It's not that they don't like animals. It's that they don't view animals as equal to humans. They believe that god made them superior to animals, so what happens to animals doesn't really matter.

I can't speak to other religions, but I'm pretty sure there's a passage in the bible that says that (paraphrasing) mankind has dominion over animals. Some clearly interpret this to mean "God says I can be as shitty as I want to animals".

I know a fair number of religious people, They don’t seem to be any more or less cruel than non-religious people.

I think it depends on what you mean by “animal friendly”. If you mean own a pet and treat it well. I don’t think there is a correlation. At least in the southern US I would be willing to bet a majority of religious families have owned a pet.

If you mean “they care more for animals than humans” then I would agree. The world is big and I am not an expert on religions, but most of the ones around here do think animals are less than humans. But I think you can believe that while being animal friendly. Becusse I believe that and my dogs are spoiled as shit.

Genesis 1:28 (KJV): "And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth."

According to one religious person I've talked to, animals don't have "souls" so they're not worth anything. I argued there's no difference, many animals have emotions and awareness, just like us. His reply was they we are smarter than animals.

I asked what about dumb people then, because there's considerable overlap between the dumbest people and the smartest animals. Like at what "IQ" do you obtain a soul? That's about when he tried changing the subject.

Oh I'd say this is definitely just anecdotal to you personally. Lots of animal shelters are owned, operated and funded by religious organizations.

St Francis of Assisi was an animal lover, by all accounts 😂

I think this is because many religions convince their followers that they are the center of the uni, and that the sun, mountains, animals, and birds were all created to serve them. In contrast, non-religious people are much more likely to see the bigger picture, that they are simply part of nature.

​Also, some religions like Islam for example, treat dogs as something to be avoided. For example, there's a Hadith that says: "Angels do not enter a house in which there is a dog or a picture"! So that is the case with Islam, since I come from a Muslim background.

Guess I'm going against the grain here, but in my experiences, no not really.

At least here in Aus I've never noticed any correlation between animal friendliness and religion. My family for example is very religious (I'm not), and quite conservative (I'm definitely not lol), but they care for animals better than they care for other people.

What I have noticed is more fear from other cultures. For example, I have an Indian neighbour who never grew up around dogs, especially big dogs. When I first picked up my German Shepherd as an 8 week old pup, they were scared shitless of him! Scared of a cute little fur ball, with paws too big for his body just flailing around bumping into things, literally one of the cutest things I've ever seen!

Not dismissing the question on religion being linked to animal friendliness, but maybe region and cultural factors are also playing a role here?

I try not to associate with that kind of people, but just about every hyper religious nut that I know personally has had at least one dog. Only one of those has had cats.

But, I'll definitely verify the second part. I'm an atheist who has 5 cats (had a dog too, but she passed) and has successfully gotten a squirrel and at least one chipmunk to eat from my hand.

I wouldn't call myself religious, it's more of a lifestyle but I am Christian and Love animals. They always have a place in my heart. And I love to draw them.