Module 33
模組33
Religion and animal welfare
宗教與動物福利
This module will enable you to
本模組將使您能夠
• Understand some aspects of the
perceptions and uses of animals in
different religions
了解宗教對動物使用的各種看法(立場)
• Comment on religious influences on
animal welfare
討論宗教對動物福利的影響
What is religion?
何謂 “宗教”?
• General definition 一般定義
– Any specific system of belief about deity
任何特定對神的信仰系統
– Often involves: 通常包括
• Rituals 儀式
• A holy book 神聖的經典
• A code of ethics 倫理教規
• A set of essential beliefs about deity, humanity
and the rest of the universe, including what
happens after death 對神的成套信仰，人性以及
宇宙萬物，包括死後世界。
Animals and religion
動物與宗教
• Impacts of religions on relationships
between humans and animals:
宗教對人與動物之間的關係的影響:
– Religious views 宗教與動物
– Sacred animals 聖潔動物
– Religious slaughter 宗教的屠宰儀式
– Animal sacrifice 動物祭祀
Animals and religion
動物與宗教
• Religions influence philosophy, culture and
science
宗教會對哲學、文化、與科學都會產生衝擊
• Most religions refer to animals, but not in detail
大部分宗教不特別論及動物
• Many religious and cultural attitudes towards
animals are by inference or extension 許多宗教
或文化對動物的態度多來自於推論或擴展的看法。
Examples of different religions
不同宗教的例子
• Henotheistic religions 單一主神教
– Hinduism 印度教
• Non-theistic religions 非神教
– Buddhism 佛教
• Monotheistic religions 一神教
– Sikhism 錫克教
– Judaism 猶太教
– Islam 伊斯蘭教
– Christianity 基督教
Hinduism and Buddhism
印度教與佛教
• Nature is sacred 自然是神聖的
• Humans not more significant than other living
beings 人類不比眾生有更深的意義(眾生平等)
• Buddhism based on a universal idea of
compassion for all life 佛教主張全面的關懷眾生
• Hinduism preaches non-injury and doing what is
beneficial to all creatures 印度教宣揚無傷害並且
篤行有益眾生之事
Judaism, Islam and Christianity
猶太教, 回教, 與基督教
• Judaism brings animals into the moral
arena 猶太教將動物帶入道德論壇
• Christianity has traditionally emphasised
differences between humans and animals
but now also promotes compassion
基督教強調人與動物的差異且無憐憫動物
的傳統
• Islam promotes kindness to living
creatures 回教強調善待眾生
Attitudes to particular species
對特別物種的態度
• Some species are avoided 不碰的動物
– Pigs are not eaten by Jews or Muslims
猶太教徒或穆斯林不吃豬肉
• Some have been singled out as sacred
有些被尊為聖動物
– Elephants, monkeys, cattle and rodents in
Asia 大象、猴子、牛以及鼠類(亞洲)
– Reptiles, cats and birds of prey in South
America 作為誘餌的爬蟲類、貓、鳥(南美)
Sacred animals: Monkeys
聖動物:猴子
• Long-tailed macaques in
Bali and Thailand
峇里島與泰國之長尾猴
– Treated as sacred (‘druwe’)
被視為聖潔的動物
– Hundreds may gather to
be fed 數百隻猴子被集體餵養
– Wild monkeys join–is
religious status adversely
altering wild behaviours?
野猴也來向觀光客要食物–這些宗教
情形是否違反了原本之野生行為?
Sacred animals: Monkeys
聖動物:猴子
• Rhesus macaques in India印度的恆河獼猴
– ~500,000 monkeys 約有50萬隻恆河獼猴
– 60 % live among humans 其中有60%與
人類一起生活
• Monkeys have a consecrated status in
Hinduism where they are viewed as gods
印度教將猴子視為神
Sacred animals: Cattle
聖動物:牛
• Hinduism (e.g. Nepal,
India) 印度教(如:尼泊爾、
印度)
• Devi (goddess) 女神
• Identified with Aditi
(mother of the gods) 神母
• Milk, curd, butter, urine,
and dung used in rites of
purification and penance
乳,凝乳,奶油,糞做為儀式
之告解物
Sacred animals: Cattle
聖動物:牛
Slaughter of cows is
legal in only a few
Indian states so some
cattle travel long
distances by road for
slaughter
印度僅少數地區允許屠
宰乳牛, 故大部分乳牛
屠宰前必須長途跋涉到
屠宰場
Religious slaughter: Islam
宗教屠宰:伊斯蘭教
• Dhabh or Zabihah
伊斯蘭教教屠宰稱為Dhabh或Zabihah
• Can be carried out by most Muslims (male or
female)可由任何穆斯林執行(男性或女性)
• Produces Halal meat 產生哈拉肉
• Requires use of a sharp knife and utterance of
Allah’s name at the moment the neck is cut
用利刃切頸的一刻要呼叫阿拉
– Death by exsanguination 放血後死亡
Religious slaughter: Judaism
宗教屠宰:猶太教
• Shechita 猶太屠宰稱為Shechita
• Carried out by a trained slaughterman
(Shochet), licensed by the Rabbinic Commission
猶太屠夫需要受訓並經由拉比委員會核發執照,
• Produces Kosher meat 產生潔淨的肉
• The animals must be healthy and without any
prior injury 動物必須健康且不能受傷
• The knife must be regularly sharpened
用利刃割頸部動脈與靜脈放血致死
Religious slaughter: Welfare issues
宗教屠宰之福利議題
• Dhabh and Shechita slaughter were ‘best
practice’ when introduced
宗教屠宰是當時認為最完美的屠宰方式
• Scientific research indicates that it is possible to
bring about rapid insensibility by stunning, then
death by bleeding out 科學研究指出完美的屠宰
方式應該是快速致昏然後放血致死
• Without stunning, pain and distress are likely to
last significantly longer than the distress caused
by stunning 未經快速致昏，疼痛與緊迫的時間會
比經過快速致昏來得長
Cultural and religious sacrifice
文化與宗教的動物獻祭
• Animals are sacrificed in many parts of the
world 世界上有許多地區仍然有動物獻祭
– to seek blessings, for festivals, and to
appease gods 求福、慶典、討好(安慰)神
Conclusions 結論
• Religious practices and attitudes have some positive,
some negative effects on animal welfare
宗教的常規與態度對動物福利有正面與負面的影響。
• Some species have a sacred status in major
religions, but this does not automatically imply better
welfare 在主要宗教中被[分別為聖]的動物並未自動獲
得較好的福利
• Religious sacrifices are still carried out even where
illegal 有些宗教犧牲動物對神祭祀–但做法是違法的
• Awareness of animal welfare is increasing in religious
communities
宗教社群對動物福利的議題敏感度逐漸提昇
Further Reading
• Carlos, S 1987 Animal sacrifice ritual spurs rights debate in DC.
Washington Post, October 30
• Council of Europe 2006 Ethical Eye: Animal Welfare. Council of
Europe, Strasbourg
• Coward, H 2005 Moral and ethical approaches to the use of
animals in religions. In: Exploring the Moral and Ethical Aspects
of Genetically Engineered and Cloned Animals, pp. 20-25. Pew
Initiative on Food & Biotechnology, Washington, DC
• Grandin, T, Regenstein J. Religious slaughter and animal
welfare. A discussion for meat scientists. Meat Focus
International - March 1994 pages 115-123
Published by : CAB International. Available online at:
www.grandin.com/ritual/kosher.slaugh.html
• Wheatley, BP 1999 The sacred monkeys of Bali. University of
Alabama at Birmingham, Waveland Press, Illinois