| The CROWN of CHRIST - Understanding the Times in the Light of Scripture |
| The CROWN of CHRIST - Understanding the Times in the Light of Scripture |
ARCHIVE - Nov 10, 2008
The Human, the Humane
and the Beastly
The Human, the Humane
and the Beastly
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The relationships, both theoretical and actual, between human
beings and the rest of the animal kingdom, have been all muddied up
by the modern fable of Evolutionism.
One rather consistent perspective reduces the sons of Adam to mere
brutes. If we are only hairless apes, then Social Darwinism makes a
lot of sense - man is - in natural fact - a wolf to his fellow man. Cats
kill their own young, why shouldn't we?
But the opposite is also affirmed, raising beasts to the level of people
with inherent rights to life and a quality life-style. In this romantic
view, we ought to grant the beasts the sort of special treatment (as
our near relatives) that has been traditionally given to our fellow
human beings.
So Darwinism can lead its adherents to two undesirable
destinations: a state of raw "nature" where only the fittest survive, or
a new State of insanity where wolves and houseflies are people.
Irrational leftists usually hold both views at the same time. When a
fetus is under consideration, they speak as cold technicians of death.
When the subject under consideration is a puppy, they morph
instantly into sentimental defenders of life and comfort. Men must be
brutalized to show that they are only animals; yet animals (all the
ones besides the humans!) must be protected and pampered to show
that they are our dear cousins.
How is a Biblical Christian to think of these issues? Groups like
PETA even have websites claiming that the Bible advocates
vegetarianism. Even a quick skim of the Scripture reveals that Jesus
ate fish and lamb, but honesty is as rare as reason in modern
discourse.
A survey of the legal status of animals could begin with Leviticus 24,
where animals are clearly defined as property, not persons:
17 ‘Whoever kills any man shall surely be put to death. 18 Whoever
kills an animal shall make it good, animal for animal. 19 ‘If a man
causes disfigurement of his neighbor, as he has done, so shall it be
done to him— 20 fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; as
he has caused disfigurement of a man, so shall it be done to him. 21
And whoever kills an animal shall restore it; but whoever kills a man
shall be put to death.
Human life cannot be replaced with money or prison time, so murder
requires the death penalty. But meat is not murder, so an illegal
kill need only be replaced. It is the owner's property rights that are
protected, not any supposed right of the beast to stay alive.
Of course, we should not abuse our property, but use it wisely,
understanding its nature and workings. No wise man would treat his
car like a water balloon to be smashed for fun. Nor would he treat his
furniture as food, his sink as a toilet or his dog as a dogwood tree.
Animals are alive and sentient. They can perceive the world around
themselves and feel pain. So the Proverb tells us that
A righteous man regards the life of his animal,
But the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel. (12:10)
The wolf might not be morally responsible for the brutal manner in
which it terminates the deer. But a god-fearing hunter will strive for
a humane outcome - one shot, one kill. And a Christian farmer won't
fail to provide the food and shelter that his livestock need to be
healthy.
However, proverbs are not laws, and sins are not crimes. As a
Christian, I will condemn anyone who is needlessly cruel to an
animal. It is quite another question whether professional busybodies
from some bureaucracy should show up with the police to suppress
the foolish man who doesn't share my spiritual sensibilities.
The Bible warns us not to confuse humanity and animality. It's
only natural for animals act like animals, but when people act like
animals, they are behaving abnormally. Two apostles warn us of
irrational false teachers: But these speak evil of whatever they do not
know; and whatever they know naturally, like brute beasts, in these
things they corrupt themselves. (Jude 10) and But these, like natural
brute beasts made to be caught and destroyed, speak evil of the
things they do not understand, and will utterly perish in their own
corruption... (2 Peter 2:12).
