** This response gives biblical support and clear explanations. It addresses the question directly, expands on related issues, and demonstrates how the response is derived directly from Scripture. The tone is genuinely kind. **
Question: Who decided that humans are more valuable than animals?
Answered by: Keith Ramage, who has been a volunteer with us since December, 2011.
Answer: Well, in a short answer, God did. In the Creation, He spoke and everything that has life “had life” at His words. He “formed” man and breathed the “breath of life” into that form and man became a “living soul” as recorded in Genesis 2:7. In Genesis 1:28 God commanded that man would have “dominion” over all the living things on the earth and in the waters. This indicates a higher “authority” for mankind over all the other created things. God told Adam to “subdue” the entire creation on earth in Genesis 1:28.
In Matthew 6:26 Jesus tells us that man is of much more value than the “birds of the air”. This gives us insight into the value of mankind over animals. In the Old Testament they were commanded to sacrifice animals, not humans. They were condemned for any kind of human sacrifice because humankind is much more valuable than the created order is. Only humans have a living soul. Animals do not. Therefore they are not as valuable nor are they as important as humans.
I’m going to give you the link to an article about animal rights, which is very well-written and I believe will be of help to you as you think through this topic and how the Bible addresses it. The article is from our website.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus spoke of the great care God has for animal life, including each bird that flies in the sky (Matthew 6:26). One of the psalms expresses God’s oversight of all the animals He has made: “The lions roar for their prey / and seek their food from God. . . . All creatures look to you / to give them their food at the proper time. / When you give it to them, / they gather it up; / when you open your hand, / they are satisfied with good things” (Psalm 104:21, 27–28). God cares for the needs of His animals, and God’s people should do the same.
Two important accounts in the Old Testament also reveal God’s care for animal life. In the account of Noah and the flood, God went to great lengths to make sure every kind of animal would survive on the ark. And in Jonah’s story, part of God’s explanation of holding back His destruction of Nineveh was the importance of the animals of the city. God said, “Should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?” (Jonah 4:11).
God cares greatly for the animals He has created. Those who seek to follow His ways will also care about His creation, including animal life. Animal cruelty, the neglect of pets, and the wanton destruction of a species are sin. Christians are called to care for animals, expressing the same attitude toward animal life as our Creator has.
