Factory Farms and Animal Cruelty Essay - 3698 Words

Factory Farms and Animal Cruelty Imagine that Christ meant these words literally. Imagine that accepting Christ as your personal savior required lunching with him. Of course, if Christ were coming over today for lunch, you would probably dust, vacuum, adjust the pictures on the walls, pick your best outfit, comb your hair, jot down a few questions about heaven. But what would the two of you eat? Would you serve Christ fried chicken? How would you feel about setting a plate of steaming, sizzling pork chops in front of your savior? A few hard-boiled eggs wouldnt hurt, right? Maybe a glass of milk to wash it all down? For many Christians, faith has little to do with whats in the fridge. Lunch with Christ would raise issues far more†¦show more content†¦Hence, as Augustine says [†¦]by a most just ordinance of the Creator, both their life and their death are subject to our use (Summa). In other words, animals have utility value only. Aquinas denied that animals are proper objects of moral concern for at least two reasons: (1) God made animals exclusively for human use; we ride, wear, work, and eat animals, and there is no sin in using a thing for the purpose for which it is (Summa). (2) Animals cannot reason. Since only rational beings are proper objects of moral concern, how one treats animals is morally valuable only insofar as such treatment affects rational beings. For example, one should not torture animals only because doing so may subtly influence one to torture humans, too. Points (1) and (2) are central to the Utility Thesis. Although Catholic theology is indebted to Aquinas, I think there are good reasons to reconsider the Utility Thesis and points (1) and (2). (1) If God made animals solely for human use, then God would care most about those animals that humans find most useful. An animals ontological worth would be equal to its usefulness to humans. However, consider Jesus words: Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father (Mat. 10:29). In response to this passage, Richard Bauckham, Professor of New Testament Studies atShow MoreRelatedAnimal Cruelty on Factory Farms Essays1842 Words   |  8 PagesAnimal Cruelty on Factory Farms â€Å"This is horrible! I can’t even watch this!† Those were my immediate thoughts the first time my eyes were opened to the inhumane animal cruelty on factory farms. Factory farming enables mass production to supply the demands of today’s society but also enables the cruel treatment of animals. We need to end the cruelty and abuse that these animals have to endure at the factory farms because it causes loss to the business, reduces the quality of the product producedRead MoreEssay about The Corrupted Food on Our Tables561 Words   |  3 Pagesand industrialized. 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