Christian theology and the status of animals : the dominant tradition and its alternatives / Ryan Patrick McLaughlin.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

McLaughlin, Ryan Patrick.

Contributor:

Benjamin Franklin Library Fund.

Series:

Palgrave Macmillan animal ethics series

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Animal welfare--Religious aspects--Christianity.

Animal welfare.

Animal rights--Religious aspects--Christianity.

Animal rights.

Physical Description:

xii, 202 pages ; 23 cm.

Place of Publication:

Basingstoke, England ; New York : Palgrave Macmillan, 2014.

Summary:

"What is the moral standing of animals according to Christian theology? In this book, Ryan Patrick McLaughlin argues that there are conflicting traditions with regard to this question. The dominant tradition maintains that animals are primarily resources that ought to be equitably distributed to the entire human community, both present and future. However, there are alternative strands of Christian thought that challenge this view. McLaughlin delineates these strands in juxtaposition to the dominant tradition in an effort to highlight its alternatives, which include the re-envisioning of the moral significance of differentiation, the image of both protological and eschatological peace between humans and animals in both ancient and modern writers, biblical passages that challenge anthropocentrism and conservationism, and the notion that the cosmos is the primordial sacrament. Collectively, these alternatives to the dominant tradition suggest that there are open spaces within which to offer direct moral concern for animals"-- Back cover.

Contents:

Thomas Aquinas and the dominant tradition

The dominant tradition and the magisterium

Theology and the reconfiguration of difference

In via toward an animal-inclusive eschaton

Breaking with anthropocentrism : Genesis 1

Breaking with conservationism : Isaiah 11:1-9

The sacramentality of the cosmos

Alternative traditions and interreligious dialogue.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 187-195) and index.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Benjamin Franklin Library Fund.

ISBN:

1137344571

9781137344571

OCLC:

863032921

Publisher Number:

99957445090