The Knowledge of the Lord, part 2
Animals: Tradition - Philosophy - Religion Article from All-Creatures.org

FROM

Stephen Kaufman, M.D., Christian Vegetarian Association (CVA)

The Knowledge of the Lord, part 2

What we can do to help fill the world with the knowledge of the Lord? For starters, we can do our best to serve as models of love and compassion. If we show that living as peacefully as possible deepens our spirituality and enriches our lives, others might be encouraged to follow our example. That’s one reason why it’s so important that we always engage other people respectfully. If we come across as angry, bitter, or nasty, people will think, “I don’t want to be like that person.”
 
Another way we can help spread the knowledge of the Lord is to spread truth. Jesus said, “The truth will set you free,” and indeed all justice movements are grounded in facts. When it comes to animal issues, truth-telling largely means respectfully challenging the lies people tell themselves to make it easier to countenance animal abuse and countering the repeated lies of the animal exploitation industries.
 Jeremiah prophesied a time when “I [the Lord] will put my law within them, and I will write it upon their hearts” (31:33). Until that time, perhaps filling the world with the knowledge of the Lord might require changing the factors that motivate people. When we tell a child that she might get a treat if she behaves, we’re not demanding that she want to behave. Instead, we are creating incentives for good behavior. Similarly, there might be ways to change the incentives that currently encourage people to participate in the harmful exploitation and abuse of nonhumans. I’ll consider this possibility next essay. 

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Go on to: The Knowledge of the Lord, part 3
Return to: Reflection on the Lectionary, Table of Contents 

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Return to Animals: Tradition - Philosophy - Religion