Copyright 1997. Humane Religon/J.R.Hyland. Used by permission.
"And this shall be a sign unto you: ye shall find a babe wrapped in
swaddling
cloth, lying in a manger." (Luke 2:12)
When the time was fulfilled, and Jesus was to be born, the Lord God
gave a sign that would bear witness to all generations to come. The
child who came to redeem all creation began his life lying in a manger.
He was born into the company of God's most humble creatures; the animals
who had been created to be man's companions. The birth of Jesus, in this
stable, was the sign that all beings -- human and animal -- were to be
redeemed.
After the child was laid in the manger, God sent His messenger to
bring good tidings to those men who had found favor in His sight. And
the angel of the Lord found shepherds who were abiding in the field,
keeping watch over their flock by night.
God chose these Shepherds to first hear the good news of Christ's
birth because they were the faithful stewards of His creation. They were
men who nurtured and cared for the animals who had been given into their
care.
And the glory of the Lord shone about them and suddenly there was
with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace."
The shepherds hastened to the stable where they found the infant,
warmly nestled in the straw-filled manger. And they stood with Mary and
Joseph, and with the oxen, the cow, and the sheep. Together, they
rejoiced in the presence of the Promised One. And for that moment, in
that place, there was truly Peace on Earth. The peaceful accord between
all God's creatures that had been ordained at the creation of the world.
For more information on "Humane Religion" visit:
http://www.all-creatures.org/hr/hra.htm
or contact [email protected]
Submitted by: [email protected]
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Editor's note...
At this time of year our thoughts naturally gravitate to the story of
the birth of Jesus. We, the staff of Animal Rights Online, apologize for
any offense perceived by our fellow activists be they Jewish, Islamic,
Buddhist, agnostic, atheist or any other persuasion. For the Christian
or non-Christian, the above site is of interest because it features
articles which interpret the Bible in terms of Animal Rights and
Vegetarianism.
The reason we occasionally feature a religiously oriented article in
our newsletter is primarily so that our readers will know what the Bible
says about animals and be able to defend their AR or vegetarian position
when faced with arguments from a non-AR Christian.
We wish all Christians would move away from the idea that God gave
mankind "dominion" over animals (which really means guardianship and not
dominance) which is used as an excuse to use animals as they desire. The
overall message of the Bible is compassion for and appreciation of all
of God's creation.
For a large library of articles on animal rights from the points of
view of Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism and secular ethics and
philosophy visit... http://arrs.envirolink.org/ar-voices/
,
AR-Voices: Essays, Guides, Journals, and Leaflets
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