If you think your life is very important to you, then why you can't think other animals also ?

I too respect all Life, the standard I try to live by is:"The only way I'll kill something is if it's goin to eat me or I'm goin to eat it."

Well, aside from the fact that they taste good...

(I am sorry I know you are serious.)

The reasons that I do not value the life of an animal the same as the life of a human are:

1. Humans were given the ability to reason and to think analytically but, even as smart as many animals are, they cannot.

2. Humans were created different from other created beings because they are the only ones made in God's own image. And when God did this He gave man dominion over the other beings. ( I put this point second not because I do not believe that it is the most important but because I do not think that you will believe this since you are asking the question in the first place and did not want you to stop reading...)

3. Animals eat their young, feces, and eachother. I will not say that this has never been done by a human but it is certainly not done by those posessing all of their mental faculties. (My point in this is that one cannot use the argument that anilmals are not bloodthirsty, just watch the animal planet sometime.)

All this said, I do not think that cruelty is ever justified. There is sanctitty in life and it ought to always be respected. I value my life and that of any other humans over any animal anytime, but that does not mean that I do not also value animal life. Simply because we have been given the advantage over animals does not give us leave to act, well...animalistically.

I DO think animals consider their own lives important.

I am not a Christian. I respect nature. I respect every animal that had to die just so that me, and my family, can have a decent meal. I do not consider its life to be any less then my own. I know the animal didn't want to die.

Why would you equate animal life with human life? Do you not understand that there is a food chain and humans are at the top.

I do because I live by the Cowboy Code. I am also gentle women the elderly children

They are important to them!

I am not an animal.

i value life...be it a small insects or a mammoth i do believe that everything on this planet has right to live...