Read the Catechism again carefully With respect you are not quite right at all. One does not have to believe that animals are better than humans, or that they are even equal, to believe that they are entitled to live without cruelty, for their own sake’s. Most people who eat meat will probably agree with me that they do not like the idea of the animals being tortured before they are finally killed.
Some people use it innocently enough, but I’ve had numerous people tell me that their pets are like their children and then go into making examples. “Telling me I can come over to your house but can’t bring my dog over is like if I told you that you can come over but have to leave your baby somewhere else”, or “telling me I can spend the night but my dog has to sleep outside is like saying you can spend the night but the baby has to sleep on the porch”.
That’s true, and I don’t have a problem with some modicum of punishment for people who are violent towards and abuse animals, it just shouldn’t approach the penalties given to people who do the same to people. Having sex with an animal can sometimes be abusive, and sometimes not. As I said, they don’t experience sexual trauma they way people do, it isn’t really an appropriate comparison. For animals it is an additional form of physical or emotional(of a sort) abuse.
In most, if not all, countries the penalties do not approach those given to those who do the same to people anyway. Certain non-Western cultures do however hold certain animals on the same level as humans but that in itself has not caused the people in those cultures to treat people less than. In fact it can be said that people from those cultures (Im not talking about neo-pagans from Western countries btw) are some of the most respectful and gentle people in the world.
Do you really not understand it? Even if the sexual act is non-violent, it is still considered abusive because an animal, like a child (yes i am comparing an animal to a child bring on the flames) is unable to give informed consent. I am not going to go on as to why the issue of consent is such an important one as I m sure you are an intelligent person and can understand thus far.By that same logic one can say that about children. A 6 year old child despite being human like a 40 year old woman, will not experience sexual abuse the same way for a myriad of reasons. It does not lessen the severity of the act however. Of course an animal will not experience abuse in the same way. Using the term ‘sexual abuse’ has zero implications on the issue of the equality of animals and humans. It is merely a comment or observation on the nature of the act itself.
I m sorry you find it creepy.
Ever heard of the untouchables in India? They are treated as less than animal.
About India - believe me I m well aware of the issues there, including the caste system. Never said the country was perfect. If you are referring to their veneration of cows, well for many of them, they respect that the cow should not be consumed for meat, and it stops there. Many of the more modern ones, who pick and choose from their religion i.e. refrain from eating beef but still adhere to things like the dowry and caste system (which is not restricted to religion in India btw) do not care for the actual welfare of cows.
To clarify, they are no longer called “Untouchables.” Gandhi called them “Harijans” or children of God. Laws have long been passed prohibiting discrimination and approving pro active actions to help them. Cows are sacred in Hinduism but they certainly do not have better lives than people.
This is ignorant. Watch any nature show for half an hour to see how much significance sex has in animal society. Sexual abuse is confusing for animals and disrupts the human/animal relationship. Anecdotally, people who rehab sexually abused animals do observe effects which differ from the effects of physical abuse.
