For 
most of history Christians largely ignored animal suffering. Christian thinkers believed that human beings were greatly superior to animals. They taught that human beings could treat animals as badly as they wanted to because people had few (if any) moral obligations towards animals. Some of this thinking was based on a misinterpretation of God’s command to ‘subdue creation’ in Genesis.
Some New Insights for Christians and Animals
Modern Christians generally take a much more pro-animal line. They think that any unnecessary mistreatment of animals is both sinful and morally wrong. Dawn French as the Vicar of Dibley, holding a lamb, ‘confirms’ that the role of ‘subduing’ is really rather better translated as being a steward of creation.
Here are some of the Animal-Friendly Ideas that Modern Christians use when thinking about Animals:
The Bible shows that God made his covenant with animals as well as human beings. Human and non-human animals have the same origin in God. St Francis of Assisi said that animals “had the same source as himself”. In God’s ideal world human beings live in harmony with animals. The Garden of Eden, in which human beings lived in peace and harmony with animals, demonstrates God’s ideal world, and the state of affairs that human beings should work towards. The prophet Isaiah describes the Kingdom of Heaven as a place where animals and human beings live together in peace. God has the right to have everything he created treated respectfully – wronging animals is wronging God.
Christ and Animals
Inflicting pain on any living creature is incompatible with living in a Christ-like way. Animals are weak compared to us – Christ tells us to be kind to them. Jesus told human beings to be kind to the weak and helpless; in comparison to human beings, animals are often weak and helpless and Christians should therefore show compassion to animals. To love those who cannot love you in the same way is a unique way of acting with generous love.
“If you love them that love you, what reward have you?” Jesus teaches in St Matthew’s gospel.
Bernhard Schunemann (based on the theological thinking of Andrew Linzay)
22 January 2017
