Dominion: The Power of Man, the Suffering of Animals, and the Call to Mercy

Dominion: The Power of Man, the Suffering of Animals, and the Call to Mercy
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All Politicians, Religious Leaders and Teachers Should Read Dominion!

Rambling and meandering - - but interesting and compelling

Good stewards of animals

Animal rights for conservatives

Dominion: A Comprehensive Discussion of Our Treatment of Animals

Dominion: The Power of Man, the Suffering of Animals, and the Call to Mercy
Matthew Scully
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Griffin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0312319738

Book Description

A brilliantly researched, widely praised investigation into our society's treatment of animals, Dominion is perhaps the most influ-ential book on the issue since Peter Singer's Animal Liberation- pinpointing scientific and religious practices that endorse unnecessary cruelty toward animals. His explorations include: -A hellish industrial farm where animals with open sores and broken limbs live their entire lives in darkness -The annual convention of Safari Club International, where the world's wealthy spend millions to hunt exotic game - including 'retired' zoo animals -Laboratories where tens of thousands of animals are afflicted with tumors, disease, and lesions in order to test nonessential consumer products. Dominion is a groundbreaking work-timely, emotionally catalyzing, fortified with intelligence and passion.

Customer Reviews:

All Politicians, Religious Leaders and Teachers Should Read Dominion!.......2007-09-30

I am a yoga teacher, author, advocate for the humane treatment of animals and former elected official. The great philosophers and teachers through the ages have urged us to consider all aspects of our lives, including how we treat animals. "Dominion" is one of the most powerful, reasonable, scientifically sound books I have read on the subject of animal welfare, a subject that is even closer to my heart than yoga. I have read dozens of books on animal rights, interviewed Gail Eisnitz, author of "Slaughterhouse," (also highly recommended) and researched many aspects of animal welfare. "Dominion" is so well-written and researched that it is a book you can confidently give your local and national elected officials, your minister or other religious leader, your friends,your family, your chef --- anyone who needs to wake up to the moral obligation we owe the animals over which we have dominion.

Suza Francina, vegan yoga teacher, author, "The New Yoga for Healthy Aging," and other books, former mayor, Ojai, California.

Rambling and meandering - - but interesting and compelling.......2007-09-07

This book forcefully stakes out a compromise position, which is a difficult trick. Though a conservative Republican, Scully rejects his side's dominionist views on nature. Man may have been given dominion over the earth and its creatures, but Scully does not believe that this gives us the right to harm and exploit other beings. Yet he also rejects the pure animal rights position, and believes that man can use animals for our own good. In short, dominion may given humans some rights, but it also comes with responsibilities: we must treat animals humanely, and with dignity.

Unfortunately, the book often rambles. Scully doesn't write a tight argument but throws out ideas and then plays with them for a while. Many of the chapters include some journalistic fieldwork, such as a visit to a pig farm or the Safari Club. In such cases, Scully sometimes substitutes outrage over bad behavior for actual argument.

The book is also too long - - some arguments are spread over several chapters, and some ideas recur in multiple places. A strong editor could have forced him to tighten up both the prose and the argument. Still, the book reads well and Scully finds it easy to carry the reader along.

By the end of the book it struck me as particularly bizarre that this guy is a Republican speechwriter who has worked for G. W. Bush in both Texas and Washington. He distrusts the market because it assigns utilitarian values to things instead of relying on moral values. He dislikes the National Rifle Association and has pro-wildlife and other environmental sensibilities. He's a vegetarian. His only Republican issue is abortion, and he rightly sees the connections between the rights of fetuses, animals, and indeed all life. Perhaps that's enough, but did he know that there are pro-life Catholic Democrats?

Oddities aside, the book is consistently interesting, and will challenge people on all sides of these debates. Well worth reading.

Good stewards of animals.......2007-07-16

This book changed my life. What does "dominion" of animals really mean in the book of Genesis? This author proposes that we are to be good stewards of animals. Although the book obviously touches on religion, it also gets into many other viewpoints. It is well rounded.

Animal rights for conservatives.......2007-05-13

It's nice to hear a conservative voice for speak up for animal rights. Vegetarianism is usually associated with political and religious liberals. I am both, but it was refreshing to hear arguments from a new point of view. As for his conservative cred, he was a speech writer for Bush. I think this will help conservatives understand that this issue isn't just a liberal thing.

