Harming Animals

[kat8585]

PETA is a terrorist organization.... they started out with some legitimate and logical concerns for animals and they've evolved into crazy behavior that goes beyond their originally stated mission...

I have a pet that I love and care for. I do not confuse her with a human being - she is an animal. (She probably doesn't realize she's not human, but I do). I have been know to rescue animals that need help and find them suitable homes. I've paid a lot of vet bills that resulted from these missions of mercy and have a wonderful and understanding husband. On one occasion, many many years ago I abducted an older German Shepherd on a 2 foot chain who had a full inch of ice on his back and bloody paws from standing on frozen ground. I tried to call animal control and the weather was too bad for them to intervene. The owner who said someone "left" the dog there said it wasn't his problem. I prayed about it and then, I believe, God made it my problem. That dog was with me for 7 years and always afraid of the dark.... I always remember the way he looked at me that night.... fierce, big, growling and so bitterly cold... but he was cooperative and didn't bite me and let me bring him in and clean him up - I am terrified of big dogs... but we sized each other up and were accepting of our situation. He laid next to my bed each night for the next 7 years. When I got up to tend to a crying child or holding one who was so ill - Frosty was there.... always watching with those kind gentle eyes. I miss him still.

All said... God gave us dominion over animals and sometimes - they have dominion over our hearts. That's not a bad thing. Blessings...

That made me cry.

[nebula]

I see alot of emotional responses...but none that actually add up to "sin."

[Axxman]

All said... God gave us dominion over animals and sometimes - they have dominion over our hearts. That's not a bad thing. Blessings...

Nice story...

My wife is very animal compassionate too. Its not unusual to have a 'strange' dog in the yard that she is trying to help find its owner. I can't say that I would have let Frosty stay out in the cold myself had I been in your situation. The question is...can we call it a sin if the dog dies? Was somebody a sinner for putting the animal in that situation to begin with? I don't think we can make that leap.

[RustyAngeL]

I came across an horrific report of teenagers in England (on the Sky News website), shooting a cat over 50 times with an airgun. It survived. But it raised the question in me, is harming animals a sin, because this leads on to harming the environment, both of which are God's creation.

I would hazard that it is a sin, but can't think offhand of any scriptures that might directly relate.

Any ideas?

There was a report from the ASPCA about a 17 year old that put her roommates kitten into a hot oven and killed it. Her excuse?? I hate cats. She is facing ten years in prison for that and other things, I think people that hurt kids or animals need to go to jail, get extensive mental care and then be monitored very closely for many years.

[Believer1997]

All said... God gave us dominion over animals and sometimes - they have dominion over our hearts. That's not a bad thing. Blessings...

Nice story...

My wife is very animal compassionate too. Its not unusual to have a 'strange' dog in the yard that she is trying to help find its owner. I can't say that I would have let Frosty stay out in the cold myself had I been in your situation. The question is...can we call it a sin if the dog dies? Was somebody a sinner for putting the animal in that situation to begin with? I don't think we can make that leap.

Well... I lived in the "hood" and watched this dog growing leaner and meaner each day on that short, short chain. I was not a born-again Christian, but the Lord definitely put a burden on my heart... I do think deliberate, malicious and conscious cruelty to any creature God created is sinful. He gave us animals to serve us, to eat, to clothe us, to give us companionship and affection... They are, as we are, here for a reason. Something moved inside me - as I stated, I am afraid of large dogs and I was afraid of getting harmed - but I remember a calm came over me and it was as though the Lord spoke and said - Let's go get us a dog... Leap? I don't know. I think that someone who harms 'the least of us' ... is not doing something that is pleasing to God.

[nebula]

I see alot of emotional responses...but none that actually add up to "sin."

How do you understand this verse then?

Pr 12:10

A righteous man regards the life of his animal, But the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel. (NKJV)

A righteous man cares for the needs of his animal, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel. (NIV)

[Axxman]

There was a report from the ASPCA about a 17 year old that put her roommates kitten into a hot oven and killed it. Her excuse?? I hate cats. She is facing ten years in prison for that and other things, I think people that hurt kids or animals need to go to jail, get extensive mental care and then be monitored very closely for many years.

You just equated the harming of humans to the harming of animals. I hate cockroaches...literally hate them. I am a serial cockroach killer. Do I need mental care? Or have you not yet yet made the mental leap to care for all of God's creatures the same way? Just cuz it was an animal that people have decided is cool to domesticate, doesn't make it a sin. It just triggers a different emotional response.

[Believer1997]

There was a report from the ASPCA about a 17 year old that put her roommates kitten into a hot oven and killed it. Her excuse?? I hate cats. She is facing ten years in prison for that and other things, I think people that hurt kids or animals need to go to jail, get extensive mental care and then be monitored very closely for many years.

You just equated the harming of humans to the harming of animals. I hate cockroaches...literally hate them. I am a serial cockroach killer. Do I need mental care? Or have you not yet yet made the mental leap to care for all of God's creatures the same way? Just cuz it was an animal that people have decided is cool to domesticate, doesn't make it a sin. It just triggers a different emotional response.

What about the Scripture Nebula quoted, Axx? You are not malicious or cruel in ridding yourself of a cockroach... do you torture it and get enjoyment ? Or do you simply dispose of them as I probably would? People who start abusing animals when they are young - sometimes start abusing other forms of life later... Would Jesus have tortured an animal for enjoyment or to watch it suffer? I do not think so.

[Axxman]

How do you understand this verse then?

Pr 12:10

A righteous man regards the life of his animal, But the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel. (NKJV)

A righteous man cares for the needs of his animal, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel. (NIV)

I apply this verse to many things in my life. The first time I ever heard this verse...a roommate used it in regards to his '70 Dodge Challenger SE. God gave him that "beast" and it was his responsibility to care for it. In my opinion...that was the proper context to use it in. If the Lord gives you a beast, you would do well to care for it...whether it be your car, or a herd of cattle. They are your responsbility.

I don't see any logical way a person could use this scripture to make a mandate that we are somehow in sin for any harm that may come to an animal. Especially in light of the second half of the vese which declares that even the kindest acts of wicked people are cruel anyways. Clearly...you can't tell the righteousness, or wickedness, of a person based on how they treat their things.

[nebula]

**I need a smilie that faints**