“Eastern Orthodox Christianity and Animal Suffering: Ancient Voices in Modern Theology” by Dr. Christina Nellist (vegan), Part 1 of 2

Dr. Nellist is the author of “Eastern Orthodox Christianity and Animal Suffering: Ancient Voices in Modern Theology” and other works on the theological foundations of animal-people protection. “So here, we’re talking about animal rescue very early on in the Bible. Care and compassion for animals is there. You just have to read it with different eyes. We’ve not looked at it from the animal’s perspective, and that’s what my book does.” “The very many early teachings will tell us that all things are, in God’s eyes, very good. Well, if God thinks that all things are good, and throughout the Bible, we are told that God does not require the sacrifice of animals, He requires a contrite and humble heart. He requires us to live with gentleness, with kindness, with love and compassion, non-violent lives. That’s the image that we are to live, represent, and to use in our lives in the way we treat and care for the rest of creation.”

Animal-people are often depicted together with Saints in Orthodox iconography. “The key to the Saints and animals is that Saints show us that we can live a prelapsarian life in this world. They are examples of how we can live such a humble and gentle life that the fear that God imposes on the animal creation of us disappears.” “This icon is called the ‘[Christ] Breaking the Bonds of Animal Suffering.’ So you have the tiger, who represents the abused animals in circuses, and for fun and things like zoos. You have the cow there with the overbreeding, the loss of her young every year so that she can produce milk and dairy products. And Christ comes, He’s giving a blessing here, and He comes to break the bonds of suffering in His resurrection. God saves them equally.”