(Genesis 1:26 KJV) 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.When God was in the process of creation He only made one created being “in His image.” That was Adam. In order for me to feel the whale is my brother I must reject that I am created in the image of God; different family tree. We are to “have dominion” over the animals. The other translation you find at this point is “rule over.” That seems pretty clear but it is only clear if you accept the Bible as the word of God and God as the creator of the universe.
We are to be good stewards. In all areas of our lives we are to live as managers, not owners. Stewardship is a key Christian concept. It infers personal responsibility and duty mixed with freedom and love. Most people think of tithing when they hear stewardship but it also refers to the way we treat our animals and the care we give for our environment.
(Proverbs 12:10 KJV) A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast: but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.If you think of the whales as your brothers, you have my sympathy. It has been said that you can’t pick your relatives but you can pick your friends. If I am ever in a Starbucks and run into a whale I will introduce myself but I won’t ever expect to see one at a family reunion.
homo unius libri
Some folks get a little flaky when it comes to animals. I love 'em, but I also eat 'em. I DON'T deliberately cause them unnecessary harm, though. Good post.
ReplyDeleteYour family horse, Duke if my memory is correct (something else if it isn't), was a valued member of the team but I don't think he controlled any voting stock just rolling stock.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment.
Grace and peace.