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ESSENTIAL DESTINATIONS
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MONTH: June 2006
L E T T E R S (Cont'd)
The Bible’s Message of Kindness to Animals
Johan van der Merwe is certainly correct in his commentary on Animals, Ethics & Christianity by Matthew Priebe, published in your April 2006 edition, that “God expects us to treat animals with kindness and deep respect.”
Indeed, the Bible is full of admonitions and commandments to protect animals, nature, and the environment.
God’s very first commandment (Genesis 1:22) was to the birds, whales, fish, and other creatures to “be fruitful and multiply,” and fill the seas and the skies. God’s first Commandment to humans (Genesis 1:28) was to “replenish the earth, and have dominion over other creatures.”
These commandments concern the welfare and survival of animals, and human stewardship responsibilities towards them. So the Almighty must have considered this very important.
After God made each creature, God blessed them, “saw” that each “was good,” and pronounced the entire Creation, when it was completed, “very good.”
Later, when God promised Noah and generations to come that the earth would never again be destroyed with a flood, God included in the Covenant “every living creature––the fowl, the cattle, and every beast of the earth.” (Genesis 9: 12-17).
Psalm 36 states, “Man and beast thou savest, O Lord. How precious is thy steadfast love.” Proverbs 12:10 suggests there are two types of people: “A righteous man has regard for the life of his beast, but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.”
Psalm 104 extols the creatures of “This great and wide sea…O Lord, how manifold are thy works! In wisdom thou hast made them all: the earth is full of thy riches. The glory of the Lord shall endure forever.”
Kindness to animals is stressed throughout the Bible, and is even required in The Ten Commandments, wherein God forbids us to make our farm animals work on the Sabbath. We must give them, too, a day of rest (Exodus 20:10; 23:12).
Jesus is twice quoted (Luke 12:6, Matthew 10:29) as saying that the Lord cares for all creatures: “Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God.”
In light of the enormous abuse to which we subject billions of animals, people of faith should consider if this is how God intended for us to treat Creation, when declaring, “every beast of the earth, and every fowl of the air, all that moveth upon the earth, and all the fishes of the sea: into your hand are they delivered.” (Genesis 9:2).
––Lewis Regenstein
President
Interfaith Council for
the Protection of
Animals & Nature
(An affiliate of the
Humane Society of the U.S.)
Atlanta, Georgia
<regenstein@mindspring.com>
Lewis Regenstein is author of Replenish The Earth (1991, Crossroads), and of The Bible’s Teachings on Protecting Animals and Nature, a booklet that he has offered to send a copy of, free on request, to any ANIMAL PEOPLE reader.
Against Corvid Traps
Just a short note to give you details of a new group: <www.againstcorvidtraps.co.uk>. (Corvids are the family including crows, ravens, jays, and magpies.)
I’ve always believed there should be an initiative against these traps. Animal Concern has campaigned against traps which have been brought to our attention, but we have never had the resources to tackle this issue properly.
I have seen these traps all over Scotland, and not just in rural areas. You may have read about a woman in Bearsden who has one in her garden to catch magpies, which she kills by dashing them against a wall. Sadly there are dozens more like her.
––John F. Robins
Campaigns Consultant,
Animal Concern
P.O. Box 5178
Dumbarton G82 5YJ
Scotland, U.K.
Phone: 01389-841-639
<animals@jfrobins.force9.co.uk>
<www.animalconcern.com>