Christian Animal Rights Association
Animals: Tradition - Philosophy - Religion

FROM Christian Animal Rights Association
March 2021

The righteous care for the needs of their animals, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel. - Proverbs 12:10

Who Are We?

The Christian Animal Rights Association is a nondenominational Christian, Bible-based ministry dedicated to educating, advocating, protecting, and defending the rights of all sentient animals. Christian Animal Rights Association is a nonprofit tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization.

We support and encourage Christian animal rights activists around the world. We educate fellow Christians on the importance of caring for animal rights issues.
We educate animal rights activists about how Christian values can support animal rights and animal liberation.

Our Mission

To Educate, Advocate, Protect and Defend the Rights of All Animals, from a Christian and Biblical Perspective

Why Animal Rights?

Lexico Dictionary defines animal rights as “Rights believed to belong to animals to live free from use in medical research, hunting, and other services to humans.”

Christian Animal Rights Association seeks to advocate for animals, as this above definition matches the Biblical ideal that is seen in the garden of Eden. In this paradise, God said that Adam and Eve have dominion over animals (Genesis 1:26–28). Shortly after, God prescribed a vegan diet for both humans and animals (Genesis 1:29–30). This vegan world, where humans and animals peacefully coexisted, is clearly the ideal, as seen with God calling it “very good” in Genesis 1:31. Thus, animals were never intended to be exploited. On the contrary, in Genesis 2:19–20, God wanted Adam to name the animals, which indicates Adam was to be friends with them, much like how humanity treats companion animals today.

When Adam and Eve sinned (Genesis 3:6), this brought all sorts of horrible consequences into the world such as suffering (Genesis 3:16), death (Genesis 3:19), as well as animal exploitation (Genesis 3:21). We look forward to a bright future, as the Bible prophesies that when Jesus returns there will be a New Earth (synonymous with heaven) in which humans and animals will live in harmony (Isaiah 11:6–9, 65:25, Hosea 2:18). This will be a restoration of what God originally and ideally intended in Eden (Genesis 1:20–31). Jesus instructed his disciples to pray that God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10). We seek to live by and put into action the Lord’s Prayer by seeking the justice God has planned for animals in eternity. Through grassroots advocacy and eventual legal action, Christian Animal Rights Association seeks to be part of God’s gradual plan for a New Earth, where humans no longer exploit animals (Isaiah 11:6–9, 65:25, Hosea 2:18).

Our Beliefs

We seek to be faithful disciples whom Jesus called to be “the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14), inspired by the Holy Spirit to be compassionate (Colossians 3:12) and just (Psalm 106:3) toward God’s nonhuman creatures (Psalm 50:10–11). Scripture commands us to live as Jesus did (1 John 2:6). We seek to imitate Jesus and apply his teachings to animals. We aspire to be peacemakers (Matthew 5:9), merciful (Matthew 5:7), and to treat animals as we humans would want to be treated (Matthew 7:12, Luke 6:31). Jesus, when describing the qualifications of his greatest disciple, stated, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all” (Mark 9:35). Thus, we seek to be a model of Jesus’ greatest disciple. Our advocacy methods are nonviolent in word and deed (Matthew 26:52; Romans 12:18).

Historically, the Bible has been used to support many injustices such as slavery, the subjugation of women, and racism. Many Christians today similarly abuse selected biblical passages to justify harming and killing animals for little more than habit and convenience. We seek to follow the Christian tradition of furthering God’s Kingdom (Matthew 6:33) by advocating for social reform. For instance, William Wilberforce campaigned against slavery, and Baptist minister Martin Luther King Jr. advocated for the advancement of civil rights. Jesus himself was a social reformer, for example showing women respect (John 4:27) at a time when women were not culturally esteemed. Similarly, we seek to continue this tradition of social justice by advocating for the rights of animals. 

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