Hunting as philosophy treads on religious ground Detroit News file photo Besides dealing with animal rights groups, hunters also need to look to their religion to determine if their actions are ethical. Deer hunters are cleaning rifles for Michigan's big deer hunt, and rights groups are cranking out protests.
Meat is life, hunters say.
Killing Bambi is cruel, responds the other side. And somewhere between are larger philosophical, even religious, questions that can tell us a lot about ourselves. If animals have rights, then violating rights with a bullet is immoral in any accepted sense of the word. Maybe it's a practical matter. Millions of cows and chickens are killed to keep fast food lines greased, with the basic chicken reduced to that efficient nugget kids love under honey.