The sigh of animals. The responsibilty of Abrahamc religions towards animals

On the 23rd of February we (OCCURSO and the Institute for Theological Zoology) organized an online event on the topic of animal rights and the responsibility of Abrahamic religions towards animals. The event was held in German and lasted one and a half hours. The speakers were Dr. Rainer Hagencord, catholic priest and biologist, Dr. Deborah Williger, Jewish Theologian and lecturer at the University of Potsdam, and Asmaa el Maaroufi, Islamic scholar and lecturer at the University in Münster, in Germany. Myself, Tanja Mancinelli and board member of the interfaith grassroot organization in Germany named OCCURSO (www.occurso.de), moderated the discussion. We started with key questions regarding the responsibility of the single religions towards animals and the stands of animal rights in the respective traditions, and also with personal account regarding religious experiences and animals. Listeners had the possibility to ask questions to the speakers, and thus we had a very lively discussion for one and half hour. The resonance was immense. We had over 120 registrations for the webinar and wonderful feedbacks afterwards. Many listeners wrote, that the topic of religions and animal rights is often neglected. We saw this topic as very appropriate for an interfaith meeting and dialogue. Because of the so positive resonance, we decided to continue with such webinars, always on the topic of animal rights and the role of religions. Below is the flyer of the event (in German), and a small article that I wrote about Dr. Rainer Hagencord and his Institute for Theological Zoology: https://www.theologische-zoologie.de/news?tx_news_pi1action=detail&tx_news_pi1controller=News&tx_news_pi1news=60&cHash=9a559ef30dd92b89ca835c6cd4fdeef9   “Through Animals to God” Rainer Hagencord and the Institute for Theological Zoology   In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth, the light, water and vegetation, the animals of the sky, of the earth, and of the water. And finally, Adam and Eve. Animals have been part of creation from the very beginning, even before humans. They were the first creatures blessed by God. Accordingly, the Bible teaches us to treat animals with kindness and respect. They were teachers to the Prophets and guides to humans.  Christian hagiography treasures an abundance of stories about the close relationship between saints and animals, the animals who have cared for, protected, and accompanied their human friends. However, the situation of animals in our modern world is in stark contrast to what the bible tries to teach us regarding the treatment of non-human beings: every day around 3 billion animals are killed for food. Suffering is the common threat to each animal that ends in the slaughterhouse. "Modern-day animal agriculture violates core Christian values. It wipes out entire populations and species of wildlife, confines huge numbers of animals in miserable conditions on factory farms, damages the environment, squanders scarce resources, and harms the health of people."[1] Then why are Christians generally so blind to this suffering? Why does the church not take a stronger stand on this matter? And what can we do, from a religious point of view, to avoid animal suffering through industrial farming which causes our planet to be destroyed? These and other similar questions motivated the theologian, Catholic priest, biologist, and philosopher Rainer Hagencord to do pioneering work.  In 2009, together with Anton Rotzetter, he co-founded the Institute for Theological Zoology (ITZ) in Germany. The institute aims to show that, as taught in the Bible, animals too possess a soul and are therefore eligible for a dignified life. The institute connects biology with theology, showing that the two fields are not in opposition but rather complement each other. Biology helps us to better understand the animal realm. It shows that animals possess as much intelligence, emotions, and sensibility as humans. And religions remind us that like humans, animals are equal creatures of God.In 2009 Dr. Jane Goodall became the patron of the ITZ which was awarded in 2020 by the United Nations. In cooperation with the University of Münster, the ITZ provides teaching materials for schools and universities and collaborates with Jewish, Muslim, and Christian theologians. Hagencord´s message essentially is that we need a spiritual ecology, “If we don't remember the story of Noah's Ark now,” he says “then when? We have to save the animals and become people of peace to prevent the great extinction of species.”[2] Only like this we have a world where the animal kingdom will be included in the blessing of peace. That will be very much in the spirit of the Prophet Isaiah, who said, "for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord"[3]         [1] https://www.humanesociety.org/sites/default/files/docs/replenish-booklet-in-color.pdf [2] Hummel Thomas (2020): Ich verstehe nicht warum munter weiter Fleisch gekauft wird. In: Süddeutsche Zeitung, https://www.sueddeutsche.de/panorama/fleisch-glaube-ethik-weihnachten-1.5152670 [3] Isaiah 11:6-9