Concern for animals is Biblical, Dr. Matthew Sleeth told me during a 30-minute interview I recently conducted by telephone. Christine Gutleben, director of Faith Outreach for the Humane Society of the United States, told me that I must talk to this brilliant and passionate Evangelical Christian, and I was absolutely energized by our discussion. A former physician, Dr. Sleeth left medicine behind to devote himself to healing others in a different way. Importantly for the HSUS, which has a rich tradition of clerical leadership, he is at the forefront of an emerging movement within contemporary American Evangelical Christianity that is reclaiming Christianity's history of animal protection.
Sleeth lives in Kentucky with his wife and two children but spends a considerable amount of time traveling to minister to tens of thousands of people about Christian principles and the importance of caring for animals and all of God's creation. On March 30 his latest book, The Gospel According to the Earth, will be published, and it is certain to have an impact in drawing more people of faith to the cause of humane concern.
"What we do to animals, we do to ourselves," he told me. And, as a man of deep faith, he reminds us, "If we don't care for animals, we let God down."
Dr. Sleeth's new book will be one of the resources in the HSUS Faith Outreach program's St. Francis Day in a Box campaign (a multimedia tool kit for clergy and faith community leaders), and he has also provided us with an exclusive link to his stirring 10-minute video, "Hope for Creation: Animals," which you can watch here.
Founder of Blessed Earth, an educational nonprofit dedicated to promoting better stewardship, Dr. Sleeth is bringing awareness of animal cruelty to faith communities nationwide with an incredible blend of passion and a deep understanding and familiarity with the Bible. On April 21, the eve of Earth Day, his organization will host an international simulcast from Northland Church in Orlando, Florida that thousands of churches nationwide are expected to tune in to. A short HSUS video will be shown during the beginning of the broadcast.
I mentioned that some prominent writers within the field of animal protection have argued that the Judeo-Christian tradition has been harmful to the cause. "They are not reading the Bible," he told me. "Concern for animals is Biblical, and we don't get a choice on this. We have a responsibility. There are patterns in the Bible that illustrate care for animals. Moses, Joseph, Jacob, you can see that they take care of their animals. I share these stories when I am speaking."
He told me that young people are hearing his message, and he said they get the connection between food and their faith -- that it is one of the ways they connect their faith to the daily lives and activities. "I am in churches and colleges, and for a college student, food is everything. When I talk about food, and how it gets from the farm to the cafeteria, they are horrified. Talking about food creates an immediate connection."
Dr. Sleeth grew up on a dairy farm, and he laments the trend toward intensification in animal agriculture. "The way that we treated animals is very different from today," he said, arguing against the confinement of animals on factory farms and the treatment of animals as little more than meat-, milk-, and egg-producing machines. "When considering how we feed and house animals, we should remember that Christ was born among farm animals. He spent his first night in a manger. Jesus is often called the Good Shepherd. The first visitors to attend him took care of sheep."
Sleeth mentioned Deuteronomy 25:4, perhaps one of the best-known biblical passages about animal care: "You shall not muzzle an ox when it is treading out the grain." He explained that it would be cruel to have an animal help to make grain and to deny the creature a taste of it, and went on to say that agricultural practices that please God are not about short-term profits but about showing our love for his creation.
I mentioned the ballot initiative campaign in Ohio, backed by The HSUS, that would phase out confinement systems that essentially immobilize animals for their entire lives. I told him that one of the major arguments from the agricultural community is that they cannot switch to more humane systems because of cost, even if it is just mildly more expensive to treat the animals better. "It costs more to do the right thing, and it always does," he said. "When you have the mindset to have the cheapest price, you end up with slavery and animal cruelty. We choose to make the society we want."
This post originally appeared on Pacelle's blog, A Humane Nation.
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Just because they can't speak like us, doesn't mean they don't suffer when they are chained or axed while they are still alive. When is this madness going to stop?
I've known a few Dominionist Christians who downright *revel* in what they read as their God given right to use and even abuse animals. They're smug and self-satisfied that their God condones their abuse of animals for their own gain or amusement. Religious counter-argument isn't going to change their minds.
They'll just say you're reading the Bible wrong.
Lots of religious people cherry pick just the articles of faith, and interpret them, to support whatever they already do or want to feel good doing. Christian arguments to be kind to animals won't change the minds of any Christian who doesn't already feel compassion for animals.
Just like the westboro baptist homophobes will never be persuaded that God loves everybody.
It shouldn't be optional or depend on your religion whether we're kind to animals. It needs to be based on reason not faith... a universal secular moraltiy... and put into law.
I guess if you *can* successfully use religion to leverage compassion for animals, that's great. I just don't think it'll work on the people it needs to though.
With due respect to your perspective, it seems a bit harsh to paint all Christians with your broad brush, since many of us not only reject the hateful propaganda but regard it as being in direct contradiction to the central teachings of Christianity.
As he said he came not to abolish the law but fulfill it, the scripture being silent concerning his views on homosexuality leans not toward acceptance, but toward what the law has clearly stated: that homosexuality was a sin and not to be tolerated.
Fortunately for us all, the New Covenant Jesus brought means that the immediate consequences of sin are not enforced as he gives us time to repent.
The eternal consequences stand.
http://www.powerfulbook.com/
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Epigraph from Eternal Treblinka
In his thoughts, Herman spoke a eulogy for the mouse
who had shared a portion of her life with him and who,
because of him, had left this earth. "What do they
know--all these scholars, all these philosophers, all
the leaders of the world--about such as you? They have
convinced themselves that man, the worst transgressor
of all the species, is the crown of creation. All other
creatures were created merely to provide him with food,
pelts, to be tormented, exterminated. In relation to
them, all people are Nazis; for the animals it is an
eternal Treblinka.
--Isaac Bashevis Singer, "The Letter Writer"
"If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity,
you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men..."
St. Francis of Assisi
.
Wrong. The vocal majority is a mix of atheists.... PLUS agnostics, pantheists and deists (you know, like our Founding Fathers). The Christian Mythologist' claim that America is mostly Christian, is a bogus assumption. It is based on the Christian Mythologist equating 'people that believe in a higher power', with a 'Christian'. It's a polling shell game, with words, that only fools the ignorant.
"I just don't understand why some people feel that they have to belittle the beliefs of others just because they have a different opinion." - FloridaLAW
How do tell an adult, who still believes in Santa Claus, that he's wrong to so, without belittling that belief in Santa Clause? What would your non-belittlement method sound like?
Sentences work so much better when you don't omit your personal pronouns and verbs. Sorry, I've had my coffee now.
there is not doubt we should treat animals well that is just simple and basic common sense . . . all too often this is forgottten as presents of Christmas dogs or cats are abandoned soon fater the holiday . . but all ye gods and goddesses . . .spare me from all this christian stuff ...what is going on . . . why . . . are you guys mental?????????????
Pretending we get morals from the bible is a sick joke. We don't. We had to toss out most of the biblical rules and instructions because they were immoral.
The laws in nearly every society are based in part from scriptural teachings with a dash of man-made laws here and there.
The flaw with man made laws is that they are not stable. They can be constantly changed based on the whims of the people. For example, adultery used to be a felony. Now it is only illegal in 19 or so states, ranging from misdemeanor to felony. Once it stopped becoming illegal, there is no marital imperative to remain faithful... just look at Kobe Bryant, Tiger Woods, Jesse James, Shaquille O'neil, etc., etc., etc.