“I thought he was dumb / [...] Yet I've heard him cry” (D.H. Lawrence, Tortoise Shout) : o ludzko-zwierzęcych emocjach w dyskursie religijnym

Abstract

The article aims to confront the question of emotions triggered by an ever more noticeable presence of animals in the religious and theological discourse (mostly Christian and Jewish one), as well as the topic of animal emotions, including, first and foremost, animal suffering, as it is represented in religious thinking and made part of everyday living by people of various religious beliefs. An important point of reference is the ongoing discussion on religious slaughter which involves both the religious views and habits of the followers of Judaism and Islam, and those of their Christian opponents, supposedly superior in terms of their enlightened attitudes. The analysis undertaken in the article concerns not only the affective elements of this all‑too‑human debate, but also its impact on the actual position of animals that are made to suffer and put to death, as well as the ongoing campaign for the religious recognition of animal suffering and sacrifice (Andrew Linzey, Aaron S. Gross). The main theme of the article is introduced by the poetic reflection on the dramatic imagery and striking formulations of David Herbert Lawrence’s poem Tortoise Shout, which ponders on the idea of animal emotion and communication in order to sketch a broad vision of human‑animal community grounded in spiritual and sacral experience.