With you wholeheartedly on this one dear boy. I have been in many countries where the maltreatment of animals is just a way of life. Sadly religion plays a large part in this, based on the various verses of the various sacred texts around the world that very clearly put animals in a lower position than humans. I agree with your statements in #13 absolutely: in my experience most animals behave better than most humans and in the cases where the animal is aggressive towards humans or other animals (in the pet world) it’s generally the fault of the owner.

Didn’t know meurk was a lady – but I do now

KA

First up. We have a dog, two cats, a goldfish and two guinea pigs. I’ve worked with horses before and I’ve had chickens. Our family is pretty animal mad and I have always had a rule to not date men who didn’t like animals. Our animals are part of the family and are all inside pets, even our guinea pigs who stay inside when it’s raining and come in at night. Crikey, when we had chooks I let them come in at night when it was cold. We put a broom handle between two chairs, put newspaper underneath and let them roost in our bedroom. Roosters make fabulous alarm clocks, especially when they are sitting at the end of your bed.

I loathe vivisection and I agree our treatment of animals is appalling and yes, “we should be collectively ashamed.” You have no argument from me about that.

For food, an argument could be made (as for the rest of the animal world), but consistent mis-treatment, perpetually being refused appropriate ‘respect’ and yet being forced to give us so much is an obcenity which I find completely at odds with the concepts of compassion and respect which the Church and everyone else allegedly purports.

Our relationship with animals highlights the very best and typically the very worst of the human spirit.

I am cuplble of bristling at comments like ‘treat them like a dog’ and stuff like that.

Ghandi said the measure of a nations civilistaion could be measured against its treatment of animals.

There is a lot of bad treatment of people in the world but frankly, it appears to pale into insignificance to our treatment of animals. And we should be collectively ashamed.

If God finds our current ‘en masse’ treatment acceptable, I want no part of God at all. It seems to be completely at odds with all of his teachings of compassion and respect.

Sorry for exploding at you Muerk, sorry. This is a massive moral problem that in my opinion, humans are dealing with EXCEPTIONALLY badly.

I think you need to back down.

Its a revolting, self serving example of distinguishing some sentient beings as more important than others, one minor step away from racism, and bears no resemblance to the concept of compassion for all living things.