Religion and Animal Rights

Question 1

How humans use animals to help them (4)

Answer 1

1. As work animals – horses/cows pulling carts; blind dogs
2. For sport and entertainment – horse racing; bullfighting; dog fighting
3. For meat and food – beef; pork; milk; eggs
4. For clothes and other materials – fur; leather; glue

Question 2

How humans exploit animals (4)

Answer 2

1. Exploit can mean ‘use unfairly’; depends what you think is unfair but most believe that…
2. Killing elephants for ivory is bad
3. Killing animals for fur is bad
4. Often it is considered unfair because it unnecessary

Question 3

How humans and animals differ – the status of each (4)

Answer 3

1. (Abrahamic faiths) Humans were created in the image of God (not animals)
2. (Hinduism) all things have a soul
3. Humans can self-reflect, and invent things e.g. computers, complex language systems etc.
4. Animals make decisions based on their instinct to survive, eat and reproduce

Question 4

Religious attitudes to animal rights (4)

Answer 4

1. (Abrahamic faiths – esp. Genesis) humans have a duty to look after animals (stewardship)
2. (Abrahamic faiths) humans were given dominion (power) over animals.
3. (Hinduism) All things have souls and ought to be respected
4. All religions accept that when we kill an animal, that we have made a sacrifice of its life – Kosher and Halal meat

Question 5

Religious attitudes to slaughter methods, to meat eating, and about any food rules (4)

Answer 5

1. Hindus don’t tend to eat meat because animals have souls. (ahimsa – no harm)
2. Jews and Muslims have special rules about how animals must be killed (Kosher and halal) – blood (life) must be drained from them.
3. Jews have many rules (Kashrut) to observe about food . Pigs are considered unclean (because they didn’t fit into the ancient categories of animals)
4. Christians can eat any meat.

Question 6

Religious attitudes to animal experimentation (5)

Answer 6

1. Could be seen as ‘playing god’
2. But if God has given us the power to help then we should
3. If other humans can be helped then perhaps it is a good thing (if you believe animals are less important)
4. Many people are against it because animals should not be treated unfairly
5. It depends what it is for – if it is for make-up then it is bad; if it is for cancer drugs perhaps it is ok.

Question 7

Religious attitudes to zoos, including their role in conservation of species (4)

Answer 7

1. Zoos can be cruel if they don’t give the animals appropriate resources and if they are just for the amusement of humans
2. They can help to conserve species and then release them back into the wild
3. Assisi Declarations 1986 (leaders of 6 main religions got together and made statements about how people should act responsibly for the welfare of the Earth, including animals) and Ohito declarations 1995
4. Wildlife charities – WWF/RSPCA

Question 8

Religious attitudes to uses of animals in sport, including hunting, bull fighting and racing

Answer 8

1. Islam teaches that working animals must not be beaten or overworked. They must be well fed and watered
2. Hindus regard the cow as sacred (gives life by providing milk, fuel i.e. dung for heating and a means of transport
3. Buddhists/Hindus forbid hunting as they think it is cruel, unnecessary and abuses living creatures
4. They should not be mistreated just for the amusement of humans

Question 9

Religious attitudes to farming, including factory farming

Answer 9

1. Battery farming is bad – animals (especially chickens) kept in tiny cages, unable to move and in the dark
2. Genetically modifying animals to produce meat can be bad because there are often side-effects of genetic modification and inbreeding
3. Farming can be seen as ok if the animals are well looked after before they are killed
4. Nowadays, some people think that people don’t appreciate the sacrifice of the animal because the meat doesn’t look like animals.

Question 10

The ‘rights and wrongs’ of each of the ways humans use animals (5)

Answer 10

1. Some Christians believe hunting is justified as God told humans to bring animals under control
2. Some people say rabbits/foxes and deers are pests to farmers and that the countryside needs management
3. For Buddhists, animals are part of the cycle of birth, death, rebirth and non-violence should be shown to them
4. Hindus regard the cow as sacred (gives life by providing milk, fuel i.e. dung for heating and a means of transport
5. Most support the use of animals for therapeutic (helpful to healing) reasons e.g. the sick, the blind and the elderly etc.