Truths Written on Your Conscience
This post is from a series of blogs related to Matthew Scully’s book, Dominion*.
Scully holds there are times when your conscience tells you the truth about an issue. Even if the church hasn’t wrestled it into doctrine (and I’ll add…yet?).
In light of this, he asks the reader to think about moral/spiritual approaches to animal rights:
- Most of us are removed from today’s farming practices so we may not be following how the meat industry has evolved to adopt slaughtering practices far less humane than the practices of our grandfathers.
- We should be careful, then, not to look down on animal rights activists–who may not all be as extreme as the media portrays them to be. Perhaps, in fact, they are merely educated about abuses that would be just as burdensome to the average citizen, if we were more informed.
I’ll go one step further.
I’ve met Christians who fear activism, believing it puts animals in an improperly elevated place–a place above humans or a place of worship.
This, however, strikes me as a misguided fear
…and, in some cases…
a convenient way to sidestep responsibility.
Not to mention, its illogical (and unfair?) to compare people who advocate mercy in slaughtering practices to remote and mostly ancient tribes who literally worship a specific animal.
Shouldn’t it be natural–even EXPECTED–for a person who claims to be moved by the love of God to be invested in protecting God’s creatures from unneeded suffering?
For the next blog in this series, click here.
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