God here describes animals as ignorant and meant for human use -
whether we catch them for domestication, destroy them for our own
safety or catch & kill them for food. False teachers, like animals,
react irrationally and bray loudly against correction. This would
include not only religious heretics, but also spokesmen from NOW
and PETA. Let us not be confused or frightened by their noisy roars,
which only reveal how base and corrupt their own thoughts have
become. Those who won't stand for the Bible will fall for anything.
beings and the rest of the animal kingdom, have been all muddied up
by the modern fable of Evolutionism.
One rather consistent perspective reduces the sons of Adam to mere
brutes. If we are only hairless apes, then Social Darwinism makes a
lot of sense - man is - in natural fact - a wolf to his fellow man. Cats
kill their own young, why shouldn't we?
But the opposite is also affirmed, raising beasts to the level of people
with inherent rights to life and a quality life-style. In this romantic
view, we ought to grant the beasts the sort of special treatment (as
our near relatives) that has been traditionally given to our fellow
human beings.
So Darwinism can lead its adherents to two undesirable
destinations: a state of raw "nature" where only the fittest survive, or
a new State of insanity where wolves and houseflies are people.
Irrational leftists usually hold both views at the same time. When a
fetus is under consideration, they speak as cold technicians of death.
When the subject under consideration is a puppy, they morph
instantly into sentimental defenders of life and comfort. Men must be
brutalized to show that they are only animals; yet animals (all the
ones besides the humans!) must be protected and pampered to show
that they are our dear cousins.
How is a Biblical Christian to think of these issues? Groups like
PETA even have websites claiming that the Bible advocates
vegetarianism. Even a quick skim of the Scripture reveals that Jesus
ate fish and lamb, but honesty is as rare as reason in modern
discourse.
A survey of the legal status of animals could begin with Leviticus 24,
where animals are clearly defined as property, not persons:
17 ‘Whoever kills any man shall surely be put to death. 18 Whoever
kills an animal shall make it good, animal for animal. 19 ‘If a man
causes disfigurement of his neighbor, as he has done, so shall it be
done to him— 20 fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; as
he has caused disfigurement of a man, so shall it be done to him. 21
And whoever kills an animal shall restore it; but whoever kills a man
shall be put to death.
Human life cannot be replaced with money or prison time, so murder
requires the death penalty. But meat is not murder, so an illegal
kill need only be replaced. It is the owner's property rights that are
protected, not any supposed right of the beast to stay alive.
Of course, we should not abuse our property, but use it wisely,
understanding its nature and workings. No wise man would treat his
car like a water balloon to be smashed for fun. Nor would he treat his
furniture as food, his sink as a toilet or his dog as a dogwood tree.
Animals are alive and sentient. They can perceive the world around
themselves and feel pain. So the Proverb tells us that
A righteous man regards the life of his animal,
But the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel. (12:10)
The wolf might not be morally responsible for the brutal manner in
which it terminates the deer. But a god-fearing hunter will strive for
a humane outcome - one shot, one kill. And a Christian farmer won't
fail to provide the food and shelter that his livestock need to be
healthy.
However, proverbs are not laws, and sins are not crimes. As a
Christian, I will condemn anyone who is needlessly cruel to an
animal. It is quite another question whether professional busybodies
from some bureaucracy should show up with the police to suppress
the foolish man who doesn't share my spiritual sensibilities.
The Bible warns us not to confuse humanity and animality. It's
only natural for animals act like animals, but when people act like
animals, they are behaving abnormally. Two apostles warn us of
irrational false teachers: But these speak evil of whatever they do not
know; and whatever they know naturally, like brute beasts, in these
things they corrupt themselves. (Jude 10) and But these, like natural
brute beasts made to be caught and destroyed, speak evil of the
things they do not understand, and will utterly perish in their own
corruption... (2 Peter 2:12).
God here describes animals as ignorant and meant for human use -
whether we catch them for domestication, destroy them for our own
safety or catch & kill them for food. False teachers, like animals,
react irrationally and bray loudly against correction. This would
include not only religious heretics, but also spokesmen from NOW
and PETA. Let us not be confused or frightened by their noisy roars,
which only reveal how base and corrupt their own thoughts have
become. Those who won't stand for the Bible will fall for anything.
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