March 3, 2011
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Official statements and historical and contemporary references on animals
-
A young girl shows love for her horse. The HSUS
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) was founded by Joseph Smith, Jr., in 1830.
LDS members are often referred to as Mormons, a nickname taken from the title of The Book of Mormon, one of the Church's four sacred texts. Today, there are more than 7 million members in the United States, and 13.8 million worldwide.
Throughout its history, LDS leaders have extolled the need for kindness toward animals.
"A true Latter-day Saint is kind to animals, is kind to every created thing, for God created all." --from David O. McKay, "Conference Reports (Oct. 1951), 180 as reprinted in Richard D. Stratton, Kindness to Animals and Caring for the Earth: Selections from the Sermons and Writings of Latter-day Saint Church Leaders (Inkwater Press, 2004), viii.
President Joseph Fielding Smith (1970-72) said cruelty to animals leads to cruelty to humans, is a sign of the absence of true religion, and will be punished by God. “...doing wrong to animals is but a stepping stone to the doing of wrong to our fellow men." --from Joseph F. Smith, in Stratton, Kindness to Animals, 66.
Read more of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints religious statements on animals through this PDF.