Rev. Don Campbell
Don’t Kick Your Dog
It appears that before the flood, humans were vegetarians, for “God said, ‘Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food” (Genius 1:29).
After the flood, God told Noah, “Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything” (Genius 9:2-3). One may choose to be a vegetarian today, but that does not make one more spiritual than the rest of us (Romans 14:2-4).
However, how we treat animals speaks volumes about us. Solomon wrote, “Those who are righteous treat their animals humanely, but the compassion of the wicked is really inhumane” (Proverbs 12:10, The Voice). Research has linked cruelty to animals with other forms of cruelty.
“The landscapes of violence have become too familiar, too close to home. Despite decades of scientific research, we are only beginning to understand the roots of violence that connect child maltreatment, spouse and partner abuse, and aggression in our neighborhoods and communities. Cruelty to animals is often part of these landscapes of violence—at times, a strong link to destructive interpersonal relationships” (Cruelty to Animals and Interpersonal Violence: Readings in Research and Application, Purdue University Press).
