1. "You shall not steal" THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT

2. The seventh commandment enjoins respect for the integrity of creation. Animals, like plants and inanimate beings, are by nature destined for the common good of past, present, and future humanity. Use of the mineral, vegetable, and animal resources of the universe cannot be divorced from respect for moral imperatives. Man's dominion over inanimate and other living beings granted by the Creator is not absolute; it is limited by concern for the quality of life of his neighbor, including generations to come; it requires a religious respect for the integrity of creation.

3. Watch video on Samsara. Just take it in and we will discuss the video afterwards.

4. “THE GREATNESS OF A NATION AND ITS MORAL PROGRESS CAN BE JUDGED BY THE WAY ITS ANIMALS ARE TREATED.” ― Mahatma GandhiMahatma Gandhi

5. WHAT DOES THE CATHOLIC CHURCH TEACH US ABOUT ANIMAL RIGHTS? Animals are our fellow creatures, which we should care for and in which we should delight, just as God delights in their existence. It is a sin to torture them, to allow them to suffer, or to kill them uselessly. Nevertheless, man may not place love of animals above love of man. From the YouCat #437 –

6. Did you know that more than 27 billion animals are killed for food every year? The average American eats approximately 95 animals a year.

7. PETA believes: Animals deserve rights, regardless of how they taste or how convenient it is to experiment on them. Like humans, animals are capable of suffering and have an interest in leading their own lives. They are not ours to use for food, clothing, experimentation, or entertainment. Catholic Church Teaches: God entrusted animals to the stewardship of those whom he created in his own image. Hence it is legitimate to use animals for food and clothing. They may be domesticated to help man in his work and leisure. Medical and scientific experimentation on animals is a morally acceptable practice if it remains within reasonable limits and contributes to caring for or saving human lives.

8. U.S. LAW STATES: Passed in 1966, the Animal Welfare Act gives limited protection to some animals but does not cover farm animals. Nor does it cover rats, mice, and birds, who are commonly used as test subjects in laboratories. More than 30 states have recently enacted laws to give some protection to animal companions, making it a felony to intentionally harm or abuse an animal, but the laws do not protect animals on farms or in research labs, circuses, or rodeos.

9. Watch Father Frank Mann’s interview about his transformation to vegan.

10. THE CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA PUTS IT WELL: Only a person, that is, a being possessed of reason and self-control, can be the subject of rights and duties. Rights and duties are moral ties which can only exist in a moral being, or person. Since animals have neither reason or self-control, they have no rights. This is probably the same reasoning as to why you aren’t adults until you’re 18.

11. While Catholic ethical doctrine insists upon the merciful treatment of animals, it does not place kindness towards them on the same plane of duty as towards our fellow- men. Excessive fondness for them is no sure index of moral worth; it may be carried to un-Christian excess (i.e. PETA supporters blowing up mink ranches); and it can coexist with grave laxity in far more important matters (like starving children in Africa, etc).

12. It is contrary to human dignity to cause animals to suffer or die needlessly. It is likewise unworthy to spend money on them that should, as a priority, go to the relief of human misery. One can love animals; one should not direct to them the affection due only to persons. (So those people who treat their dogs like their babies… that’s a no).

13. Pope John Paul wrote: One cannot use with impunity [exemption from punishment] the different categories of beings, whether living or inanimate—animals, plants, the natural elements—simply as one wishes, according to one’s own economic needs. On the contrary, one must take into account the nature of each being and of its mutual connection in an ordered system, which is precisely the cosmos (On Social Concern, 34).

14. Are we taking care of our environment as we are supposed to? Do we keep with the teachings of the Church in our regards to animals and resource use? Consider this…

15. ACCORDING TO THE WORLD WILDLIFE FOUNDATION(WWF) Our planet is in a state of constant change in which species evolve; some disappear. The current speed at which species are disappearing, however, is directly connected to the way we are over-exploiting our planet. The rapid loss of species that we are witnessing today is estimated by some experts to be between 100 and 1,000 times higher than the expected natural extinction rate! And this is even a conservative estimate. Some studies estimate current extinction rates as 1,000–11,000 times higher than what would happen naturally. Unlike mass extinction events, which involve major geological events, the current extinction phenomenon is caused by a single species: humans.

16. SO HOW ARE YOU HELPING THE ENVIRONMENT? What does a ‘green’ person do?

17. http://www.myfootprint.org/

18. WHAT DOES THE YOUCAT SAY ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT? We fulfill God’s commission with regard to creation when we care for the earth, with its biological laws, its variety of species, its natural beauty, and its dwindling resources, as a living space and preserve it, so that future generations also can live well on earth. #436 Putting it simply, we are stewards of the earth and must take care of it.

19. Check out garbage video.

20. We’re breaking into small group! Each group will have one environmental topic to read about. You’re going to explain what your topic was about, then You are going to present your 10 facts to the class by writing it out on a sheet of paper. Finally, tell us 1 thing we could do to help better the situation. Be ready to present!

25. Pacific Garbage Dump Movie

26. Considering all you have learned about being stewards of the earth, what could you do as a corporeal and spiritual work of mercy for the earth?

27. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6N0FSuHKU0 Urban gleaners http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6N0FSuHKU0