Dominion: A Comprehensive Discussion of Our Treatment of Animals.......2007-03-02

"Why," asks Matthew Scully in the opening chapter of his book _Dominion_, "when it comes to dominion, are we always stern literalists in the subduing parts and scornful skeptics in the peace-bringing parts?" Referring to a Biblical passage which gives humans dominion over the animals, in this book Scully explores contemporary ethics and practices regarding our treatment and use of animals.

At the time he wrote Dominion, Matthew Scully worked as an assistant and speechwriter for George W. Bush, and in his acknowledgements has kind words to say about our president. The topic of animal rights is one too often sidestepped by conservative writers like Mr. Scully, and it is good to see it treated here judiciously and with such good taste.

Unlike the arguments of those who would deny animals even the most basic kindnesses, Dominion is coherent, precise, broad, and deep. It is both unsettling and inspiring, and probably the best book on animal ethics it has been my pleasure to read.

Average customer rating:

Right argument, perhaps the wrong person arguing
In the future
Contents:

In Defense of Animals: The Second Wave
Peter, Ed. Singer
Manufacturer: Blackwell Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Ethics & Morality | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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Endangered Species | Conservation | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

Animal Liberation
Dominion: The Power of Man, the Suffering of Animals, and the Call to Mercy
The Case for Animal Rights
The Way We Eat: Why Our Food Choices Matter
Animal Rights: Current Debates and New Directions

ASIN: 1405119411

Book Description

In Defense of Animals: The Second Wave brings together the best current ethical thinking about animals. Edited by Peter Singer, who made "speciesism " an international issue in 1975 when he published Animal Liberation, this new book presents the state of the animal movement that his classic work helped to inspire.Long hailed as a brilliant and controversial philosopher, Singer has assembled incisive new articles by philosophers and by activists. In Defense of Animals is sure to inform and inspire all who want to understand, or contribute to, the unfolding moral revolution in the way we treat animals.

Customer Reviews:

Right argument, perhaps the wrong person arguing.......2007-10-11

I have thought for several days about posting this review, but in the end I felt I could not remain silent. The ethical treatment of living beings is something my wife and I believe in very strongly. You do everything in your power to give those beings in your care a comfortable, fulfilling life be they animal or plant. Every day we grapple with the fact that for us to live we must destroy others, and we do not take this fact lightly. So when someone comes along with the powers of persuasion and the well constructed arguments Mr Singer has you tend to embrace the book, and say, "see this is what I meant."

The problem is that Mr Singer also justifies the killing of human infants if they have some kind of "grave physical abnormality" like hemophilia. Mr Singer does not consider these infants "persons" because they do not have a sense of their own future; but the same argument could be made about the animals he is supposedly trying to save. A calf has no sense of its future, and it knows nothing about running and gamboling outside if it has never done it, so by extending Mr Singers arguments even the cruelest forms of producing veal is justifiable.

The eugenics movement of the last century advocated the improvement of the human race by castrating or eliminating the physically and mentally imperfect. Mr Singer has taken the stand that it is justifiable to kill the imperfect to make room for the, supposed, perfect. A concept Adolf Hitler took to its terrible limits.

I just find it sad that a movement as important as animal rights should have as one of its major voices a man who would have no philosophical problem killing me sixty year ago, or my grandson two years ago. You can kill a bleeder because they aren't really a person, but don't you dare kill a chicken.

In the future.......2007-01-16

I think Peter Singer is right in the battle to protect the animals. He shows in the book why is necessary the men change his mind .

Contents:.......2004-03-20

Articles and essays from different people like philosophers, biologists, activists and lobbyists. Here you learn first hand accounts of the stories that have made headlines around the world...the plight of the Silver Spring laboratory monkeys, the freeing of the Island of the Dragon dolphins, the successful campaigns against the Draize and LD50 tests, extinctions of species, and confinement of animals in farm factories and zoos.

A Communion of Subjects: Animals in Religion, Science, and Ethics

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Great, but...

