Religion
Related: About this forumIs Religion Good For Your Cat And Dog?
July 1, 2013
A new research project at Oxford will examine whether animals benefit or suffer thanks to religion.
Inspired by Baptist Preacher Charles Spurgeons claim that a person cannot be a true Christian if his dog or cat is not the better off for it, the Centre will explore whether religious traditions are animal-friendly. The questions to be addressed include whether religious people and religious institutions benefit animals? Are they more or less likely to be respectful to animals either those kept as companions or those used for other human purposes?
The project is being organised by the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics. It will be multidisciplinary, multifaith, and draw in not only theologians and religious thinkers, but also other academics including social scientists, psychologists, historians, and criminologists. We want to know whether religion makes any difference for animals, says Oxford theologian, Professor Andrew Linzey, who is Director of the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics. We often hear of how religion is detrimental to human rights, but is it also detrimental to animal protection?
The first stage of the project will culminate in a Summer School on Religion and Animal Protection at St Stephens House, Oxford, from 21-23rd July 2014. St Stephens is an Anglican Theological College and a Hall of the University of Oxford.
http://pressreleases.religionnews.com/2013/07/01/is-religion-good-for-your-cat-and-dof/
http://www.oxfordanimalethics.com/
arcane1
(38,613 posts)rug
(82,333 posts)DesertFlower
(11,649 posts)Arugula Latte
(50,566 posts)I worship more than one kitty. But each one is all-powerful.
[font color="navy" face="Verdana"]I have a whole pantheon of divine kittehs living with me.
okasha
(11,573 posts)regards herself as an avatar of Bastet when in a good mood. When she's irritated, she turns very convincingly into Lady Sekhmet and can swat her 18 lb. brother into abject submission.
Daily offerings of Fancy Feast gain her divine favor.
The Velveteen Ocelot
(115,732 posts)That belief makes it easier to mistreat and kill them.
I think that if people have souls, so do animals.
cbayer
(146,218 posts)NV Whino
(20,886 posts)Never a good time to ask Grumpy Cat's opinion.
cbayer
(146,218 posts)Some religions worship and protect certain animals. Some religions see them as soulless and only on earth for human benefit. Others feel that they have been entrusted with caring for the earth and all animals.
And then there is just the general goodness or badness of individuals when it comes to animals.
Also, what "benefits" an animal. Clearly kicking the dog does not benefit the dog, but is spending your life savings on kidney dialysis for the cat a benefit?
While this could make for a lively and interesting discussion, I don't think any valid conclusions are likely to be drawn for this proposed research.
The Velveteen Ocelot
(115,732 posts)Lordquinton
(7,886 posts)Abrahamic religions certainly not, as they are regarded as property for us to do with as we wish. Eastern religions which are big on vegetarianism are not good for cats, as they are carnivores and will be severely undernourished and sick if tried to be held to a veg diet.
It mostly comes down to the people caring for the animals.
catbyte
(34,402 posts)Last edited Tue Jul 2, 2013, 09:21 AM - Edit history (1)
lmao!
LostOne4Ever
(9,289 posts)And the controversy over Kosher foods, I would say they suffer quite a bit from some religions. But as the article points out that they claim the slaughter method is as humane as possible.
But the practice still sounds cruel to me. Especially if combined with shackling and hoisting. In biology class we used to pith frogs. I think that would be a better way to go about it, but apparently there are health issues associated with it.
I just don't like it.
rug
(82,333 posts)For every wonder in the world there is a corresponding horror.
Pithing is putting a needle through the orbit of the skull into the brainstem of an animal and instantly killing it. It sounds harsh but what it does is instantly makes the animal brain dead before, and so that they are unable to feel pain.
[div class="excerpt" style="background-color:#dcdcdc; padding-bottom:5px; border:1px solid #bfbfbf; border-bottom:none; border-radius:0.4615em 0.4615em 0em 0em; box-shadow:3px 3px 3px #999999;"]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pithing[div class="excerpt" style="background-color:#f0f0f0; border:1px solid #bfbfbf; border-top:none; border-radius:0em 0em 0.4615em 0.4615em; box-shadow:3px 3px 3px #999999;"]Pithing is viewed as a humane way of killing an animal that is going to be slaughtered or destroyed for disease control or humane reasons, for example an animal which is severely injured in an accident.
In animal physiology this was the way we would dissect a frog so that their organs, like the heart, kept on functioning.
rug
(82,333 posts)But now I have visions of brain dead twitching cadavers. Staring at me.
brooklynite
(94,591 posts)...so I'll say "no".