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Christians Against All Animal Abuse
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A Selection from the Spring 2005 Issue
 

A Well Wisher's Letter

I’ve just received the following letter from a well-wisher and I enclose my reply, with a request that should you disagree with me then I’d appreciate knowing where I may have gone wrong; for one thing is obvious: the older I grow then the less dogmatic I become:

Dear James,

I must write to you to thank you for your prayers and tribute to our dear cat 'Ginger' who was interned a few days ago within the Brynford Pet Cemetery at Holywell. We were aware that a funeral would take place but never for one moment expected it to be conducted by a Chaplain. How very pleased and delighted to know that we can return our love of animals not only in life but also in death. The world would indeed be a better place if all people could see this and realise that animals can give love when shown love. I have faith in what is to come, we shall see a 'better place' providing we behave in the manner the Lord requires of us. In my own cases I have been brought up in the Anglican faith. In my boyhood days I served as a choirboy and an alter server. During recent years I have felt that the religion I have known is losing it's way. The recent debate about homosexuals seems to be swaying in their favour. In my understanding of the bible this is totally against its teaching. Due to this I have stopped my church attendance and have found perfect peace in my prayers at home each and every evening. It has become my church and I feel closer to my Maker than I did before. Do I make any sense, or am I being unreasonable? I would appreciate your opinion because I could see from our short meeting how sincere you are in your faith. Thank you again for your work

. Yours sincerely

George M Nieman.

An Open Reply:

Dear Friend,

I considered it an honour to bury Ginger, and I believe the simple ceremony forms part of a TV documentary to be shown on BBC2 in the Autumn. So Ginger is going to be a very special cat!

Concerning your disillusionment over the Anglican Church, I can sympathise fully. Down through the years I have come across bishops as well as clergy who not only condone but actually support blood sports. It would imply as if they believed that animals were simply put on this earth for eating and as objects for cruel sport. Indeed, my whole ministry has been involved in trying to get them to see that the strong are called upon to protect the weak and vulnerable; and, of course, the supreme analogy of the Bible is that God’s character was reflected in how far off eastern shepherds were prepared to lay down their lives in the process of protecting sheep entrusted to their care. Indeed, what an indictment of modern methods of husbandry and today’s heartless farm animal breeding!

Indeed, we not only have much in common about animals and their place within Christian concern, but I also sympathise with your outlook concerning quite a different subject: that of homosexuality within Christendom. You may be interested to know that though I wrote a letter to several newspapers concerning the incompatibility of this deviation with Biblical teaching, that they were not published. I’d mentioned that homosexuality was referred to in the Bible as Sodomy and, up to recent decades – before sexual crimes and disease had spread to today’s astronomic proportions! - in legal circles as buggery.

I feel it is high time that sexual practices were well and truly aired and, to that extent, I can accept the use of four letter words for what they are rather than make out they do not exist. Late night TV can be very explicit. Well, let us be explicit in return!

Go on to Blaspheming Christ Is Permissible; Denouncing ‘GAYS’ Is Not!
Return to Spring 2005 Issue

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