A Communion of Subjects: Animals in Religion, Science, and Ethics

Manufacturer: Columbia University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Ethics & Morality | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0231136420

Book Description

A Communion of Subjects is the first comparative and interdisciplinary study of the conceptualization of animals in world religions. Scholars from a wide range of disciplines, including Thomas Berry (cultural history), Wendy Doniger (study of myth), Elizabeth Lawrence (veterinary medicine, ritual studies), Marc Bekoff (cognitive ethology), Marc Hauser (behavioral science), Steven Wise (animals and law), Peter Singer (animals and ethics), and Jane Goodall (primatology) consider how major religious traditions have incorporated animals into their belief systems, myths, rituals, and art. Their findings offer profound insights into humans' relationships with animals and a deeper understanding of the social and ecological web in which we all live.

Contributors examine Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Daoism, Confucianism, African religions, traditions from ancient Egypt and early China, and Native American, indigenous Tibetan, and Australian Aboriginal traditions, among others. They explore issues such as animal consciousness, suffering, sacrifice, and stewardship in innovative methodological ways. They also address contemporary challenges relating to law, biotechnology, social justice, and the environment. By grappling with the nature and ideological features of various religious views, the contributors cast religious teachings and practices in a new light. They reveal how we either intentionally or inadvertently marginalize "others," whether they are human or otherwise, reflecting on the ways in which we assign value to living beings.

Though it is an ancient concern, the topic of "Religion and Animals" has yet to be systematically studied by modern scholars. This groundbreaking collection takes the first steps toward a meaningful analysis.

Customer Reviews:

Great, but..........2007-04-11

Great collection, much needed, full of extremely useful articles. Unfortunately, there are an amazing number of editing errors and typos. Even the centerpiece of the collection, by Thomas Berry, has several errors. Considering how beautifully the book was produced, this surprises me. The book doesn't quite cover everything you always wanted to know, but were afraid to ask, about animals and religion, but it comes close.

Environmental Philosophy: From Animal Rights to Radical Ecology (4th Edition)

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Excellent Breadth
a splendid collection of leading eco thinkers and writers....
An Excellent Introduction to Environmental Philosophy
Excellent Reader!

Environmental Philosophy: From Animal Rights to Radical Ecology (4th Edition)
Michael E. Zimmerman , J. Baird Callicott , John Clark , Karen J. Warren , and Irene J. Klaver
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0131126954

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Breadth.......2007-09-26

This book was assigned reading for a college class on Sustainable Development. I'd already had some exposure to the philosophies & theories presented. It seems to be a good collection representing a wide range of ideas; a great piece for my reference shelf. In other words: a keeper!

a splendid collection of leading eco thinkers and writers...........2005-07-31

....ably assembled and edited by Michael E. Zimmerman. This anthology spans the spectrum from animal rights to environmental protection to deep ecology, and by doing so provides a superb introduction to environmental studies as well as important supplementary reading reaching forward into the present.

An Excellent Introduction to Environmental Philosophy.......2002-07-06

Regardless of whether you are interested in deep ecology, animal rights, envirnmental ethics,eco-feminism or political ecology, this excellently edited edition will have something of interest for you. Those who are looking for a more scientific approach to examing our relationship with nature, as oppossed to the more philosophical writings of Muir, Thoreau and Abbey, this book will be especially appreciated.
Published primarily for use in environmetal philosophy/science courses at the university level, this book is very useful in providing a well researched, diversen sampling from some of the most important theorists in the field. Essays by J. Baird Calicott, Tom Regan, author of the revolutionary work "The Case Animal Rights", Holmes Rolston III, author of the seminal text "Environmetal Ethics", the Norweigan philosopher Arne Naess and , the so-called founder of the deep Ecology movement, Aldo Leopold, author of the famous "Sand County Almanac", as well as works by other important scholars such as George Sessions, Warick Fox, the famous eco-feminist historian Carolyn Merchant, John Clark and Gary Snyder along with many others.
Although the essays contianed in this text can be challenging at times, in the end the payoff definitely makes it worth the effort. This difficulty is, at least, in part due to the fact that what this book requires is a new way of examining our relationship with nature and a willingness to examine problems from a more holistic perspective, which can sometimes be a hard thing for those taught that the world is here simply for man's exploitation (gender specificity intended). This volume is particularly effective in giving students a well-rounded introduction to many of the most important issues in environmental writing today. As the seriousness of our ecological problems persist and even worsen, this book will continue to be a highly informative source of information for students and instructors for years to come.

Excellent Reader!.......2000-05-23

I'm convinced this is the best way to learn about Environmental Philosophy! While some sections are difficult and can bog you down, most are clear and well-written.

I'd recommend this book as both a teaching tool and as something you can pick up to learn on your own. It's more difficult than most pleasure reading but the subject is particurarily heavy.

Customer Reviews:

BRILLIANT AND NOBLE WORK.......2007-06-01

This book represents a masterpiece of work--very deep probing, deep thought, very deep heart work into Christian theology and the rights of non-humans.

This book should not be overlooked by any person concerned with non-human rights. It is first-rate superb work, splendid work from a well-known British priest and theologean.

I really CANNOT GIVE ENOUGH PRAISE to the author and this book. Finally activists have an ally linked to the Christian Church who REALLY SPELLS IT ALL OUT FOR YOU IN GRAND STYLE AND IN PERFECT STYLE WITH ALL THE DETAILS. You could not find a better example of animal theology in any other book or writing. I was astonished at the exhaustive and exquisite effort involved in this book.

Really trust me on this one.

Nadia

An Intelligent, Reasoned Work of Compassion.......2006-03-20

Andrew Linzey provides a thought-provoking, erudite argument for why Christians ought to be concerned about animals. He does not resort to ill-founded arguments or emotionally manipulative pleas. Rather, he outlines in logical fashion the issues at hand: Animals are one of God's concerns; because God cares for animals so should those who claim to be God's people.

The first part of the book makes the case for animal rights--but Linzey carefully defines what he means by animal rights. Animals have rights because they were created by God and have intrinsic value as a result. Linzey does not put animals above humans or even discuss them in terms of "equal rights." Instead he asserts that while humans are given dominion over all creation, dominion is defined as service, protection and compassion. In other words, dominion is not unrestrained power and the right of superiority, it is the responsibility to love the world as God loves--via service. He does not minimize humanity, but demands that our humanocentric belief that God is only concerned about humans is simply wrong.

Linzey challenges the church to rise up to her responsibility. In several chapters, he outlines how irresponsibly the church has acted in regard to the environment and animals--both in theology and praxis. Yet, in other chapters he describes signs of hope-moments when Christians have stood up for ethical treatment of animals.

Linzey has spent years of his career developing his arguments. This book represents a collection of his best work (several chapters were previously published in other formats). The work is copiously footnoted and rigorously researched. For anyone who wishes to explore the issue animal rights from a Christian perspective, this is an excellent place to start.

A Call for Christian Compassion.......2000-08-19

Once again, Dr. Andrew Linzey has delivered a wonderful and inspiring appeal for Christians and peoples of every faith to embrace the highest virtue - EMPATHY. He proclaims that a heightened sense of empathy brings us closer to God and permits us to live in harmony with one another and all of creation. A commitment to jump off our "human" pedestal and experience the wonders and beauty of God's creation in a humble and respectful manner is the true essence of Spirituality. "Animal Gospel" is a truly enlightening exposition.

A Gospel for All Creatures.......2000-03-30

Andrew Linzey is often called the chaplain of the animal rights movement, but that is hardly fair. The title, "chaplain," suggests someone who gives a bit of moral advice or adds some solemnity to a public occasion. Linzey does much more than that. For many years, he has been developing one of the most creative and constructive Christian theological projects. He is a systematic thinker in the sense that he examines and transforms every aspect of Christian doctrine from the perspective of compassion for animals. Yet he also is faithful and consistent in his appropriation of the Christian tradition. Indeed, he manages to recover aspects of Christianity of which even the most faithful are frequently unaware. I have often taught Linzey's earlier book, Animal Theology, in a college course, and that book is pitched at a slightly higher level than this one. But this book, Animal Gospel, is his most passionate and engaging work yet. If you are interested in what Christian theologians say about the animal rights movement, this is the one book to get. Linzey blends the theoretical and the practical in a comprehensive vision of what it means to be a Christian, not just what it means to be an animal rights activist. If you read this book, your views of Christianity will be changed as much as your views of animals. My only problem with Linzey is that sometimes he is too quick to use the language and assumptions of the animal rights movement, but the more I read of him, the more I realize that he uses the rhetoric of rights as a strategy to best implement the compassionate ideal of Christian faith. There is a growing movement among theologians to talk not just about the environment or nature but also about our specific obligations to animals, and we owe this movement to Linzey's pioneering work.

