Didn’t God give humans dominion over other animals?
According to Genesis 1:26, yes:
26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
(Source: Genesis, scripturetext.com)
Humans were given dominion over animals in Genesis Chapter 1 verse 26. There is no where in the bible that says it is ok to abuse or treat animals as insignificant life forms. Parents have dominion over their children, but it does not mean the children are treated as lesser beings of inferior worth or meaning. Dominion does not imply tyrannical rule.
A. It’s hard to imagine the divinity of any religion condoning the misery we cause animals. We deny the animals we raise for food everything that is natural to them. Most have little freedom of movement and are confined in spaces so small they can’t even turn around, let alone access sunlight and fresh air, or socialize normally. They are tormented in ways that would horrify any humane person, and almost always for purposes that are unnecessary. Most religious and spiritual people agree animal cruelty is immoral. If we agree that God is against animal cruelty, then we should end our support of industries that mistreat animals for profit.
A. Its hard to imagine the divinity of any religion condoning the misery we cause animals. We deny the animals we raise for food everything that is natural to them. Most have little freedom of movement and are confined in spaces so small they cant even turn around, let alone access sunlight and fresh air, or socialize normally. They are tormented in ways that would horrify any humane person, and almost always for purposes that are unnecessary. Most religious and spiritual people agree animal cruelty is immoral. If we agree that God is against animal cruelty, then we should end our support of industries that mistreat animals for profit.  Animals forced to perform for human “entertainment” suffer both physical and psychological abuse, such as beatings, food depravation, and even electrocution.
Related Questions
- Yes, but didn God give humans dominion over all the other animals? If so, whats wrong with raising them for food and killing them as long as we treat them humanely while they e still alive?
- The Bible says that God gave man dominion over the world. Does that mean that humans can exploit the world or does it convey the idea of responsible stewardship?
- Didn’t God give humans dominion over other animals?
