ANIMALS, ANIMAL SUFFERING, AND THE FUTURE:
TWO CONTRASTING VIEWS—CHRISTIANITY AND ATHEISM/AGNOSTICISM
How do we think about animals? What about animal suffering? What about the future? The following is a contrast between a Christian worldview and a secular worldview, namely that of atheism or agnosticism.
CHRISTIANITY: God is real and exists and has revealed Himself through Creation, on our conscience, and through the Bible. There is only one true God—the triune God of the Bible.
ATHEISM: There is no God or gods in all of existence nor is there is any supernatural. Darwin was right, apes are our ancestors, and there is no heaven or hell. Religious belief is unjustified and to be rejected.
AGNOSTICISM: We do not know if God exists or does not exist, nor is there any way for us to know. We are in the dark about the afterlife and questions of ultimate reality (‘Who is God? Why is there something rather than nothing? What is the purpose of life?’).
*NOTE: For what follows, I will contrast the Christian worldview with a secular atheist/agnostic worldview, assuming that both atheism and agnosticism reject the authority of the Bible and generally accept Darwinian evolutionary view of animals and history, though I know there are differences and distinctions between atheism and agnosticism.
What are ANIMALS?
CHRISTIANITY: Animals are the good creation of a good God who designed and created them for His glory (Gen 1). God cares for animals (Ps 104:10-11; Matt 6:26). Even when he brought about a great judgment upon the Earth in the form of a global flood (Genesis 6-9), he spared a pair of animals from all the different species so that they might continue after the flood receded (Genesis 7:9). God calls us to treat animals well: “The righteous care for the needs of their animals” (Prov 12:10). Humans rule over animals but it is morally wrong for us to abuse or mistreat animals because of God’s good intention, design, and law.
ATHEISM/AGNOSTICISM: Animals are the accidents of impersonal evolutionary forces—time plus chance. The animals that now exist evolved from previous forms, and the ones that now exist will evolve into different forms through the impersonal process known as Darwinian evolution. The strong eat the weak and the fittest have survived. Animals did not come about as the result of any intended rational reason or design and have no objective purpose on this planet. There is no objective moral standard informing us on how we OUGHT to treat animals, we are left to our own preferences or opinions: we are free to be kind to animals or abuse them without being accountable to any ‘non-human law.’
What about ANIMAL SUFFERING AND DEATH?
CHRISTIANITY: Suffering and death in this world (both in humans and animals) are the result of a breach of God’s Law (sin) and the implementation of God’s judgment on sin; suffering and death are unnatural to the good world design by God—a world meant to be free of sin and death. The Bible claims to tell the true story of the world—the world’s true ‘metanarrative.’ The biblical understanding is this: Adam, the first man made by God, was the head of the human race and called to trust God and keep His law; the initial state of the world was free from suffering, sin and death (both in humans and animals); Adam was warned that breaking God’s instruction (to not eat from the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil) would result in death; sadly, Adam broke God’s law and the consequence of this sin was death—physical and spiritual—that affected the human race and all of the world. When Adam (and Eve) sinned, our world—including animals and the rest of Creation—were contaminated and under the curse of sin and punishment of death (Rom 8:18-25). Everything became crooked and twisted and we were left with a world of suffering, evil, corruption, and death. In this way, animal suffering and death are unnatural but part of life in a broken world. (Genesis 3; Romans 8:18-25). The feelings we have—a revulsion toward animal suffering and death—are instincts in line with the way things actually are: there once was a time when there was no animal suffering and death and that was a good time.
ATHEISM/AGNOSTICISM: Suffering and death are a normal and natural part of the life cycle of animals. There is nothing wrong or right about animal suffering or death—only human opinions about it—and there are no moral laws that transcend personal preference. Any feelings of revulsion toward animal abuse, suffering, or death are not due to reaction of a real wrongness but only personal dislike. We may feel strongly that abuse of animals is wrong, but there is no actual REAL moral standard above human opinion to inform us that this is so.
What about ANIMALS AND THE FUTURE?
CHRISTIANITY: Though much is wrong in the world around us, though animals suffer and are mistreated and die, there is coming a day when suffering and death (in animals and humans) will be abolished and there will be no more suffering and death for those who live in the new heavens and new earth—a place populated by humans and animals (Rev 21-22). Jesus Christ, God the Son, came to earth and dealt with our sin and evil by dying on a cross in our place. Unlike Adam, he never sinned and his act of righteousness (perfect life and his atoning death on the cross) brings life to all who believe in Christ (Rom 5:12-21). Jesus rose from the dead and invites all to place their trust in Him to receive forgiveness of sin and eternal life. (Humans who do not have their sinned against God paid off, will experience God’s justice in a real place called heaven—one of everlasting conscious, torment). The death of Jesus was the beginning of a cosmic redemption and renewal that has significance not only for us humans, but all of Creation. One day our relationship with animals and animal relationships with each other will be so restored that it will be akin to a baby safely playing by the nest of a cobra and a cow and bear living in peace with each other (Isaiah 11:7-9). There will be animals on the new earth—even though we do not get the details of all that means—and thus animals have a future free from suffering and death. Presently, ‘all of Creation is groaning’—animal and human suffering—but one day we will be fully liberated from it (Rom 8:20-25) and all of God’s people will enjoy God and His good Creation—the new Earth—along with animals.
ATHEISM/AGNOSTICISM: One day all animals will die and cease to exist, along with our planet and everyone on it. Our sun will eventually burn out and we will all become extinct—unless we have migrated to another planet with a sun or somehow overcome death via technology. Animal suffering and death will always continue, unless our technology prevents it and we are able to implement it.
IS IT OK TO EAT ANIMALS? OR HUMANS?
CHRISTIANITY: We are permitted to eat animals, but it seems that this likely will not continue on the new Earth (see Alcorn’s book ‘Heaven.’) Some Christians feel the liberty to eat all or certain kinds of animals, but others feel a burden of their conscience not to eat animal meat or certain kinds of animal meat (Rom 14). Christians are not permitted to EAT other humans (see this article).
ATHEISM/AGNOSTICISM: There are no non-human (‘supernatural’) laws that transcend human opinion informing us as to whether it is right or wrong to eat animals. Some atheists (Dawkins, Peter Singer) have even made suggestions that cannibalism (eating other humans) may just be a taboo we need to get over.
ANIMALS AND THE DIVINE
CHRISTIANITY: We must never worship animals or give them ultimate allegiance of our hearts and lives. God—the one true God revealed through Jesus and in the Bible—alone is to be worshipped. But interestingly, God uses analogies and illustrations from animals to teach us about who He is. God is like a mother-hen caring for her chicks (Ps 91:4-6); Jesus is the LION of Judah (powerful, fierce) and the LAMB of God who dies as a sin sacrifice (Rev 5).
ATHEISM/AGNOSTICISM: There is no divine, but some functionally elevate animals to the place of gods through behavior and actions.
