“Cattle Call”

Friday, October 04, 2019

     I teach high school agriculture, and as part of an Animal Science class, we have been discussing animal rights vs. welfare.  I had a student pose a question, and I wasn't sure how to answer.  The question is: is PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) a christian organization or atheist?  This was inspired by referencing animals being used for sacrifice and also being told which animals are clean/unclean, etc.  The Bible does show use of animals, and I was curious as well what stand a christian should have toward an organization such as PETA.  I hope this makes sense.

Sincerely,
PETA Pondering

Dear PETA Pondering,

PETA is definitely not a Christian organization.  PETA believes that animals deserve the same level of care and respect as humans.  Though humans have the responsibility to keep and protect the Earth (Gen 2:15), we are also given dominion over it (Gen 1:28).  Animals and humans may share some similarities between their physical bodies – but humans have eternal souls.  The key verse to understanding this topic is Eccl 3:21.  Human spirits are made in the image of God (Gen 1:26), unlike animals.  When people die, our souls go to God and await the Judgment (Heb 9:27).  When animals die, they simply cease to exist.

The difference between humans and animals can only be appreciated through God’s Word.  Without the insight that the Bible gives us into the Creation, we would never know that there is a difference in value between a human and a cow.  Human life has value above and beyond animal life because God says so.  Without God’s Word, we’d never know.

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