Animal Rights

Being a believer of Christianity and the bible, it is explicitly expressed in the Old Testament that God requested man to offer certain animals as sacrificial offerings. In the 11th chapter of Leviticus, God gives a list of food that should not be eaten. It is suggested that this prohibited list was for the Israelites to make them distinct from other nations. However in the New Testament in the book of Mark, Jesus declared all food clean since it enters the stomach and not the heart. Additionally from the very beginning, Adam was given dominion over all that God had created, this single act provides a distinction between man and animals.

I do believe in animal rights and wish no animal to be the receiver of cruel or unjust treatment. To intentionally create harm in any live being is morally wrong, so where do we draw the line? I think the jury is still out on this one. However I would rather see animals used for health research rather than to experiment with human subjects, but what about fur coats and alligator shoes? Descartes theory suggest that if we understand humans as unique and all other animals as inferior then there really is no obvious problem in treating other animals as we wish. Mosser, K. (2010) I do not agree with his statement, it reminds me of a relativistic point of view where everybody decides for himself. Should I consider not being kind to my family pet just because I can. There are so many pros and cons for the different scenarios that I don't think there is an one absolute to fits all category, so does this take us right back to Descartes?

Mosser, K. (2010). A Concise Introduction to Philosophy