Here is a selection of links relating to the relationship between Christianity and the animal world. The basic idea is often that human beings have a “soul”, whereas animals do not:
At the time God made Earth and Heaven, before any grasses or shrubs had sprouted from the ground—God hadn’t yet sent rain on Earth, nor was there anyone around to work the ground (the whole Earth was watered by underground springs)—God formed Man out of dirt from the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life. The Man came alive—a living soul! (Genesis 2:5-7 [Message])
This is often understood as meaning that humans are in some way more important than animals, in some way different. Some Christians argue that it is the “soul” that qualifies someone to go to heaven – if something doesn’t have a soul it can’t go to heaven.
Also, Christians have a responsibility to be stewards over creation.
God spoke: “Let us make human beings in our image, make them
reflecting our nature
So they can be responsible for the fish in the sea,
the birds in the air, the cattle,
And, yes, Earth itself,
and every animal that moves on the face of Earth.”
God created human beings;
he created them godlike,
Reflecting God’s nature.
He created them male and female.
God blessed them:
“Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take charge!
Be responsible for fish in the sea and birds in the air,
for every living thing that moves on the face of Earth.”
(Genesis 1:26-28 [Message])
The idea of stewardship is that human beings are looking after God’s creation for him. They don’t own creation, it does not belong to them, but they look after it for him. There are lots of verses in the Bible that talk about “stewardship”: see here. You can find the PowerPoint from the lesson here.
