Q: I am a non-practicing theist with an interest in Christianity, but I am very put off by my experiences with other Christians based on what I perceive to be dismissive or cruel attitudes that some Christians and other religious people have toward animals. For context, I am a strict vegan, and I believe that killing animals in situations where it is unnecessary is morally wrong. I am disgusted by the practice of factory farming and when I ask others why they do not feel sympathy for those animals or animals in general, I often hear that “animals do not have souls” or that “God put animals on earth for us to eat,” which is something that I unequivocally refuse to believe. Does the Bible or current doctrine say anything about our moral obligation toward animals or provide reasoning behind the suffering that they experience in nature? I do not want to come off as naive, but based on what I understand, many of the moral lessons provided by the New Testament and the relationship between suffering and God only seem sensible to me if you interpret them from an anthropocentric viewpoint. Thank you for your time. — Yohan
Answered by Fr. Edward McIlmail, LC:
A: The Catholic Church recognizes that God has given us the world and its animals and plants, in part, to sustain us.
It teaches that cruelty to animals is to be avoided, however, and that there should be balanced use of things in the world.
A few passages from the Catechism of the Catholic Church are worth quoting here:
Respect for the integrity of creation
2415 The seventh commandment enjoins respect for the integrity of creation. Animals, like plants and inanimate beings, are by nature destined for the common good of past, present, and future humanity. Use of the mineral, vegetable, and animal resources of the universe cannot be divorced from respect for moral imperatives. Man’s dominion over inanimate and other living beings granted by the Creator is not absolute; it is limited by concern for the quality of life of his neighbor, including generations to come; it requires a religious respect for the integrity of creation.
2416 Animals are God’s creatures. He surrounds them with his providential care. By their mere existence they bless him and give him glory. Thus men owe them kindness. We should recall the gentleness with which saints like St. Francis of Assisi or St. Philip Neri treated animals.
2417 God entrusted animals to the stewardship of those whom he created in his own image. Hence it is legitimate to use animals for food and clothing. They may be domesticated to help man in his work and leisure. Medical and scientific experimentation on animals is a morally acceptable practice, if it remains within reasonable limits and contributes to caring for or saving human lives.
2418 It is contrary to human dignity to cause animals to suffer or die needlessly. It is likewise unworthy to spend money on them that should as a priority go to the relief of human misery. One can love animals; one should not direct to them the affection due only to persons. [end quoted material]
As for the suffering that animals endure in nature: This is a bit of a complicated question since part of the pain is simply a part of natural cycles and the way an environment works. Some animals eat other animals to sustain themselves.
Then there is the pain inflicted unnecessarily by man. This can be linked to original sin — the damaged nature we inherit from Adam. But that’s another topic altogether.
The Church also teaches, as mentioned in the first chapter of Genesis, that man is made in God’s image. Animals reflect something of God’s creative glory, but they don’t have intellects or wills or immortal souls and hence aren’t on the level as humans.
God built a hierarchy of creatures in the world. It’s part of the way he revealed his glory. But that, too, is another topic altogether.
For related reading, see this Catholic Answers post.
I hope some of this helps. Count on my prayers.
