Hinduism - Introduction
The Animals and Religion Book Series and Website are the work of Professor Emeritus Dr. Lisa Kemmerer at Tapestry.
All of the information on this website is from Animals and Judaism. All proceeds return directly to Tapestry, which funds free access to social justice research and writing. This project, part of an ongoing and collective effort necessary to realize the peace and compassion that is central to the core ethics of each of the world’s great religions, is only possible with the support of readers like you.
Overview
In what ways does Judaism call people to a life of compassion, peace, and service, and how does this matter to animals, the earth, and what we eat? What do sacred stories, the prophets, and religious leaders teach about rightful human relations with nature and animals and how do these teachings inform the lives of Jewish activists? What changes do these teachings encourage in our daily lives? Animals and Judaism answers these questions and many more.
Each book in this series, and each page of the Animals and Religion website (animalsandreligion.org), explores ethics and rightful relations with animals, focusing on core religious ethics in one of the world’s largest religions (including compassion, humility, service, and simplicity), calling for spiritual integrity and helping to build a more peaceful and compassionate world. This work is part of a collective effort necessary to realize the peace and compassion that are central to the teachings of each of the world’s great religions.
Working across religious traditions, as this project does, requires the generous support and assistance of many, and we are grateful to all of you. Our work is only possible with the generous support of readers like you.
“It is my hope that ... the State of Israel will soon become a ‘light unto the nations’ (Isaiah 49:6) and pride itself, among other things, in having a moral and conscientious policy toward animals.”
Helpful information about this Book/Website
“Anymal” is a contraction of “any” and “animal,” pronounced as these words are pronounced in English (“any” and “mul”). Anymal indicates all individuals from all species other than that of the speaker/author. In other words, if a human being uses this term, all species except Homo sapiens are indicated, but it is just as true that, if a chimpanzee signs “anymal,” they reference all species (including human beings) except chimpanzees. Using the term “anymal” avoids the use of
“animal” as if human beings were not animals;
humancentric, dualistic, and alienating references such as “non” and “other”; and
cumbersome terms such as nonhuman animals and other-than-human animals.
For more on “anymal” see Kemmerer, Lisa. “Verbal Activism: ‘Anymals’” (Originally published with Society and Animals 14.1 (May 2006): 9-14
Photo courtesy of Danielle Meiri and Pacific Roots Magazine.
Animals and Religion references sources via endnotes, indicated by superscript roman numerals in the text.
Sacred writings are central to the work of the Animals and Religion branch of Tapestry. The core text of Judaism, the Tanakh, is sacred for three of the world’s largest religions:
Christianity inherits from Judaism, and Islam inherits from both Judaism and Christianity. In this way the Hebrew Bible, the Christian Bible and the Qur'an form one linked textual tradition . . . [and] Muslims refer to followers of all three religions as ‘People of the Book’. (British Library)
These texts are not only sacred for Jews but also for Christians (as the Hebrew Bible or Old Testament), and though Muslims believe that these earlier scriptures were divinely revealed, they also believe that only the Quran remains in its original form. Nonetheless, key portions of these earlier text are sacred for Muslims, including the Torah (or Tawrat/Tawrah, the first five books of the Tanakh (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy) and Psalms (or Zabur), as well as the Gospels recording the life of Jesus. The teachings of these texts are therefore important for Jews, Christians, and Muslims.
When referencing and exploring core Jewish and Christian texts, this book uses the English translation generally preferred by scholars, the New Revised Standard Version.
Photo courtesy of Israel21c, ‘Why Israelis are leading the vegan revolution’
To read on click here: