Animal liberation is profoundly Christian
One thing I’ve found interesting, as I’ve learned more about Christianity, is most devout believers, outside of fundamentalist sects, can easily say significant elements of the Old Testament are mythology. This goes not just for laity, but the leadership as well. However, these same people will insist on a much more literal reading of the New Testament.
I’m not sure why this is, but I think it’s part of the reason why forward-thinking women and men of the modern era sometimes have trouble adopting the religion of their ancestors. For instance, my political priority is animal liberation. Given the number of sentient beings involved, I believe the suffering we inflict on our fellow creatures dwarfs that produced by any human injustice.
The New Testament, read in a literal way, has very little to offer on this matter. Appealing to the historical Jesus is somewhat useless, given how little we know about the figure. If we were able to hop in a time machine and ask his opinion on modern issues, I imagine many progressives, perhaps outside of the economic left, would be disappointed.
That’s why I think a symbolic understanding of the New Testament is so important for creating a Christianity relevant to the future. Forget about what actually did or didn’t happen. Forget about Jesus of Nazareth eating fish. Just consider the story at the most basic level. It’s about someone who was killed, in one of the most awful ways imaginable, due to love for others.
Fundamentally, Christianity says, the best way to know God is through sacrificial love. That’s what Jesus on the cross represents, and from a symbolic perspective, that’s all that is important. Most people aren’t going to be asked, and, if they are, aren’t going to be willing, to give everything out of love for others. But that’s the ideal and any act of sacrificial love, no matter how small, is a step toward God.
In this sense, pursuing animal liberation is profoundly Christian. Activists sacrifice their time and energy, and, in some cases, their freedom, due to love for their fellow creatures. What the historical Jesus or the Jesus of the New Testament might have thought of this doesn’t matter. As heretical as it may sound, Christianity must be bigger than Jesus.
Lately, I’ve been thinking about two people: Wayne Hsiung and Karen Davis. Hsiung is founder of Direct Action Everywhere. He was just found guilty of a felony conspiracy charge, among others, for rescuing chickens from a factory farm. Davis was the founder of United Poultry Concerns. She recently passed away, after spending her life advocating for animals and caring for rescued birds at her sanctuary.
Now, I’m not sure of Hsiung and Davis’ religious affiliation or lack thereof, but their actions in relation to our fellow creatures reflect Christian values at their deepest level. These are values which, I should mention, all great religions and ethical systems share. We would make much greater progress toward building the Kingdom of God if Christians took some inspiration from Hsiung and Davis.