Skip to main content

Man And Beast


So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him;

male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground. (Genesis 1:27-28) 


A righteous man cares for the needs of his animal, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel (Proverbs 12:10) 


          Today is an interesting day in history. It is Humane Day, the anniversary of the founding of the ASPCA. It's also the birthday of William Booth, who cofounded the Salvation Army. It could be said that today is really all about caring for those with whom we share our lives.
          Some people seem to think the verses from Genesis quoted above are all about power and its abuse. That's how they see everything. They teach that animals should be seen as people in fur coats. Ingrid Newkirk (one of the founders of PETA) is quoted as saying, "...a rat is a pig is a dog is a boy."[1] Some claim that animal "rights" should take precedence over human rights. Because they reduce humans to the status  of "intelligent animals," these people claim we are obligated to work and even sacrifice on the behalf of all other animals. This is why it's illegal to harm a sea turtle egg, and the whole world is called to shame a person who mistreats a dog, but it's perfectly acceptable (even noble) to abort a human.
          This is not what Scripture teaches. Genesis 1 teaches that we are to see to the needs of our animals and our world. To that extent we agree with those who advocate ecological responsibility. Righteousness requires that we care for each other and for our animals. Such care does not confuse animals with people. It does not conflate animals/nature with God. It does not grant people the right to exercise power over other people, even in the name of saving the planet. Such care is in accordance with the needs and nature of each individual person or animal in obedience to God. May Humane Day (and every day) be a day in which you practice the best of humanity among those you meet.

 

 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
On the Calendar:
Human Day (ASPCA)
Birthday of
William Booth (cofounder of Salvation Army)

 


[1] Washingtonian magazine, 1986 August 1

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Virgin?

           Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14)           This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 1:18)           But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”            “How will this be,” Mary asked the...
Post a Comment
Read more

Meditations of the Heart

  May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. (Psalm19:14)           As I started writing this post, I noted that the meditations of my heart are all over the mental landscape, from a hub where eight superhighways come together to a lunar or nuclear landscape. Do you see my error? The moment I read the word meditation , I think about thoughts. But what’s described here is the meditations of our hearts ; our wills.           While the meditations of our minds may be all over the place, the meditations of our wills tend to be a little more stable by the time we are adults. We no longer tend to want to pursue the ten separate careers we did in any given day as children. Part of this is humble acceptance of reality. We come to understand that we can’t do it all. I think another part of it is disappointmen...
Post a Comment
Read more

Saved?

  I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” (John 10:28-30) “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ ” (Matthew 7:21-23) Not at all! Let God be true, and every human being a liar. As it is written: “So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge.” (Romans 3:4)   What conclusion do you draw when someone who was raised in a Christian family and church, perhaps even playing a significant role in a chur...
Post a Comment
Read more