Animals And World Religions By Lisa Kemmerer: Chapter Analysis

The Hindu religious traditions and practices with regards to the perspective on animals is that nature is sacred, with God and nature being one and the same (Kemmerer p 56). Animals and World Religions by Lisa Kemmerer is a book written about how religions of the world view non human animals. Chapter 2, Hindu Traditions, focuses on the role of non human animals in the Hindu religion. Kemmerer starts out by giving some details about the background of the Hindu religion. Hindu verses or scriptures and traditions date back nearly four thousand years in India (Kemmerer p 56). In the first few pages, Kemmerer talks about Hindu religious terms and the meanings of those terms in relationship to animals. Then she goes on to write about divine-animal relations. Kemmerer tells stories about how non human animals are used as vehicles for the gods, as gods themselves or to tell a moral story.

Kemmerer shows how Hindu religion views all animals, non human and humans, as coming from the same source, with a soul and connection to the “divine” (Kemmerer p 57). She also writes that in Hindu traditions, humans cannot dominate those weaker or less powerful than them but are to use compassion to help those weaker or less powerful (Kemmerer p 61). The Hindu religious terms, reincarnation, dharma, karma, ahisma, atman, as explained by Kemmerer, shows the connection between all livings things in the Hindu religion and will show how that relates to speaking up for the suffering on animals