakingly depressing, small, and ugly, and I have seen zoos with large enclosures, great care, and healthy animals. There is a right way and a wrong way to care for captive animals, and Christians should be in the fight to see things done the right way.
Stewardship of Creatures
What, exactly goes on in the mind of a dolphin, or giraffe, or two-hundred-year-old tortoise, or cockroach? I have no idea. But I do know that we are responsible for being good caretakers of the creatures of the world, and we will have to give an account to God for how we steward that responsibility. We will surely often fail, so we should pray for grace. But that doesn't mean we shouldn’t try our best to be good stewards of the Earth and the creatures on it. We owe as much to God, who made us and loves us, and counts the sparrows as they fly (Matthew 10:29).