Ethics of Emerging Technologies: Scientific Facts and Moral Challenges

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Ethics of Emerging Technologies: Scientific Facts and Moral Challenges
Thomas F. Budinger , and Miriam D. Budinger
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0471692123

Book Description

An insightful guide to understanding and navigating the ethical issues faced by anyone affected by the ethical dilemmas associated with current and emerging technologies

Ethics of Emerging Technologies provides the background, insight, and tools for approaching and solving ethical dilemmas across a broad range of topics. The text discusses ethical problems, using examples and reasoning tools that will aid engineers, scientists, managers, administrators, and the public who wish to understand risks, benefits, and possible approaches to resolving conflicts associated with new technologies in the context of the global community.

Solutions we choose to ethical dilemmas accompanying new technologies will profoundly affect future generations. Scientific facts and guides to decision-making for all associated with emerging technologies are presented. Some of the topics are:
* Human health and environmental effects of alternative energy production methods
* Communications and privacy
* Plagiarism and authorship
* Genetic modification of organisms
* Human and animal experimentation
* Synthetic biology and bioterrorism
* Confidentiality in science, engineering, and business communications
* Risks and consequences of enhancing human beings through new technologies
* Cloning of human beings and stem cell research
* Brain modifications
* Space exploration

Is God a Vegetarian?: Christianity, Vegetarianism, and Animal Rights

Average customer rating:

Could have been great, but author's thesis is misfocused.
Clear, Concise, and Compelling
Excellent Treatise on the Basis for Christian Vegetarianism
Excellent book, not what I expected
a poignant book for vegetarians or non-vegetarians

Is God a Vegetarian?: Christianity, Vegetarianism, and Animal Rights
Richard A. Young
Manufacturer: Open Court Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0812693930

Book Description

In IS GOD A VEGETARIAN?, a linguist and New Testament scholar attempts to answer the question being asked with greater and greater frequency: "Are Christians morally obligated to be vegetarians?"

Richard Alan Young examines key biblical texts pertaining to dietary customs, vegetarianism, and animal rights, placing the passages in social context. He then provides readers with an in-depth exploration of the ethical dilemmas that Christians face when deciding whether they should be vegetarians. Young also addresses animal testing and experimentation, the fur industry, animal factories, and the effects of meat-eating on human health. Two vegetarian recipes are included at the end of each chapter and an epilogue comprises guidelines for becoming a vegetarian and a recommended reading list. Insightful and challenging, IS GOD A VEGETARIAN? poses provocative questions for vegetarians, Christians, and anyone reflecting upon his personal choices and ethical role in our world today.

Customer Reviews:

Could have been great, but author's thesis is misfocused........2007-03-26

I agree with the author's overarching view of biblical hermeneutics -- searching for "directional markers" that build an internally consistent perspective, rather than (non-contextual) "proof texting," a generally paroxysmal and frivolous approach to scriptural study and application. But it seems unfortunate that, given this broadly impacting issue of meat production and consumption, Young has 'hung his hat' so specifically on the concept of 'cruelty' against animals, and of their 'rights', as these issues are, at best, an aside to the far larger moral/ethical, logical, economic, ecological, health related, theological, and human stewardship considerations attached to flesh-foundering. The real ethical questions cannot be reduced sloppily to 'was Jesus a vegetarian?' or 'did Noah eat meat?' (Young sees this much). The deeper ethical issues of today relate to the 21st century world we live in, and should not be reduced to 'muskrat love', they are larger than that, and ask to be considered with 'the wisdom of serpents' (Matt 10:16).

