Animals: Tradition - Philosophy - Religion Article from All-Creatures.org

New Earth Abolition (NEA)

From ChristianAnimalRights.com
September 2022

New Earth Abolition seeks to change humanity’s relationship from one of exploitation to a relationship built on these three biblical principles.

Acknowledging that animals are persons instead of property should cause believers to consider all of the harmful ways humans exploit animals. Therefore, our ministry advocates NEA as a guide to help believers change the current human method of exploiting animals to one that God intends as an ideal. NEA was introduced in Matthew A. King’s I Will Abolish the Bow: Christianity, Personhood, and the End of Animal Exploitation. It is comprised of three tenets that originate from the Bible in recognizing human duties to animals in light of personhood.

The Three Tenets of NEA

1. Humans show concern for animals as humans would show concern for themselves. This is based on Jesus’ teaching of the 2nd Great Commandment (Mark 12:31, Matthew 22:39, Luke 10:27). Similarly, humans treat animals the way we want to be treated, as Jesus taught with the Golden Rule (Matthew 7:12, Luke 6:31).
2. Humans serve animals, not exploit them, as Jesus commanded in Mark 9:35.
3. Humans foster harmony with and between animals, as seen in the picture of Eden (Genesis 1:26–30) and the New Earth (Isaiah 11:6-9, Isaiah 65:25, and Hosea 2:18)

Or, In summary – Humans should treat animals with:

1. Equality (Luke 6:31)
2. Servanthood (Mark 9:35)
3. Harmony (Isaiah 11:6–9)

NEA seeks to change humanity’s relationship from one of exploitation to a relationship built on these three biblical principles. NEA should cause us to pause and reflect on all the ways humans exploit animals and determine if they line up with these above tenets. By utilizing the principles of NEA, we advocate against all grievous forms of animal exploitation, with a focus on four industries in particular.

---

Return to Animals: Tradition - Philosophy - Religion Article