MORE FOOD FOR THOUGHT Here is another very interesting and thoughtful blog on the subject of animals and Christianity for those of you who just can't get enough of this stuff. I recommend it to your attention. Theological Animal
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ON IMAGE AND VALUE “God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good.” ~ Genesis 1:31 It is something of a theological commonplace that human beings have a unique inherent value because we are created in the image of God. So imbedded is this idea, in fact, that it is even right there in Wikipedia : The Image of God (Hebrew: צֶלֶם אֱלֹהִים ; tzelem elohim , lit. "image of God", "image of the Holy Spirit", often appearing in Latin as Imago Dei ) is a real image, concept and theological doct...
BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE! Today I saw this blog post by Charles Camosy on the Catholic Moral Theology Site. Although C.S. Lewis is from a different time frame than the people I posted about yesterday, he is another greatly admired lay Christian who understood that our faith calls us to compassion for animals and ordered his life accordingly. So I thought a cross-post would be in order. Thanks to Dr. Camosy. Enjoy. 50 Years After C.S. Lewis, a Brief Reflection on His Concern for Animals
MINORITY REPORT PART THREE: ANIMALS, SOCIAL REFORM, AND CHRISTIANITY IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY “Cruelty to animals is as if man did not love God.” ~ Cardinal John Henry Newman For those of us who care about animals, the silence of the church on the issue of compassion and mercy for animals is not only frustrating, it is a challenge to our faith. When people ask us what animals have to do with faith or why we aren’t concentrating on “more important” issues involving human suffering, we sometimes want to (and some do) run from the church into the more welcoming arms of secular animal welfare...
ST. ALBAN’S FORUM: CROSSING THE DIVIDE “Shalom means that all human beings live together as siblings, at peace with one another, and with God and in right relationships with all of the rest of creation.” ~ The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori This past Sunday, I was honored to be the guest speaker at the adult forum at St. Alban’s Episcopal Church in Washington, DC. The Rev. Jim Quigley and I discussed why animals matter from a theological perspective, followed by Q&A from the audience. Our conversation was broad ranging and the questions were insightf...
MINORITY REPORT – PART TWO: JOHN WESLEY AND HUMPHREY PRIMATT We may pretend to what religion we please, but cruelty is atheism. We may make our boast of Christianity; but cruelty is infidelity. We may trust to our orthodoxy; but cruelty is the worst of heresies. ~ Rev. Humphrey Primatt This post picks up the discussion I began earlier addressing the fact that, while the church as an institution may have been silent about -- or even hostile to -- the idea of animal welfare as a Christian concern, there have always been people of faith with a different view. John Wesley and Humphr...