Animals

All religions pay attention to animals in one way, shape or form. For some, they are the objects of huge piety and devotion, eg the sacred cow of Hinduism. For others, they are to be avoided, especially as food, eg the halal food laws of Islam, the kosher foods of Judaism or the practice of only eating fish on Fridays among Roman Catholics. Animals have often been used as symbols in religion. Consider the name Singh, adopted by all adult male members of the Khalsa in Sikhism, which means ‘lion’, or the dove which is a symbol of peace in Christianity. We hear of the lion of Judah in Judaism, and snakes have often been used as a symbol of evil.

One of the underlying themes of this Ethics section of Complete RE is dignity of life, whether it be vegetative, animal or human. This unit focuses on animals; specifically on the rights that should be accorded to animals.

By the end of this unit:

• most of your students will know that, according to some religions, animals have rights that should be respected
• some students will be able to explain that many religions have clear rules about the treatment of animals, both out of respect and from religious observance
• a few students will be able to demonstrate the tensions and inconsistencies of some religious teachings about animals.

Prepare by reading the support material below. There is sufficient detail to be able to facilitate good learning, but you may also want to consider looking at some of the Web sites listed below to increase your subject knowledge in this area. You will need to apply your own sense of bias detection to what you see and read. You are advised not to allow your students to access these sites unless they have considerable maturity.

Animal rights

Why Should Christians be Vegetarian?

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)

AnimalConcerns.org

Starter

Show the Microsoft_® PowerPoint presentation below. If you do not have presentation software or equipment, print each of the pictures out and make flash cards which you can hold up and show in sequence. Pose the question: “What have all the animals in this sequence got in common?” (The answer is that they are all symbols in religion.)

Animals

Activity

Work through the information sheet above with the students. Set the activity sheet below as a paired work activity. Ensure that each student makes an individual response.

Animal rights activity sheet

Plenary

Allow students to share their responses to the activity sheet with the class. Sum up by drawing the threads together and teasing out some common principles that the class has identified.

Homework activity

Hanuman, the monkey god of Hinduism, is a famous animal helper. Ask the class to do a small amount of research to find examples of other animals that are described in helping roles in the scriptures of religions. Some examples are the ravens that fed Elijah at the brook of Cherith, and the colt that carried Jesus into Jerusalem.