Many in wealthy western culture, uneducated in the science and ethics of meat, think most easily of vegetarians as being equally soft hearted and soft headed; that vegetarians are teary-eyed cow huggers. But the 'animal rights' approach to the meat market culture is the least relevant and persuasive tack toward dealing with the truer, larger picture. In terms of Christian ethics urging the world toward a proactive "peaceable kingdom" (I have no argument against this), the 'animal rights' focus is rather like 'the tail wagging the dog.' More significant moral/ethical issues, relative to vegetarianism, are:

1.) Environmental degradation concomitant to the modern animal-based diet may be the most significant (and popularly overlooked) global assault on nature; an assault featuring deforestation for the production of commercial livestock, loss of biodiversity (plant and animal, terrestrial and aquatic), unnecessary burning of fossil fuels, air and water pollution, loss of topsoil and arable land, desertification, the list goes on. A single east coast factory hog farm constantly produces more raw sewage than the city of Los Angeles, sewage containing harmful bacteria and disease that is simply introduced to ground water (the related ecological and public health problems were briefly presented on the television news magazine 60 Minutes). Neither laws demanding nicer treatment of little piggies nor regulations on the treatment of pig pee are going to alleviate the problem. The only solution is for Americans to rethink their diet of bacon double cheeseburgers and pork sausage. The ecological issues of modern meat are far too large to discuss adequately here, they stretch from the factory farm to the open ocean to the upper atmosphere.

2.) The moral/ethical problems of meat eating are not only environmental, they are economic. Pandering to the palette of the wealthy beefeater demands [anti-human] misdirection of economic assets. Generally speaking, it takes 16 pounds of vegetable protein to produce 1 pound of animal protein. With that comes much more than 16 times the water and fuel! At the height of the 1984-85 Ethiopian famine, while more than a million people were dying of hunger, European meat producers were buying feed grains from -- Ethiopia! Will humanity's natural, agricultural, and economic assets serve humanity, or will they serve the gluttony of the wealthy? Along these same lines, the respected Christian author Richard J Foster touched very briefly on important aspects of the meat focused diet in his book Freedom of Simplicity (1981): "A million hogs in Indiana have superior housing to a billion humans on this planet." And those "million hogs" are degrading ground water, proliferating disease and ultimately creating cancers and premature human deaths (see below). Lest you think there'd be a net deficit of jobs if we eliminated meat packers and cowboys' livelihoods in favor of a plant based diet, assuredly that is not the case. No industry provides fewer jobs per unit of land used than does cattle ranching; a nation with a vegetable based diet would have the potential to create more net jobs while actually reducing costs for the consumer. That may sound contradictory, but federal meat industry subsidies prop up this meat-mad system. Here's one maddening example of these subsidies: If I go for a hike in nearby Cleveland National Forest, I won't see any of the once native pronghorn antelope, instead I'll probably see cows, ranching long ago extirpated the antelope. And guess who pays for these cattle grazing on public lands. As an American taxpayer, I do! The US government builds access roads, digs wells, pipes water, and provides other products and services for the cattle industry that uses public lands. Ranchers theoretically "lease" these land accesses, but the "leases" are laughable, do not cover the public expenditure that underwrites them, and amount to government giveaways. I may not eat beef, but as a US taxpayer, I pay for wealthy beefeaters to eat beef!

3.) The animal based diet is finally a disease and death centered diet. Billions of Chinese have a long tradition of a vegetable based diet, and they have virtually no incidence of obesity, heart disease, GI tract cancers, osteoporosis, or scores of other meat-related maladies -- UNLESS they move to the west and take up the animal based diet. Several excellent medical studies make the point clearly, meat kills (not just cute little lambs, meat kills people!). The health-related issues of the animal based diet are obviously bound to the economic issues as well (for example, health care asset allocation). Will we feed starving people or spend our financial assets first supplementing and then trying to deal with fat people's self-inflicted meat-based sicknesses? The human health issue looms as large as the ecological and economic issues, and is too great to be treated adequately here. These are all highly moral and ethical Christian stewardship questions. How can Christians turn a blind eye?

