Animals do not fit easily within the theology of
Scripture. When a Bible story mentions an animal, it often makes the
animal seem unimportant. Saint Augustine, a great interpreter of the
Bible, for instance, told us that human beings have no moral
responsibilities toward animals. For two thousand years the church has
lived with a tension between those who emphasize God's care for every
living thing, and those who suggest humans are given priority in God's
creation.
Perhaps animals are independent beings, just as we are
independent beings. Perhaps animals are not some toy God created for us to play
with. Instead, are humans and animals equal parts of creation? That would
make it our job to provide care and compassion for all of creation.
In today's world, humans seemingly have acted on the
assumption that they were given priority in God's creation. Humans have
leveled nearly half of the world's forests to make way for agriculture,
industry and housing, accounting for crucial habitat loss for 85% of all
threatened and endangered species, according to the World Wildlife Fund.
Between 1970 and 2000, populations of such species declined by an average of
40%. In a typical year, 1.5 million birds are captured and sold as food, pets,
medicine, clothing, decorations, and tourist curios. Here in the United
States, approximately 2.7 million stray and relinquished dogs and cats are euthanized
in shelters every year.
Christianity can't take all the blame for this treatment of
animals. Many writers of the Old Testament mention the use of animal
sacrifices to God, believing that God would welcome the practice. Animal
sacrifice was being practiced long before Jesus Christ appeared. Today, by
saying that humans have no responsibility for animals, that animals not only
lack souls but are beyond God's concern, may have justified and fueled
present-day destruction of the environments of these animals.
As theological thinking has evolved, do we now bear a
spiritual as well as a biological relationship with other animals on this
earth? Today, many Presbyterians have devoted themselves to caring for
abandoned animals, advocating for humane treatment of livestock, and trying to
turn the tide of wide-scale species extinction. Many, of course, also
have pets.
The trouble begins in Genesis 1 and the central role it
imagines for humanity. Human beings, unlike other animals, are
said to be made in the "image and likeness" of God.
What is the "image of God"? The Bible does
not exactly explain this, but it does state that God blesses humanity and
commands human beings to "rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in
the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground." (Gen.
1:28) Does this justify our "authority" over other creatures?
Does "ruling" over other creatures refer merely to our life-or-death
control over them, or does it also suggest some benevolent responsibility for
their welfare, like that of a kindly monarch?
Jesus himself teaches that "not a sparrow will fall to
the ground" without the care and attention of God. (Matt. 10:29) If
we have failed to notice this fact, it may be because we have been too taken
with the notion that we are made in the divine image, and not careful enough to
reflect theologically on the nature and responsibility of that particular
honor.
Author Philip Sherman, in a recent issue of Presbyterian
Life, argues that a greater sense of responsibility for animals has
developed in the last 100 years. "As some animals have transitioned
from utilitarian purposes (labor, production, food) to companionship (pets,
therapy dogs and cats, and service animals like seeing-eye dogs), a new element
has emerged ---- LOVE. Many Christians today love animals."
We remember St. Francis of Assisi and his passion for the
care of God's creatures. Today, we sometimes even link to animals some passages
of Scripture about love, and how we're supposed to treat those we love.
Of all the traits thought to be the exclusive possession of
human beings, perhaps love and compassion have been the greatest. The
possibility that many animals are capable of deep emotional lives, including
grief and gratitude, seems increasingly a given among many in the scientific
community.
There are many ethical issues that arise from our
contemporary encounters with animals: animal experimentation, habitat
destruction, and the keeping of animals in zoos, are but a few of the issues
modern Christians must face. The deepest debates, of course, are those
about animals as human food.
There are some within the Christian tradition who argue that
killing animals is simply wrong. They remind us that Genesis 1 seems to
imagine an original vegetarian state and that other passages of Scripture look
forward to a time when "the wolf shall live with the lamb." (Isa.
11:6) suggesting that predatory life among animals will cease.
Whether many Christians accept the vegetarian argument or
not, one thing is clear: Animals are a part of the promise God has made to
us. They are to be our helpmates, and even more, they seem to be part of
our salvation on earth.
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These thoughts are brought to you by the CPC Adult
Spiritual Development Team, hoping that you will discover some spiritual growth
this fall.
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