Thousands Take Pledge and Religious Leaders Sign On to Help Farm Animals

Approaching St. Francis Day, The HSUS Celebrates Faith Community Support for Animals

Ask and they shall come. It's an old saying, and once again it's been proven valid — this time for the sake of millions of farm animals.

Just last summer, The Humane Society of the United States began asking religious leaders rank and file faithful to join in a new campaign to underscore our moral responsibilities to animals, including often overlooked farm animals. From a wide range of faiths and from one coast to another, America's religious communities responded and joined ranks.

In the months since the launching of All Creatures Great and Small, a campaign of The HSUS's Animals & Religion program, thousands of individuals and families have pledged to switch to cage-free or free-range eggs, or reduce egg consumption or replace eggs for October. Scores of religious leaders and scholars have dug deep into religious heritages to remind us all of our obligations to other creatures over whom we hold power.

October was chosen as take-the-pledge month because it contains significant dates on the religious calendar recognized by Christians, Muslims, Jews and others. These include the end of Ramadan, Yom Kippur and The Feast of St. Francis, and the Patron Saint of Animals.

Animals on factory farms, and specifically of concern this October, egg-laying hens, are cruelly denied the ability to purse their most basic God-given instincts: to fly, to care for their young, even to walk. 

"All Creatures Great and Small is faith in action," said Christine Gutleben, director of The HSUS Animals & Religion program. "It provides an opportunity for religious people and communities to align their principles with their daily choices. We have only just started and the response has been breathtaking."

The campaign has support from many faiths as represented by Right Rev. John Bryson Chane, Bishop of Washington; Imam Muhammad Hagmagid Ali Vice President, Islamic Society of North America; Fr. John Dear, S.J., Nobel Peace Prize Nominee; Greg Boyd, Ph.D., president of Christus Victor Ministries; Rabbi Shear Yashuv Cohen, Ashkenazic Chief Rabbi of Haifa, Israel; and Brian McLaren, renowned author, speaker and pastor. To see the full list of endorsements, click the link in this sentence.

Many of the earliest leaders of the humane movement were individuals of deep religious conviction. Arthur Broome, an English clergyman, began the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals back in 1824 and William Wilberforce joined him as one of the founders. All Creatures Great and Small builds on this proud tradition and the basic notions of justice, truth, and goodness which derive from the teachings of the world's major religions.

In addition, several Christian music recording artists created three inspiring music videos to All Things Bright and Beautiful, in support and celebration of All Creatures Great and Small. Adjoa Skinner of North Hollywood, Calif.; Ryan O'Neal, Chad O'Neal & Dan Perdue of Sleeping At Last from Wheaton, Ill. and Erica Kirkendall of Manitou Springs, Colo. All three music videos can be viewed on The HSUS's YouTube page at youtube.com/hsus.

The HSUS screened the new film Eating Mercifully, a short film of Christian viewpoints on food, faith and factory farming, at the Washington National Cathedral last weekend. Wayne Pacelle, HSUS president and CEO, was a guest at the Sunday Forum: Critical Issues in the Light of Faith at Washington National Cathedral. On Oct. 5, in celebration of St. Francis Day, Mr. Pacelle will be the Forum guest of Dean Alan Jones at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, California.  

The HSUS is also proud to support The Green Bible from HarperOne, which also makes its debut this season, and is a fundamental resource to All Creatures Great and Small.

October is a beginning, and only a beginning for All Creatures Great and Small. People can continue to take the pledge and commit to making more humane food choices to reduce suffering and benefit the environment. The HSUS has many online resources designed to carry this message into faith communities. Study session materials include an Animals & Religion booklet series, films, sermon resources, packets for children and more.

For more information about The HSUS Animals & Religion program or All Creatures Great and Small, visit humanesociety.org/allcreatures.

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The Humane Society of the United States is the nation's largest animal protection organization — backed by 10.5 million Americans, or one of every 30. For more than a half-century, The HSUS has been fighting for the protection of all animals through advocacy, education and hands-on programs. Celebrating animals and confronting cruelty — On the web at humanesociety.org.