No exceptions at all, and most strange priorities
Indeed, the only time Doreen and I heard the Catholic bishop of our
district preach was at an ecumenical gathering. Our ears pricked up as
he said: “All this fuss these days about animals rights; what about
the thousands of humans that are murdered in the womb?” Yes, he was
referring to foetuses, many of which had quite some time to develop
before being born; and would not ‘by his theology!’ ‘be saved’ for
Heaven until ‘authentically!’ baptised as recently born babes.
Otherwise, they would be destined for Limbo!
Jesus so clearly
said that many would purport to come in His name. However, He said:
‘You will know them by their fruits!’ Consequently, I am forced to ask
myself: ‘What kind of fruit is being formed; and has been formed’; by
our leading major Christian Denominations?’ Indeed, my own past
Anglican college: Wycliffe Hall, Oxford, has a lecturer specialising
in Christian Spirituality. Yes, while her dear hubby has delighted in
being given the appendage: ‘the hunting parson!’ Indeed, I have two
such books written by him! And, - as for those bullrings in
Spain - one of the local Catholic archbishops had his own special
‘spectator’s seat’ in it. Indeed, he termed the slaughter enacted as
‘a deeply moving spiritual experience!’ Well, can one wonder that so
many Godly animal rights advocates have turned their backs on the
churches?
When will it ever sink in to the heads and hearts
of God’s children that our task as humans is to be guardians of the
globe? In the figurative literary style of the Garden Of Eden, man was
asked to give a name to all the animals. His task is to fulfil a
caring stewardship. Yes, it is to be over them in a dominion
reflective of a man over his wife*, of parents over their children.
Not one of subjugation but rather a dominion reflective of Christ’s
dominion over us! One in which our Lord and master stooped down, not
only to fulfil the role of a menial servant – washing the disciples
feet! – but literally laying down His life for us, as a good shepherd
would have done for even one wilfully wayward sheep. (What a contrast
to animal husbandry today!) Yes, that is the way that Jesus
wants us to care for life more vulnerable than one’s own. Yet most
churches seem too thick to comprehend such a clear and simple Christ
given analogy.
Go on to
The penalty of ignoring the cultivation
of compassion
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