Starving Children vs. Abused Animals
Starving Children vs. Abused Animals
Weighing the notion of starving children against abused animals is a really ugly subject. It upsets me to see any living creature suffer, but I’m going to address it because this is something that’s really been bothering me.
I’m not sure how many of you are familiar with the OkCupid dating site, but I’m really steamed by something I’ve been seeing there. The site has a section where you can answer questions to help improve your matches. The idea behind it is that the more questions you answer, the more accurately the system can match you with people you are compatible with.
There are hundreds (thousands?) of questions, many of them outrageously stupid because anyone can post a question, but the one that really caught my attention is “Which is worse: starving children or abused animals?”
When you click on any member’s profile, you are able to see their answers to match questions. This is the fun part because you never know what kind of crazy response and explanation someone has posted. As I began scrolling through other members’ answers, I was shocked at how many people answered that question by stating that abused animals are worse, with explanation comments such as “animals are innocent.”
What?! Now don’t get me wrong, I love animals and don’t want to see them abused, but how on earth can anyone believe abused animals are worse than starving children??
Can We Really Compare Children to Animals?
For anyone that’s a Christian, this isn’t even something that you should need to think about. God created man in His own image. We are the result of intelligent design, and God gave Adam authority over the animals in the Garden of Eden. After the Great Flood, He gave Noah permission to eat “every moving thing that lives.” Humans and animals were not created equal.
Even if you don’t believe in God or creationism, how could you possibly believe that animals are more important than humans? And don’t even give me that crap about evolution. If you want to believe you evolved from an ape, by all means, continue to think that. I’m not buying it for one single minute, and frankly, I’m not convinced Charles Darwin really believed it either.
Feel free to argue that the Lady Hope story of Darwin’s possible conversion to Christianity is a fraud. Despite those claims, most of which address only a single part of the story, there is plenty of information that supports the claims in her story. None of us will ever know if Darwin really found God before he died. I’m not convinced one way or the other, but that’s irrelevant to the current discussion anyway.
Regardless of whether you believe in creation or evolution, it’s unfathomable to me that there are so many people that don’t feel that human life is more valuable.
It’s beyond me how anyone could see an animal being abused and a child being starved to death and chose to save the animal. BOTH are horrible, but that’s like saying that if your partner was beating your dog and neglecting your child by not feeding it, that you would try to save the dog and allow him/her to starve your child to death.
Just thinking about it makes me angry! Someone please explain this logic to me. Leave a comment below and tell me your thoughts. Comments from both sides of the issue are welcome, but I’d particularly like to hear from someone that thinks they can justify stating that abused animals are more important than starving children. No crazy PETA people, please! You have more issues than we have time or space to address here.
Written By Melissa S. | Friend Melissa on Facebook | Join The Forum
December 31, 2011 @ 2:30 pm
I think people just say what they are psychologically pre-programmed to say on certain topics.
As far as human life vs animal life and the new marketing program to devalue human life, I think at the end of the day, people will help others over inferior wildlife if they had to choose.
If we are talking about the last piece of chicken on earth, and you are hanging by the edge off a cliff, I might roll with the piece of chicken, it just depends on how I am feeling that day.
I respect people more than wildlife. We need wildlife to stay around though so we can continue to enjoy steaks and fine meats. I also eat plant life like apples and veggies.
Uhh ohhh…… have started a diatribe, bye!
January 6, 2012 @ 3:33 pm
I dont subscribe to any marketing program to ‘devalue’ human life. I merely subscribe to the program of accepting all life forms relevance. Also, I am not a hindu; this point was merely referenced as an acceptance to their belief that all life is of value. I subscribe to the notion that this comparison is insane. It almost seems like an effort to devalue animal care and life. I dont think anyone (aside from a serious psychotic) would like to see animals or human treated badly. As an individual that grew up in a VERY christian home I can say that we cared for our pets very well, and valued them as family members; so were then not christians. As a Christian I would stand on the fundamentals that GOD created everything; an in that a pupose for life that should be respected. maybe I am VERY ill informed; Is there a text in the bible that specifically says that Animals have no soul. I understand this as a christian perspective, however i have never read a text stating this. Does anyone ffrom the christian perpective have one?
December 31, 2011 @ 8:10 pm
for me the proof is in the pudding as they say, as in the area i live in , there are 10-1 animal shelters ot homeless ones. and the the number for animals to food banks … i dont even want to look!
i really think that we are made to beileve that it is “every man for himself”, not to mention we treat animals as people.
now i am all about treating animals with respect and love, but didnt someone say “you are your brothers keeper”?
