The topic of animal rights is not easy to discuss, with a lot of people sharing differing views regarding the matter.
Answers in Genesis founder Ken Ham has joined the discussion and shared his thoughts on whether animals deserve to have rights just like humans.
"It's not uncommon to see animals exalted and valued far above humans. Animal rights groups, such as PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), vehemently fight against the use of animals for anything," he writes on his blog.
Ham says animal rights groups seemingly want animals to have dominion over man. The problem, however, is that many evolutionists believe that man is just an evolved animal.
"So if they want equal rights for animals, what rights should humans have if they believe man is just an evolved animal?" he asks. "For example if animals kill other animals, do animal rights groups think humans (if we're just animals) should have equal rights to kill, too? Why should we be held to some higher standard or different moral code from other animals?"
The same goes for stealing, incest, cannibalism, and infant abandonment. Ham says if animal rights activists were consistent, then "they should argue that it is okay to steal from animals, kill them, and eat them—since this is what we regularly observe in sin-cursed animals anyway."
Ham says inconsistencies arise because a lot of people do not have basis for morality. "Evolutionists arbitrarily create or hold to a moral code for humans—which, in their view, includes not using anything that comes from or was even tested on animals—yet they believe we are just animals. So why should we be held to this arbitrary standard that no 'other' animal is held to?" he wonders.
As Christians, Ham says people need to find a proper balance based on Scripture. It is humans, not animals, who are made in the image of God, so Ham says people have a "unique place" in God's creation.
"This doesn't mean we can treat the rest of God's creation cruelly or abusively. We need to reflect the heart of the One whose image we are made in, and treat His creation with kindness, directing glory to our Creator and Saviour," he says.
