We Are All Animals
By Wayne L. Parker
Several of my co-workers profess a strong belief in Christianity. Most of their views, which are often quite outrageous to me, seem to have been “cherry-picked” from the bible.
For instance, these co-workers believe that it is perfectly natural and within “god’s will” to treat animals with complete indifference. They give no care to the way hunters use “bay hounds” to put a wild animal at bay, and then bring in other dogs to kill or, preferably, maim the animal so that it can be used to train younger dogs.
The inhumane manner in which America’s, and much of the developed world’s, meat supply is raised and harvested also means nothing to them. I’ve watched footage of how pigs are kept, for their entire adult lives (at least), in cages too narrow for them to even turn around in.Sows are impregnated with pig-penis sized syringes filled with pig semen being inserted into their vaginas.(Of course, in order to achieve the necessary arousal to enable the whole process to work, the farm worker performing the procedure first kneads the sow’s upper back and shoulders to simulate a male pig’s gripping her in the act of mounting her).
Considering just the methods of raising and harvesting pigs, I believe that our treatment of the animals under our “dominion” is an outrage against “god’s will.”
Are not pigs, like virtually ALL living entities, ruled by a “divine process”?Does this divine process not, again, for all living things, insist that each individual live its life in accordance with its own nature?
If you acknowledge this, how can you not be outraged at the willful violation of that process?
When you consider that all animals have the same feelings and desires as we humans (indeed, biology makes it obvious that we are animals too), how can anyone with any empathy or compassion participate in such activities?This includes consuming the meat as well.(In this regard, I am guilty– one of the many ways in which my weaknesses manifest themselves, and thus, I’m sure, detract from my own wholeness).
Christians deny any connection to animals by calling attention to passages in the bible that state that man has dominion over all the animals.
If I might do some “cherry-picking” myself, I’d like to quote Book 3, verses 18 through 21 of the book of Ecclesiastes:
“I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts.For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them; as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast; for all is vanity.All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?”
Regardless of what the bible may say, I cannot see how any person who makes an honest assessment of the world around us can fail to see that all living things are connected, by virtue of our being composed of the same elements and governed by the same divine laws, and so deserve the same respect and compassion that we ourselves expect as our due as human beings.
In fact, the bible itself also supports this observation.In telling the story of Jesus’ life, the book of Luke, chapter 17, verses 20 and 21 tells us “And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said ‘The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: neither shall they say, “Lo here! or, lo there!” for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.”
Consider this – the belief that man is separate from and above all the animals allows all kinds of cruelties and horrors to be committed by man against animals. However, by viewing animals simply as different forms of ourselves, we would apply the “Golden Rule” to animals as well as our fellow humans.
Which would be the better world to live in?