Is it a sin?

LegacyUser

Basically, I am doing science in college and will be doing my first whole animal dissection in a couple of weeks. I have dissected an eyeball and heart and lung and kidneys etc. before in secondary school, but never actually a whole animal infront of me that I will have to cut open and do it from scratch.
I'm not a particularly squeamish person, and had no problem with the other dissections. But I looked up a video of the dissection I will be doing, and just seeing the way it's little legs and front legs were basically nailed in place to the board while it was sprawled on it's back made me feel sad. It was then just sliced down the middle and all it's tiny little organs pulled out.

I never thought about the morality of any of this when I did my previous dissections on individual body parts, infact I was always of the belief that if animals are treated humanely then there is nothing wrong with doing research to benefit humans and maybe help find cures for diseases. I also have absolutely no problem/guilt with eating meat.
My lecturer told me this animal will be killed humanely by gas.

After watching the video I looked up some stuff about dissections, and found that there are virtual dissections available, and that the students who learned from them actually outdid the students who did real dissections in a final real life dissection exam.
It said that therefore dissections aren't really necessary at all, and that it is completely monstrous to raise creatures for the sole person of cutting them up then discarding them.
It kinda just upset me and made me feel guilty.

I'm not a hugely religious person, I don't attend mass, I don't agree with the catholic church in a huge number of areas, and I believe in evolution etc., but I do pray to God very regularly for other people and myself.

What I would like to know is:
Is it a sin to dissect an animal? Is there any Christian teaching which says that it is against God's wishes to kill an animal without the purpose of eating it?

I didn't have any problem with it at all till I saw that video, and something about it made me feel very guilty that I will be doing it too in a few weeks.
My college doesn't have virtual dissection technology to my knowledge, and this will be a very important experience for my course. I can see the benefits in it, and was even looking forward to it until today.

Sorry for the weird questions, if it would be better suited to the Christianity forum then feel free to move. Cheers.

Ickle Magoo

Bearing in mind you want a very specific answer regarding the christian ethics of animal dissection, I think this is better suited to the christianity forum.

Moved from PI.

Fanny Cradock

There, of course, is a huge moral debate to be had about rights and wrongs of testing on animals. And while this may well spill over into some areas of Christian debate, I don't think there is much in the Bible or Christian tradition to say that what you are doing is explicitly wrong.

As an aside, I wonder why you think that Christianity and evolution are necessarily incompatible?

homer911

I'm pretty sure that God put animals on the earth for the service of man - in terms of food, companionship and, I'm sure, in other ways - particularly in their use as sin offerings as documented in the OT, and I doubt if these offerings were all subsequently consumed by the priests

Would the OP have a problem with euthanasing a pet that was in terminal decline, in pain, and beyond the help of vetinary science? Dissecting a dead animal and learning from it may subsequently save the lives of many other animals, so in terms of the greater good, I dont see the issue.

(dont get me started on the Japanese killing whales for scientific research though!)

philologos

OP: I say go for it if it is carried out in sustainable amounts.

Jester Minute

I dissected a rat at school. I think if you approach the exercise with respect for the animal, there is no sin.

By respect, I mean to carry out the dissection in the most careful, accurate, and professional way possible. I actually reassembled the rat after I'd finished the exercise, which may strike some as a little weird.

Sometimes in schools you see people treating the dissected animals in a rude fashion, perhaps by throwing bits across the room or whatever. This is not right.

We must strike a balance between genuine respect for God's creatures whilst avoiding extremism, such as, in my view, wailing and crying over felled trees.

ColmDawson

OP, if you aren't religious (don't attend mass and disagree with the RCC) would it matter if religious people told you it could be considered a sin?

philologos

ColmDawson - Shouldn't we respect the OP's wishes. The OP may not subscribe formally to everything the RCC has decreed, but the OP seems to be very interested in God's will for their life including their science. It is actually laudible that the OP is thinking of ethical limits in science.

The OP is interested in Christ, and His ways for their life. This is praiseworthy irrespective of what denomination the OP happens to be. The OP doesn't seem to be an atheist or agnostic hence why this is here.

JimiTime

First of all, to mirror what Jackass said, much kudos for contemplating the ethics. Personally, I think its a matter for ones conscience.

What I would consider, is what God asked of man when he first gave us animals to eat (As we were not given animals for food originally). He asked man to spill out the blood of the animal as it represented the life which belonged to God. So if I were in your position, I would probably think along the lines that this life has value to God, and that he provided it. Rather than it being about 'respecting the animal', it is about respecting that life is provided by God, and in taking life, we should remember who it belongs to.

I think how animals are used in science is a grey area. Dissecting dead animals, I'd probably not have an issue with myself, if the above is observed. Experimenting on live animals though, that would probably cause a few issues.

Again, kudos for contemplating the ethics and how it is viewed by the creator.

ColmDawson

Jakkass wrote: »

ColmDawson - Shouldn't we respect the OP's wishes. The OP may not subscribe formally to everything the RCC has decreed, but the OP seems to be very interested in God's will for their life including their science. It is actually laudible that the OP is thinking of ethical limits in science.

The OP is interested in Christ, and His ways for their life. This is praiseworthy irrespective of what denomination the OP happens to be. The OP doesn't seem to be an atheist or agnostic hence why this is here.

How have I suggested we not respect his wishes? Of course it's good that we're aware of ethics in science and I was not under the impression that the OP is an atheist.

What I am curious about is the OP's mechanism for deciding what bits of Christianity he agrees with, and how that would affect his consideration of the views presented to him here.

philologos

The OP as far as I see it wishes to obey and follow the Lord in their lives. This is praiseworthy, more praiseworthy than much in the world. The OP is seeking for guidance about how best to live a Christian existence in their scientific field.

The OP doesn't agree with every teaching of the Roman Catholic Church, but is a Christian. This doesn't mean that they are limiting Christianity in any shape or form, just that they aren't following every teaching of the RCC which may or may not be the core of Christian teaching.

I certainly would encourage the OP to become familiar with the Bible as it would be a great help in their lives if they really want to live this way.

The OP wants Christian advice, therefore it was moved to the Christianity section. If the OP wanted advice from atheists, Buddhists or Muslims they would have gone to any of the other forums on this site which deal with this.

wolfsbane

Not Sure About It said:

What I would like to know is:
Is it a sin to dissect an animal? Is there any Christian teaching which says that it is against God's wishes to kill an animal without the purpose of eating it?

I didn't have any problem with it at all till I saw that video, and something about it made me feel very guilty that I will be doing it too in a few weeks.
My college doesn't have virtual dissection technology to my knowledge, and this will be a very important experience for my course. I can see the benefits in it, and was even looking forward to it until today.

Hi. As other brethren have indicated, animals were given to us for our benefit - for food, clothing, labour, and lately for scientific research. But they are not to be abused, or even used without respect.

So to you problem. IF a viable alternative to killing for dissection is there, it would be immoral to keep on killing. But it seems that is not the case with your college, so you must continue with what you have.

Genesis 9:1 So God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them: “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth. 2 And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be on every beast of the earth, on every bird of the air, on all that move on the earth, and on all the fish of the sea. They are given into your hand. 3 Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. I have given you all things, even as the green herbs. 4 But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood.
_________________________________________________________________
Proverbs 12:10 A righteous man regards the life of his animal,
But the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.

PDN

So long as the creature is dead, then I don't see how cutting it up could possibly be sinful. Heck, butchers cut up dead animals all day long.

Now if you were asked to cut it up while it was still alive - that would be more of an issue ........