According to a recent book by a professor at the University of Colorado, animals have a sense of morality just as humans do. In essence, the book says that “different species of animals appear to have an innate sense of fairness, display empathy and help other animals that are in distress.”
The book is newsworthy not merely because it contradicts the age-old assumption that only humans can tell right from wrong, but also because it lays the ethical groundwork for extending human rights to animals. The U.K.’s Telegraph newspaper reports it this way: “His conclusions will provide ammunition for animal welfare groups pushing to have animals treated more humanely.”
I don’t think anyone has a problem with treating animals humanely. There is biblical warrant for doing just that (Proverbs 12:10). The problem comes, however, when people began to treat animals as if they were human. The biblical precedent for this is not one to be emulated (Jonah 3:7; 4:11).
The Bible teaches that human beings alone bear the dignity of being created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27; 5:1; 9:6). Thus the sanctity of human life cannot be gainsaid by any study that would suggest otherwise.
2 Comments
Nathan
Here is a good example of this mentality. NOTE: I am not advocating the following person’s actions, I am merely pointing out the inconsistency of the current age in placing value on animals above humans.
Michael Vick has just been released from prison after serving his time for the dog fighting issues he pleaded guilty to. He killed dogs that would not fight or dogs he did not want. This is a heinous crime as far as I’m concerned as my father raised dogs and I have a love for them.
Since his release all the media buzz has been whether Vick should be allowed to play in the NFL again. His crime was not committed against the NFL so there aren’t any issues other than the NFL’s “perception” among the Animal-rights groups. The NFL commissioner has yet to rule on whether Vick will be allowed back in the league stating that Vick must display appropriate remorsefulnes, etc.
What I find enormously hypocritical is that there are multiple men playing in the NFL who have killed humans. They did this while driving intoxicated and yet served no prison time and suffered little, if any, punishments from the NFL. Furthermore, some of these men have been arrested again for DUI and the Commissioner did not punish them, nor did the courts, even though they had a previous vehicular homocide on their record/
The NFL is buying into this argument and is currently displaying the same elevation of Animals over the value of humans. How else do you explain Vick getting the cold shoulder while millionaires who refuse to call a limo drive drunk and kill humans.
Brian Krieger
Given that the evolutionary view has soup->bacteria->monkeys->humans, shouldn’t the slogan be “People are animals, too”? Or “Amphibians are bacteria, too”? Or…..
And I think you’re spot on, Nathan.