[Georgia Avenue]

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For Christianity, it would simply be a matter of expanding the current definition of "neighbor". As Christians we should "respect" God's creatures to begin with. Now we should "love them".


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I agree. BUT some Christians already do believe that animals have souls. Some believe that rocks have souls...Some believe that quarks have souls.

Anyone who understands evolution has to agree that it would be possible to make an animal species (eventually--I think it would take +1000 years of simple selective breeding—less with genetic manipulation) as intelligent as man.

So, just by contemplating this: yes, a traditional Christian must re-consider his belief that mankind is somehow favored over animals. A Gnostic just nods and continues about his business.

Again, there is a difference between acknowledging that humans are on par with animals Spiritually and acting as if we are equals. Practically we must continue to dominate other species for our own good. But as the David is pointing out, the difference between animal and human intelligence is only one of DEGREE not KIND. Soon we will solidify our understanding of the biological components of intelligence and begin to craft smarter people through gene therapy etc, so why not smarter monkeys too?

And I’m sorry to burst your bubble Mr. S, but they have already performed this experiment. It’s called Dog Breeding and it has been going on for thousands of years.