Animals possess every characteristic that we recognize in ourselves as the
spark of life: they eat, they grow, they breathe, they bleed, they die. Why
should they not also share with us the privilege of a soul? As humans, we
have no basis on which to deny that all living things are spiritual beings
just as we are; we were not present at the moment of their creation. Man
habitually forgets that he too is an animal, and particularly tends to
flaunt the notion of distinction between himself and the "lesser beings"
when there stands something for him to gain.
If they seem like lesser beings, it is surely due to the fact that humanity,
with its lofty self-importance, overlooks the fundamental difference when
comparing the state of souls. I do not deny that an animal's soul lies on a
different spiritual plane than ours. Humans are unique; we alone are
polluted with the guilt of original sin. We alone tried to put our kind
above the Creator, and thus willfully broke away from the perfection of
Eden. However, we are the only ones to know of the joy from God's grace
(but then, we're also the only ones that are desperate for it). It is this
foremost difference that makes the rest of creation to appear lower in our
eyes. It is not, in fact, any natural inferiority on their part, but rather
a simple, perfect innocence. Recall that only man chose to eat of the
forbidden fruit, and so only he was granted genuine awareness of the world.
Animals, without such awareness, likely lack what we know as reason.
Nonetheless, this is no cause to assume that they also lack intellect,
language, emotions, or a distinct consciousness, even though these traits
may not always be evident to us when we seek them from the point of view of
human perceptions.
Also, without the understanding of good and evil supplied by the fruit of
the tree of knowledge, they know only of goodness, and therefore cannot sin.
Without sin, they live each day in perfect harmony with the will of God.
Every action is as God has meant it to be, and so by simply existing they
give glory. With unstained souls, they are often far more alert to His wish
and far more ready to comply.
After being cast out of the Garden, man could not have survived on his own.
Knowing this, with His compassionate love, God willed that he be given the
aid of the rest of creation. Animals, in total accord with this desire and
filled with love for both God and man, freely offered themselves in
servitude. And so with their consent, it came to be that they were
trustingly placed under the authority of humankind.
By easing the toiling of humanity, their simple actions again give glory.
In turn, by offering animals care and kindness, man's actions would honor
God too. But we fall farther and farther from giving such tribute. In our
modern world, animals have come to be treated more as unfeeling machines and
not beings bestowed with the very same embers of creation that we too
possess. Even simple sympathy for their plight is rare. Consider this, and
see the work of a gracious God next time you look into the eyes of an
animal.
--Rachel is a junior in high school, and she's been vegetarian since 6th grade. She admires veg celebrities who, she believes, "are fulfilling a social responsibility that comes with being in the public eye."
