Animals in Christian Sacred Texts

The Bible teaches Christians that God cares about animals and that we are responsible to care for God’s creatures: We are to serve God on earth, caring for creation as the Creator would do, and we are to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. God shows kindness to animals throughout the Bible, whether feeding birds, protecting an abused donkey, or commanding humankind to allow animals to rest on the Sabbath. Genesis teaches Christians to guard and protect creation, that creation is good and holy, and that God is in covenant with all that has been made. The Gospels show us that Jesus, who died to free all of creation from “enslavement to decay” (Romans 8:21), models tender care for those considered unworthy of concern, for those disempowered and overlooked, those pushed outside of society’s moral circle—which certainly includes animals today.

The Bible—including core ethics in the Gospels—tells us that we are to care about and for God’s creatures. Animals are mentioned in almost every book of the Bible, including well over 100 species of mammals, birds, reptiles, water creatures, and insects. Animals appear as part of everyday life, as central to metaphors, and as key characters—even biblical law directly protects animals. Jesus understood Jewish Scripture to be binding, and birds, fish, and insects are all noted in the New Testament. He was kind and cared for all who were in need, no matter how lowly in the eyes of the larger community. On reading the Gospels, it would seem difficult to imagine Jesus not caring about animals, who are vulnerable, and whose simple needs are often overlooked by humankind.

We are invited to treat animals as neighbors and kin, as the first people did, extending core Christian virtues such as love and mercy, humility and service, to God’s animals. Cruelty and indifference to suffering are unchristian; disregard for animals shows disrespect for their Creator. The Bible tells us that God is kind and merciful, tenderly caring for the needs of animals. Genesis tells us that the first people, who initially dwelled in God’s perfect creation as the Creator intended, lived with animals as neighbors and kin, peacefully as companions for one another. In all of these ways, the Bible shows us how to live faithfully with God’s creatures.

Creation outlines our God-given relationship with animals. God creates animals and humankind on the same day and gives us all nephesh chayyah. We are created to share company, and all of us are given plants for food. We were made to share company and we have been given responsibility to God for all that the Creator has made. The Bible tells us that all of creation is good and holy. In all of these ways, Genesis is extremely important for a Christian understanding of our relationship with, and responsibilities to, God’s creatures.

Dominion is outlined in Genesis: Humankind is placed in the peaceful Garden of Eden to serve as caretakers. God created a world of peace and harmony, a place of kinship and community, a world without bloodshed, and created humankind to tend creation. Genesis tells us that we were not permitted to harm other creatures for food in this garden of abundance and peace. We were given dominion “in the image of God”— to serve God amid creation by doing as God would have us do. Our “dominion” is one of service, of tenderly caring for all that has been made in God’s stead.