There are still other ethical issues tied to the animal based diet, and "animal rights" MAY be one of them. But this is not so clear. Is it rational or meaningful to suggest that because animals sense pain that they have any sense of "cruelty"? That they have any sense of their "rights" being violated or of some "injustice" being imposed on them? These are surly sentient concepts well beyond the ken of the animal mind, whatever it may be. The "animal rights" approach to the question of meat appeals to 'warm fuzzy' ideas but what is needed is a serious, hardheaded treatment (by the way, if we begin to do the right things, for the right reasons, the "animal rights" question will begin to go away!). Excepting perhaps Adventists, most Christians have been sadly silent on the matter of meat-mongering (some have even embarrassed themselves with goofy "proof texting" attempts to define vegetarianism as a biblical heresy!).

Young's thesis aspires to a robust view of biblical hermeneutics, which is a good thing. It aspires to treat an important topic. But the "animal rights" focus is misplaced. An outstanding book on the moral/ethical and health issues surrounding the animal based diet is Howard F. Lyman's 'Mad Cowboy'. Christians should have been publishing books like Lyman's decades ago; being shining beacons of conscience in the material darkness, not hiding in that darkness in blissful ignorance and self-indulgence. It's not too late to start doing the right thing.

Clear, Concise, and Compelling.......2006-04-06

Young's purpose in "Is God a Vegetarian?" is simple: to explore the biblical foundations for Christian vegetarianism. Young chooses to listen to "the entire story" of Scripture to make a case for Christian vegetarianism rather than relying on certain "proof-texts".

The core of Young's argument is that the story of Scripture reveals that God is moving humans and animals towards a "peaceable kingdom" where they live together in harmony. Considering this, Christians should structure their lives and daily practices (including their diet) in such a way that it reflects this ultimate destiny.

As a Christian who is exploring the theological and ethical issues of vegetarianism, I found this book to be extremely helpful and informative. Young manages to be balanced, and not biased; simple, and yet not simplistic.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who is searching for more information on the biblical basis for Christian vegetarianism.

Excellent Treatise on the Basis for Christian Vegetarianism.......2006-03-21

I must say that I was initially put off by the title of this book. I assumed from the title that this must be another one of "those" Christian arguments for vegetarianism--you know, the ones that use out of context prooftexts to argue that Jesus really was a vegetarian. However, one of my colleagues did his Ph.D. work with Richard Alan Young, and he told me that Young was not only an excellent scholar, but a person who lived his convictions. So I decided to give the book a try, in spite of the title.

I am so glad I did. Young deals with the major issues and texts which arise when the question of vegetarianism is posed. Each chapter heading is a question which leads the author into a discussion of the relevant texts and historical background. He addresses questions like "Was Jesus a Vegetarian?" "Didn't God Permit Us to Eat Meat?" and "Didn't Paul Condemn Vegetarianism as Heresy?" with honesty and theological integrity. He does not try to force intepretations out of the texts, but lets them speak for themselves, offering a balanced and evenhanded treatment.

Most importantly, Young offers one of the best arguments for Christian vegetarianism I've read to date. He does not resort to prooftexting or spurious arguments based on scant biblical evidence. Instead he builds the case for vegetarianism upon a much broader biblical perspective--the peaceable kingdom. In sum, Genesis 1 and 2 offer the ideal view of human existence: humans and animals are vegetarians, humans are the caregivers of God's creation, the world and all creation are at peace. Unfortunately, all that is shattered in Genesis 3. However, the biblical material looks forward to a reinstatement of that original harmony. Examining the prophets vision of the peaceable kingdom, Young concludes that the role of Christians is to do God's will on earth as it is in heaven. In other words, Jesus' vision of the kingdom of heaven is a here and now concept, not a concept that will occur only in heaven. "The peaceable kingdom encompasses the full range of human moral aspirations, depicts peaceful coexistence between humans and nonhumans, and represents the goal toward which God is guiding history" (150).

Our job as Christians is to envision the peaceable kingdom and work to bring it about. Christ's act on the cross was an act of restoration, not just between humans and God, but between humans and other humans, and humans and all creation. Thus, Christians are to be actively involved in that restorative vision. If the peaceable kingdom is to be established, one fundamental step toward that outcome is refraining from eating meat. There can be no peace between animals and humans if we continue consuming animals.

Additional touches set this book apart as well: each chapter concludes with a wholesome vegetarian recipe; the last chapter offers a basic discussion of how to "go vegetarian;" and Young provides a bibliography for further reading.

