The Anti-Oppression Principle

The Lord gives deliverance (Ps 119:134), safety (Isa 38:14), shelter (Ps 9:9), and justice (10:17–18, 103:6, 146:7) to the oppressed. Fittingly, the Egyptians oppressed his people, so God sent Moses to bring them out of Egypt (Exod 3:9–12). In Luke 4:18, Jesus quoted Isa 61:1 to declare liberty for the oppressed. The Bible consistently associates oppression with negative attributes (Deut 26:7; 1 Sam 12:3, Ps 42:9, 43:2, 55:3, 56:1, 72:14, 107:39; Ecc 5:8, 7:7; Isa 30:12, 59:13; Jer 22:3, 22:17; Ezek 22:29; Amos 4:1; Zeph 3:1; James 2:6). Oppressing others insults God (Prov 14:31) who asks for correction (Isa 1:17). Zechariah 7:9–10 condemns oppressing the poor (Prov 22:16), foreigners, widows, and orphans (Mal 3:4–5). Those who make oppressive laws and deny justice to the oppressed are condemned (Isa 10:1–2), including towns (Jer 6:6). Oppression could be a punishment from God (Amos 6:14). However, he promised no more for his people (Zech 9:8). The Bible thoroughly communicates God’s repugnance toward oppression. ‘The Anti-Oppression Principle’ recognizes this abhorrence and demands that oppressive industries/activities be ended. Many of the above verses exclusively refer to the oppression of humans. However, utilizing The New Covenant Interpretation Method and The Unity of Creation Principle, our ministry applies these passages to animals. Therefore, ‘The Anti-Oppression Principle’ recognizes God’s repugnance toward industries/activities that oppress animals and his desire for them to stop. Thus, based on this principle, our ministry opposes the exploitation of animals for food, fashion, and experimentation.