Ecumenical animal studies

Abstract

The presented text is located at the intersection of theology and philosophy with a particular focus on the study of human-animal relations in scientific terms (human animal studies). The author refers to a new research sub-discipline that deals with the place of animals in the Christian history of salvation. The premise of the research is to organize the conceptual apparatus and critically reflect on the validity of the use of the terms ecotheology/animal theology and justify their ecumenical meaning. In his research, the author takes a polycentric view of the world (bio – zoo – anthropo –) recognizing that all living beings have intrinsic value and are valuable in themselves, while man is one of many equal elements of the created world. The purpose of the analyses is to determine the place of animals in Christian ecumenical theology. A comparative methodology was applied in capturing the ecotheological reflection of basic Christian denominations (Catholicism, Orthodoxy, Protestantism). An objective and reliable reflection on the attitude of these faiths to the world of animals was assumed, especially in view of the constantly recurring thought antagonizing these faiths. The subject matter of the study is part of the considerations in the field of ecotheology, which are carried out mainly by Western scholars in relation to Catholic and Protestant theology, less frequently in the East.