Created Equal:
A Case for the Animal-Human Connection		        
 
This is a wonderful book - - that is to say, full of wonder and perhaps unique in literature.  Arguing forth the concept of animal equality (the equal inherent worth of all species), Bringas delivers his case with logical precision and force.

Sometimes a scientist, sometimes a philosopher, sometimes a comic, sometimes the assessor of public opinion, he is constantly a teacher attempting to correct a dominating ignorance and indifference to the rightful status of animals.

While not strictly an animal rights text, his concept of animal equality (or AE as he puts it) certainly has enormous implications for that movement as well as for most of us who believe our superior intellect and the "uniqueness of soul" brings with it a status of ultimate worth.  As you can imagine, to challenge these cherished beliefs rattles the linchpins of social and religious thought.  The contemplation of AE also carries wide implications for those of us who consume these creatures in our everyday diet.  

But is it possible that other animals share equal worth with humans?  The answer herein is not simply a possible yes, but an emphatic yes!  Even the most tenacious skeptical will find this engaging argument compelling.  You are invited to read it, and be disturbed.

Synopsis article by Dr Robert Erickson and Rev. Lee Neish

Hampton Road Publishers

By Ernie Bringas
Created Equal:  A Case 
for the Animal Human Connection.
  • Paperback: 184 pages 
  • Publisher: Hampton Roads Pub Co; (August 2003)
  • ASIN:  1571743103
  • ISBN:   1-57174-382-0  
  • $13.95 List
  • On Amazon
  • On Barnes & Nobles

The question of animal rights is the subject of heated debate in contemporary circles.  But Ernie Bringas takes the debate a step further:  How can we talk about giving animals 'rights' unless we first accord them equal value as spiritual, cognizant beings designated by the same Creator?  At once playful and thought-provoking, far-reaching and soul-searching, Created Equal examines important questions surrounding a topic of vast moral, spiritual, evolutionary, economic, and political importance.  

Why should we consider all animals to have equal value?  And how do we apply animal equality in a way that's right and practical?  Tackling such controversial topics as killing for sport or sustenance, meat consumption, animal research, and insect ethics,  Bringas will disturb you, inspire you, and leave you wondering about humankind's real place on the cosmic totem pole.

  • An expansive treatment of controversial issue represented globally by organizations such as PETA and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA).

  • Features twenty original cartoons created by the author, humorously confronting the entrenched behaviors and popular excuses that promote and sustain animal inequality.

  • reveals benefits that the practice of animal equality would yield for humans on a physical, spiritual, social, and environmental level.

Article by Hampton Road Publishers
Ernie Bringas received his master of divinity degree at United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio, in 1966.  As an ordained minister of the United Methodist Church, he has served in various positions at churches in California and Texas.  Bringas lives in Mesa, Arizona, and teaches a World Religions course at Arizona State University and Glendale Community College.  

Ernie Bringas was one of the founding members of the 60's group:  "The Rip Chords"   - - - Check out his www.RipChords.info web site by clicking the icon at the left side of this page. You can hear his voice on almost all of the Rip Chords recordings! 

Web Site by G. Ted Larson
Updated April 2007

 Info about his other book:

Click here to see the author's previous work, Going By The Book, which is now old and out of print, but still an excellent find, and available in used book sites on the web.