Don't be put off by the title of the book--I found out that the publisher insisted upon it to make the book more "provocative." This book is a must read for any Christian who desires to investigate Christianity's relationship to animal rights and vegetarianism. It is well written, thoroughly researched, and easily accessible to anyone interested in the subject.

Excellent book, not what I expected.......2005-10-22

The title of this book scared me. I thought it would be one of those fanatic books about how Jesus could possibly be a vegetarian, etc. However once I started reading this book I found myself laughing at the chapter titles: "Was God the First Tanner", "will there be slaughterhouses in heaven."

Young thoroughly answers questions that vegetarians and nonvegetarians alike grapple with in using the Bible as guide for life. While at times I felt he took passages out of context, the overall meaning behind his words seemed to speak the biblical truth. Young concludes that vegetarianism cannot be a universal moral truth, yet it is closer to God's vision. I highly reccomend this book for those questioning how Christians are to respond to todays treatment of animals.

a poignant book for vegetarians or non-vegetarians.......2004-05-20

A very thoughtful friend (who is a vegetarian) recommended this book to me. Though a meat-eater for nearly 30 years, I decided to give this book a try. I was pleasantly surprised.

First, Young writes in a cool, level-headed fashion that doesn't come across as angry or accusatory. Unlike other books on the subject, this feels more scholarly and balanced.

Second, Young takes you through the Bible with remarkable insight. It is a deeply Christian work throughout. His arguments mainly depend on understanding the whole story, and what he calls "directional markers." This is a very powerful idea that I think really illuminates many modern ethical issues. To his credit, he does not try to argue that Jesus and the apostles were vegetarians, and that this message was somehow corrupted later on. He brilliantly argues that the situations of modern slaughterhouses did not exist in biblical times, and that the fundamental values of Christianity are in opposition to them. He does point out that human history in the bible is bracketed by vegetarian behavior (cf Genesis 1-2 and the Isaiah description of the "peaceable kingdom"). Why then should we not move toward this goal?

My one cavil with the book is that it is not written for the evangelical Christian (which I am). His view of Scripture would certainly make many evangelicals uncomfortable (for example his understanding of several authors writing the Pentateuch, his sometimes fuzzy statements on the nature of Jesus ministry, etc.). Occassionally I thought he cited verses out of context such that their true meaning was obscured by his intentions. Despite these flaws, I think overall his biblical exegesis is sound (Professor Young is a professor of New Testament, so this is no surprise).

I do appreciate his numerous statements along the lines of "I'm not saying everyone must stopping eating all meat in all circumstances." Instead, he thoughtfully and gently tries to challenge the reader to reconsider their own practices. I know that my own meat consumption has gone way down and am contemplating becoming a vegetarian. He encourages the reader to make slow changes, such as finding one meatless main dish per week to add into your diet. Who cannot do that? I also think much more deeply about the conditions that animals are kept in today and how they should live. Would you eat that piece of chicken or beef if you could see the animal's death? What is gluttony if not eating on more than you need? These and more questions are powerful thoughts that will challenge you throughout the book.

In Nature's Interests?: Interests, Animal Rights, and Environmental Ethics (Environmental Ethics and Science Policy Series)
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In Nature's Interests?: Interests, Animal Rights, and Environmental Ethics (Environmental Ethics and Science Policy Series)
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Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
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Binding: Paperback

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This book offers a powerful response to what Varner calls the "two dogmas of environmental ethics"--the assumptions that animal rights philosophies and anthropocentric views are each antithetical to sound environmental policy. Allowing that every living organism has interests which ought, other things being equal, to be protected, Varner contends that some interests take priority over others. He defends both a sentientist principle giving priority to the lives of organisms with conscious desires and an anthropocentric principle giving priority to certain very inclusive interests which only humans have. He then shows that these principles not only comport with but provide significant support for environmental goals.

Electric Animal: Toward a Rhetoric of Wildlife

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Anthropocentrism and Its Discontents: The Moral Status of Animals in the History of Western Philosophy

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Anthropocentrism and Its Discontents: The Moral Status of Animals in the History of Western Philosophy
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Anthropocentrism and Its Discontents is the first-ever comprehensive examination of views of animals in the history of Western philosophy, from Homeric Greece to the twentieth century.

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