January 2, 2012 @ 1:21 am
Actually, have you ever questioned why this is even in comparison? Neither of which are something anyone wishes for.. Why do we have to say that we shouldnt care for animals because there are starving people. Revering all life forms should be something to be considered: none above any other. I am with the hindu’s: like Maharajah of Dewas Senior’s words: “He believes that we- men, birds, everything- are part of God, and that men have developed more than birds because they have come nearer to realizing this.” – Jen Green
January 3, 2012 @ 4:54 pm
They are being compared for the reason I mentioned in the article. The question came up on OkCupid, and I was shocked at the number of people that answered by stating that abused animals are worse than starving children.
No one ever said anything about not caring about animal abuse. As I stated, they’re both terrible, but there seems to be an awful lot more money and effort put into helping animals than there does in helping children.
We obviously must agree to disagree, because as a Christian, I believe that humans were created in God’s imagine and that animals do not have souls. All life is not created equal because God gave us dominion over the animals. That doesn’t mean we should abuse them, but that if you must choose, human life is more precious.
Thank you for your comments. Opinions and comments contrary to my own are always welcome so that we can try to see all sides.
January 6, 2012 @ 5:00 pm
well sorry i must agree that animals dont have souls as humans do… but i believe they have the “love of life “as we do!!! to be loved and respected, but not put above man!!!!!
but it is not because of religion, which is nothing more then riturals and pagen traditions passed down as TRUTHS… but this is not about fake religion… ITS ABOUT HUMAN RIGHTS!!!! please look them up or i can post a few videos that can help explain it!!!!
January 6, 2012 @ 5:01 pm
well sorry i must agree that animals dont have souls as humans do… but i believe they have the “love of life “as we do!!! to be loved and respected, but not put above man!!!!!
but it is not because of religion, which is nothing more then riturals and pagen traditions passed down as TRUTHS… but this is not about fake religion… ITS ABOUT HUMAN RIGHTS!!!! please look them up or i can post a few videos that can help explain it!!!!
January 7, 2012 @ 5:20 pm
Sean, please do not state your OPINIONS as facts. Everyone has a right to their own opinion, and if you do not believe in God, that is your choice. However, stating that something is a “fake religion” is silly. You will not know that for certain until you pass from this life, so please refrain from insulting people’s beliefs just because you don’t share them.Until that time, your opinion is one among many.
August 29, 2012 @ 8:21 pm
Religion is fake. And honestly, it’s kinda a fact.
G’day!
September 1, 2012 @ 7:37 pm
Really? Show us the evidence that religion being fake “a fact”. Stop making stupid claims if you aren’t going to post proof to back it up. We’ll be waiting.
March 17, 2012 @ 6:14 pm
Bottom line is if this country had an epidemic of starvation. Our dogs and cats would be the dinner feeding our children. It is disgusting to say that they are equally bad. What is worse seeing your child starve to death or seeing a dog tied to a tre?. Why not kill two birds with one stone and make jerky out of the 1000’s of dogs and cats that get put down a day and feed the starving children.
August 29, 2012 @ 8:20 pm
Why dont we just make jerky out of you?
August 29, 2012 @ 8:18 pm
Humans and animals were created equal, you crazy religious whack. The corruption and greed of the human race came from this “God” notion and that he gave us “authority” over animals? Although animals were long here before the human race and a majority of animals have the capabilty to hurt humans…Hmmm…
Honestly, if humans would stop breeding and over-populating, this also wouldn’t be such as issue (the issue of starving childern).
Please post again once you have gained some intelligence based on that propganda otherwise known as “The Bible.”
September 1, 2012 @ 7:38 pm
Is that so brainiac? And where is the evidence to back up your
nonsensical claims? Quit embarrassing yourself. Based upon the several
posts I just noticed that you’ve made, you appear to be a very angry.
Perhaps you should find yourself a good therapist that can help you work
through your issues.
July 22, 2013 @ 1:37 pm
If more people would use birth control we wouldn’t have so many starving children. If more people had empathy for animals we wouldn’t have animal abuse.
February 20, 2015 @ 10:28 pm
Great question! Here’s the answer I came up with-
The reason most people go with ‘abused animals’ is because we will naturally protect those closest to our heart. We don’t know these children- we probably never will. It is hard for us to feel such empathy for them when we will never meet them. Dogs, however, live with us daily. They cuddle us when we’re sad, listen when there is nobody else. They’re constant, unconditional companions. Because their such fundamental parts of our lives, we feel more empathy towards them. It’s natural, and that sort of idea of ‘family/friends first” has helped humans and animals alike survive through millennia. Both animal abuse and child starvation are indisputably wrong. Child starvation is, when objectified, obviously much more terrible. But we feel more protection over the things closest to us. And either way, the effect is the same. More smart people only buying pets when they know they can care for them, less animal abuse, less dogs in shelters, less shelters, more money that can be spent towards children.