Animals and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), animals are considered to have immortal spirits, similar to the way that human beings have immortal spirits. It is believed that animals, like humans and plants, were first before they were created physically on Earth. After their physical creation, animals "were also living souls, for I, God, breathed into them the breath of life." The spirits of animals are in the likeness of their physical bodies. As with human beings, animals' purpose in life is to be "fruitful and multiply" and have joy in their own sphere of existence It is also believed that animals will be resurrected and found in heaven.

Various leaders of the LDS Church, have taught that animals are to be treated with kindness and respect. Lorenzo Snow even told of how he had experienced a change of heart from being an avid hunter to seeing he had no right to kill animals merely for sport.

The LDS doctrine known as the Word of Wisdom states that the Lord ordained flesh of "beasts" and of "fowls of the air" "for the use of man with thanksgiving; nevertheless they are to be used sparingly; And it is pleasing to me that they should not be used, only in times of winter, or of cold, or famine." On the other hand, there is no prohibition against eating meat: "And whoso forbiddeth to abstain from meats, that man should not eat the same, is not ordained of God; For, behold, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and that which cometh of the earth, is ordained for the use of man for food and for raiment, and that he might have in abundance."

Joseph Smith taught during Zion's Camp that "the Lion lieing down with the lamb as prophecied by Isaiah could not happen until man lost his vicious desire to destroy animals."

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