Do animals have equal rights in the religions?

Question

If man is at the centre of the scriptures, is this a poor deal for all the rest of the Worlds animals? Do slugs/snails go to heaven and experience paradise if they are good?

Answer 1

In the Taoist religion small animals are treated with the highest esteem. See the Te of Piglet by Benjamin Hoff for a good reference. Insects are not considered animals but they have a half-life, in other words the magic of the planet is the only thing keeping them alive.

Answer 2

Everyone always looks at Christianity and Islam...so here's an alternate perspective.

ANCIENT EGYPTIAN

Animal cruelty is prohibited
When Ptah, the creator God of Memphis brought life into being by his spoken word, all creatures were manifestation of the divine, projections of Ptah
Many Gods took the form of animals such as Thoth (baboon), Tauret (Hippo) and Sebek (crocodile) etc
The list of sacred animals was extensive (vultures, hawks, swallows, turtles, scorpions, serpents etc)
Animals can be eaten but they must be respected


BUDDHISM

The core moral values of Buddhism include the following

Abstention from killing and hurting living creatures

Condemn animal sacrifice and hunting
They imply that the compassionate person tends to vegetarianism. This is left more open as Buddha did not forbid the monks that were begging on the street from taking meat as it had not been killed specially for them

Abstention from stealing
Abstention from the wrong indulgence in sensual pleasures
Abstention from lying
Abstention from intoxicants


CHINESE

The cosmos assigns no special significance to the life or death of the human species
When it comes to natural things, none are more superior to the other. All the points of view about shi-fei are equal from the point of view of heaven/reality
Humans and animals therefore have the same status


JAINA ETHICS

Jaina ethics involves the observance of a list of vows
It is important that the motive behind these vows is to avoid harm to oneself as this hinders the development of the soul

Ahimsa
Satya (being truthful)
Asteya (not taking what is not yours)
Brahmacharya (exercising sexual continence)
Aprigrapha (non- possessiveness)

Ahimsa refers to the non-injury/harm of sentient beings
When referring to sentient being, they refer to all life
The restraints involve rigid dietary habits, rules against abuse and ill treatment such as beatings, branding, food deprivation, loss of dignity etc. Eating meat is strictly forbidden

Answer 3

it depends on the religion. because buddhists believe in reincarnation they treat all animals with respect because they could come back as any form of creature in there next reincarnation. the jewish and islamic faiths can at times seem worse for other animals particularly in food preperation. christian is more neutral it doesnt encourage cruelty but it doesnt as such try to stop it. for some reason far eastern religions tend to treat animals better then western and middle eastern ones i dont really know why.

Answer 4

Man himself being a kind of animal, has many things in common with other animals. At the same time he has many dissimilarities which distinguish him from other animals and make him superior to them.

The main and basic features distinguishing man from other living beings, on which his humanity depends and which constitute the source of what is known as human culture, pertain to two spheres: attitudes and inclinations.

Generally speaking the animals are endowed with a quality of perceiving and knowing themselves and the outer world, and in the light of this knowledge they strive to secure what they want and desire.

Like other animals man also has many wants and desires and in the light of what he knows and understands, he makes efforts to secure and realize them. Man differs from other living beings in that he knows more, understands better and his wants and desires are of a higher level.

This characteristic of man distinguishes him from all other animals and makes him superior to them.



Awareness and Desire in Animals

An animal knows the world through its external senses only. That is why, firstly, its knowledge is superficial and seeming. It does not penetrate the things and has no access to their internal relations. Secondly, it is partial and particular, and is neither universal nor general. Thirdly, it is regional, for it is confined to the living environment of the animal, and does not go beyond that. Fourthly, it is limited to the present and is unconcerned with the past and the future. As animal is not aware of its own or world's history, it neither thinks of the future nor does it plan for it.

From the viewpoint of knowledge, an animal cannot come out of the framework of the exteriors, the particularity, the living environment and the present time. It never escapes from these four prisons. If by chance it does, it does so instinctively and unconsciously, and not by its own choice and will.

Like the range of its knowledge, the level of the wants and the desires of an animal also has a limited scope. Firstly, all its desires are material and do not go beyond the limits of eating, drinking, sleeping, playing, mating and building a home or a nest. For an animal there is no question of any spiritual needs, moral values etc. Secondly, all its desires are personal and individualistic, pertaining to the animal itself or, at the most, to its mate and the young ones. Thirdly, they are regional related to its living environment only. Fourthly, they are instantaneous, pertaining to the present time.

In other words, the dimension of the desires and inclinations of an animal's existence has the same limitations as the dimension of its perceptive existence. From this point of view also, an animal has to live within specific limitations.

If an animal pursues an objective which is outside these limitations and which, for an example, pertains to its species in general and not to one individual or pertains to the future and not to the present, as is observed in the case of certain gregarious animals like bees, it does so unconsciously, instinctively and by the direct order of the power which has created it and which manages the whole world.

Answer 5

According to some they can't go to heaven because they don't have a soul!
Man is an animal like any other, he just likes to think that he's above that!

Answer 6

Are you kidding?

Muslims believe that cows, lambs and other animals should be killed by cutting their throats even though killing them first through electrocution is easy - they are inhumane monsters to a man.

Their anti-animal, anti-freewill, anti-human religion is a frightening relic of a savage and primitive time. Its sad that so few people are able to break out of it themselves - but if the punishment is death you can understand. That being the case, how many intelligent muslims in countries like Saudi Arabia only pretend to believe?

The bible basically says all animals are here for our sake - medieval clerics said that cows were only given life to 'keep the meat fresh for when we would had need of it'

Answer 7

Hi Pig in a ---- Glad you asked this question -- Our Local Vicar is a Goat -- Married to an old Donkey ---- Hope this Helps you ???? Good Luck

Answer 8

in most pagan religions animals are just as important as people.

Answer 9

In islam they probably have more rights than women.

Answer 10

well the cow is sacred to hindus who says which scriptures are right or are they all right ?