4. The biblical dominion argument allows us to use animals as we wish: false
The origin of the infamous dominion argument comes from Genesis 1:28: "And God blessed them, and God said unto them, be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth on earth." The very next verse, however, is the true indicator of how God meant "dominion" to be carried out. Genesis 1:29: "And God (speaking directly to Man) said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat." In Genesis 1:30, God gives instructions directly to the animals, telling them they are to be vegetarians: "And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to everything that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat and it was so."
God's original intent was clear...human and non-human were to live as peace-loving vegetarians. "Dominion", as intended by God, meant responsible stewardship, not the domination, abuse and murder of his creations!
Please consider the true meaning of the following scriptures:
Psalm 145:9: "The Lord is good to all; He has compassion on all He has made."
Luke 3:6: "...all flesh (animals included) shall see the salvation of God."
It's also clear that our Creator doesn't condone cruelty to animals in any way. The 6th Commandment, "Thou shalt not kill", could have been written, "Thou shalt not kill thy fellow man." Instead, it was all inclusive, highlighting the sanctity of life no matter what the species. The following scripture places into perspective the false hierarchy born of human pride: "...yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast; for all is vanity...." (Ecclesiastes 3:19-21).
Compassion concerning animals is not limited to Christianity – in fact, the roots of universal kindness are a powerful, abiding force in many major religious and spiritual teachings today. It is incumbent upon all who dwell upon this earth and profess a belief in our Creator to understand the message and to live according to what is expected of them. Judaism, for example, encompasses animals as crucial beings within God's creation, and humans are expected to demonstrate special responsibility over them. The Jewish tradition clearly forbids animal cruelty. Causing "pain to any living creature" is not acceptable, according to writings in the Torah.
Islam's revered prophet, Mohammed, was an outspoken advocate of compassion toward animals. One of his many insights included, "Whoever is kind to the creatures of God is kind to himself." We can also find similar beliefs in Buddhism, as illustrated by the following verse:
"All living things fear being beaten with clubs.
All living things fear being put to death.
Putting oneself in the place of the other,
Let no one kill nor cause another to kill."
--Dhammapada verse no. 129
Further, from The Laws of Manu, V. 45-52 (Hinduism) comes this piece of wisdom: "Meat cannot be obtained without injury to animals, and the slaughter of animals obstructs the way to Heaven; let him therefore shun the use of meat."
It is clear that compassion and respect for others are part of a universal code of ethics that will be understood by those pure of heart and spirit. Indeed, in a future time "...the wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock...they shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain..." (Isaiah 65:25). And what about the problem of human violence? "...they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks..." (Micah 4:3-4).
Meat, leather, and fur will fade into history as surely as warfare of any kind will cease to plague our world. Rising out of the ashes will be a "new heaven and a new earth", and peace for all living beings will prevail.
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