Volume 50 Number 7 July 2008
I cannot verify a recent report, whether it was real or fictitious, but it was reported concerning a full-blown wedding ceremony with flowers, decorations and the whole bit. Now this was not one of the same sex weddings. They were male and female, and the officiant pronounced them united in holy matrimony but the bride and groom were dogs! A couple of pampered dogs! Now this was not here in the Ozark hills. I don’t think we have anyone in this area that ridiculous. I would think this had to be pet owners who had more money than good sense.
I am not belittling those of you who are fond of your household pets, but please don’t consider them as people, or as part of your family. This is exactly what the evolutionists and animal rights activists are advancing and want people to think; that there should not be such distinction between humans and animals as the Bible teaches. The theory is that humans are mere animals which have just evolved to a somewhat higher level of intelligence and reasoning ability than other animals. We are not animals, and none of our ancestors have been animals! We humans are the only creatures here below created in the image of God, with eternal souls, and it is plainly stated in the Holy Scriptures that we are to have dominion over the beasts of the field, the fowls of the air and the fish of the seas.
“And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” (Genesis 1:26-27).It is amazing what animals, birds and creatures of the sea can be trained to do, and the memory, or association that some seem to possess. I once heard of a rancher who owned a chimpanzee trained to walk the fence lines looking for wires loose from the posts and re-attaching them. Animals are amazing, but they are animals. And people can become very attached to them. A cowboy hates to lose his horse. Fire fighters or police officers hate to lose a good working dog. Household pets can be home guardians, playmates for the children and pleasant company for the elderly, but they are still just animals. A godly person will treat animals properly but not the same as he treats a human.
“A righteous man regards the life of his animal.” (Proverbs 12:10).There are animal rights activists who oppose the “cruelty” of keeping chickens, hogs, cattle or zoo animals in confinement. “Let them run free.” In reality those animals are probably better fed and protected from predators and from the elements of nature than creatures in the wild. We are made to believe that butchering hogs, cattle, sheep or poultry is to be equated with murder. The advocates of this view seem to disregard the Scriptures teaching that these creatures were given us for food (Genesis 9:3) and skins, and to be beasts of burden. Yet some of those same people who object to killing animals may favor abortion and euthanasia. Is animal life more to be protected than human life?
If our children are taught in school that we are just animals, this may explain why some act the way they do. Why any restraints? Animals mate and breed without any sense of conscience or morality. So shall we be surprised at the number of babies born out of wedlock? Or reports from our medical authorities that 25% of teenage girls in our society are infected with sexually transmitted diseases? Animals fight and even kill for what they want. If we are just animals, perhaps that is the reason for the violence in the world.
Animals are animals, and we are not animals. So if a small child asks if goldfish, or kittens or puppies go to heaven, don’t lie to them. Tell them that when animals and fish die, that is the end of their existence. But we are special; we have eternal souls, and after we die there is a resurrection, a judgment and an eternity. Use that opportunity to teach them about the promise of heaven that God has given to those who believe in Christ and obey His Word.
With the world saturated with false teachings, we need to use every occasion to teach and proclaim the truth.