"Ensouling" that which Crawls Upon the Earth: My Photo Project

By Mona Chatterjee

ç(Catchy opening with your research question worked in) Look into their eyes. Do you see a window to the soul of a dog, a snake, a sheep through these photographs? Do animals have souls? While many interpret the creation story of Genesis 1 to say that only human beings were created "in the image and likeness" of God, my research focused on theologians who are engaging other aspects of Christian tradition as well as scientific research on animal psychology. What I found was that the way one defines a "soul" most often determines the answer to this question................ (Add description of most important research findings).......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

(Why this format) My passion for photography led me to take portraits of animals, inviting the viewer to see animals through the same lens as we often view human beings. (Attempt to make your own social justice statement) In light of my research, I think that animals do have souls, and this insight should change the way that human beings relate to other creatures on this planet.