"We may pretend to what religion we please, but cruelty (to animals) is atheism." These words are from The Duty of Mercy and the Sin of Cruelty, by Humphrey Primatt. Published in 1776, it inspired Anglican priest Arthur Broome to found the world's first animal protection society, the SPCA, in England. Animals are part of God's creation, and as such are recipients of God's love. We may have been given charge of the garden, but we are stewards only. If you hired a neighbour kid to mow and water your lawn, to trim the hedges and walk the dog, how would you react if he watered the lawn with pesticide, That said, when a cat attacks and claws your foot just as you're falling asleep, a swift kick is not only reflexive but effective. |
chopped the hedges down and killed the dog for sport? So how do you think God might react to what we're doing to the garden, and to the creatures who live in it?