You’ve got to love it!<\/p>\n
Do you agree that\u00a0there is no fundamental difference between human beings and animals?<\/p>\n
If you answer, “No difference.” then\u00a0you will agree that just like humans, animals should not be treated as slaves. Therefore,\u00a0liberate the whales from slavery. Let the orcas free!<\/p>\n
No, it’s not an April 1st trick. It’s a court case in the USA:<\/p>\n
A federal judge for the first time in US history heard arguments in a case that\u00a0could determine whether animals enjoy the same\u00a0constitutional protection\u00a0against slavery as human beings.<\/p>\n
“… a federal court heard arguments as to whether living,\u00a0breathing, feeling beings have rights<\/em><\/strong> and can be enslaved simply because\u00a0they happen to not have been born human. By any definition these orcas\u00a0 have been enslaved here.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Orca rights are human rights. Right?<\/p>\n
No. Sorry, wrong!<\/p>\n
On what grounds might we humans disagree?<\/p>\n
Well,\u00a0why aren’t the orcas’ judicial courts hearing the case or at least presenting it to a human court? – just a thought \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n
My argument:\u00a0Jews and Christians believe human beings are different to animals and more highly valued than animals because human beings carry the very image of God. This belief is grounded in their sacred accounts of life’s beginnings in the Book of Genesis where humankind is God-breathed.<\/p>\n
Hence, in the Judeo-Christian understanding of life, orcas do not have the same rights as humans.\u00a0That’s why I like the newspaper’s sub title: “We’re talking about hell unleashed”.<\/a>\u00a0A quote,<\/p>\n
If the court\u00a0 were to grant orcas constitutional rights, Shaw warned the\u00a0 ruling would\u00a0 have profound implications that could impact everything from the\u00a0 way the\u00a0 U.S. government uses dogs to sniff out bombs and drugs to how zoos and\u00a0\u00a0 aquariums operate.<\/p>\n
“We’re talking about hell unleashed,” he said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
But it is not just hell because\u00a0animals have the rights of humans but, more strongly, that humans will have been reduced to animals.<\/p>\n
It’s the old “nothing but” argument that reductionists use to state for example that a person is “nothing but” a composite of chemicals and therefore of only modest physical and financial value. Or that human beings are “nothing but” a randomn statistical\u00a0piece of space junk hurtling mindlessly through space as it decays to oblivion .<\/p>\n
I can only imagine that accepting orca rights as human rights would have interesting implications for\u00a0Articles 1 and 3 of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights<\/a>.<\/p>\n
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood. (Article 1)<\/p>\n
Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person. (Article 3)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Clearly, these Articles are based on the view that there is something very special about human beings. But why? That’s the million dollar question.\u00a0Your answer?<\/p>\n
Read more:\u00a0‘We’re talking about hell unleashed’: whales sue Sea World<\/a>\u00a0 and\u00a0 In the Image of God: Human Rights-Religion<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
You’ve got to love it! Do you agree that\u00a0there is no fundamental difference between human beings and animals? If you answer, “No difference.” then\u00a0you will agree that just like humans, animals should not be treated as slaves. Therefore,\u00a0liberate the whales … Continue reading