Reflections on the Lectionary
Animals: Tradition - Philosophy - Religion Article from All-Creatures.org

FROM

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

INTRODUCTION

As Jesus said in Mark 7, verses 6-8:

Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.’ You leave the commandment of God, and hold fast the tradition of men.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Reflection on the Lectionary: Luke 24:36-48
  April 26, 2009
• Reflection on the Lectionary: John 10:11-18
  May 3, 2009
• Reflection on the Lectionary: John 15:1-8
  May 10, 2009
• Reflection on the Lectionary: John 15:9-17
  May 17, 2009
• Essay: Why We Must Respect Animal Rights
• Reflection on the Lectionary: John 3:1-18
  May 31, 2009
• Reflections on the Lectionary: Mark 4:26-34
  June 7, 2009
• Reflections on the Lectionary: Mark 4:30-34
  June 14, 2009
• Reflection on the Lectionary: Job 38:1-11
  June 21, 2009
• Reflection on the Lectionary: Mark 5:21-43
  June 28, 2009
• Reflections on the Lectionary, Mark 6:1-13
  July 5, 2009
• Reflections on the Lectionary: Amos 7:7-15
  July 12, 2009
• Reflection on the Lectionary: Mark 6:30-34
  July 19, 2009
• Reflection on the Lectionary: 2 Samuel 11:1-15
  July 26, 2009
• Essay: The Golden Rule, part 1
• Essay: The Golden Rule, part 2
• Essay: Focusing Our Lives on God
  August 16, 2009
• Reflections on the Lectionary: James 2:1-17
  September 6, 2009
• Reflections on the Lectionary: Mark 8:27-38
•  Reflection on the Lectionary: James 3:13-4:3
  September 20, 2009
• Reflection on the Lectionary: Mark 9:38-50
  September 27, 2009
• Reflection on the Lectionary: Mark 10:2-16
  October 4, 2009
• Reflection on Job 42:1-6
  October 11, 2009
• Reflection on God and the Suffering Servant, Isaiah 53:10-11
  October 18, 2009
• Reflection on the Lectionary: Mark 10:46-52
  October 25, 2009
• Commentary on the Lectionary: Loving Our Neighbors as Ourselves
  November 1, 2009
• Reflection on the Lectionary: Mark 12:38-44
  November 8, 2009
• Essay: Existential Questions, part 1
• Essay: Existential Questions, part 2
• Essay: Existential Questions, part 3
• Essay: Existential Questions, part 4: Relief of Guilt
• Reflections on the Lectionary: Philippians 4:4-7
• Reflection on the Lectionary: Luke 2:41-52
  December 27, 2009
• Reflections on the Lectionary: Hebrews 10:1-10
• Reflection on the Lectionary: Luke 2:41-52
  January 2, 2010
• Commentary: Are We Becoming More Hardhearted?
  January 10, 2010
• Commentary on the Lectionary: The Body Has Many Parts: 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a
  January 24, 2010
• Meditation on the Lectionary: 1 Corinthians 13:1-13
  January 31, 2010
• Reflection: Why Do I Focus on Scapegoating?
• Commentary on the Lectionary: Luke 13:31-37
  February 28, 2010
• Commentary on Hebrews 10:11-14
  November 15, 2010
• Reflections on Forgiveness and Faith
  March 17, 2010
• Essay On Forgiveness
• Essay: On the Need for Community
• Response to Comment about Dogmas
• Reflection on the Lectionary: John 20:19-31
  April 11, 2010
• Reflection on the Lectionary: John 21:1-19
  April 18, 2010
• Commentary on the Lectionary: John 10:22-30
  April 25, 2010
• Commentary on the Lectionary: Colossians 3:11; Child Abuse
  August 1, 2010
• Luke 12:13-21: The Problem of Money
• Luke 12:49-56 Did Jesus Come for Peace?
  August 15, 2014
• Reflections on Genesis 18
• Essay: Can We Be Spared?
• Reflection on the Lectionary: Luke 14:25-33
• Reflection on the Lectionary: Luke 15:1-32 A Lesson in Forgiveness
• Reflections on Self-Esteem
• A Scientific and Christian Approach to Self-Esteem
• Essay: Does God Value Animals?
• Science and the Bible, part 1
• Science and the Bible, part 2
• Science and the Bible, part 3
• The Path to Truth
• The Golden Rule
• Is Karma Real? part 1
• Reply to Comments on Last Week’s Essay
• Reply to Comments on Last Week’s Essay
• Is Karma Real? Part 3
• Reflections on the Lectionary, Isaiah 11:1-10
• An Advent Reflection on Peacemaking
• What Is the Soul? Part 1
• What Is the Soul? Part 2
• What Is the Soul? Part 3
•  What Is the Soul? Part 4
• Are We Crazy to Care about Animals?
• Reflections on the Lectionary, Isaiah 42:1-9
  January 9, 2011
• Reflections on the Lectionary, John 1:29-34
  January 16, 2011
• Can There Be Accountability Without Accusation?
• Reflections on the Lectionary: Micah 6:1-8
• Are Animals Victims of Scapegoating?
• Reflections on the Lectionary: Matthew 5:17-37 – Anger
• Fears that Feed Anger
• Dealing with Anger part 1
• Dealing with Anger, part 2
• Dealing with Anger, part 3
• Dealing with Anger, part 4
• Christianity and Animal Rights, part 1
• Christianity and Animal Rights, part 2
• Christianity and Animal Rights, part 3
• Christianity and Animal Rights, part 4
• Christianity and Animal Rights, part 5
• Christianity and Animal Rights, part 6
• Christianity and Animal Rights, part 7
• Christianity and Animal Rights, part 8
• Essay: Scapegoating and Dehumanization
• Christianity and Animal Rights, part 9
• Christianity and Animal Rights, part 10
• Christianity and Animal Rights, Concluded
• Free Will and Animal Issues, part 1
• Free Will and Animal Issues, part 2
• Free Will and Animal Issues, part 3
• Is “Humane Slaughter” Possible?
• Can We Trust Producers of “Humane Meat”?
• Is “Humane Meat” a Viable Option?
• Reflections on the Lectionary: Matthew 15:22-33: Staying Afloat
• Commentary on the Lectionary
• Romans 12:1-8; Self-Sacrifice
• Romans 12:9-21
• Romans 13:8-14; On Monotheism
• Romans 14:1-12 Are Vegetarians “Weak in Faith”?
• Matthew 20:1-16: What Is Fair?
• Matthew 22:15-22: What Belongs to God?
• Thoughts on Justification, part 1
• Essay: Are We Justified by Faith?
• Essay: Are We Justified by Works?
• Commentary on the Lectionary: How to Use our Talents, Matthew 25:14-30
• On Using Our Talents
• Following Christ and Making a Living, part 1: Some Notes about Corporations
• Following Christ and Making a Living, part 2: The Soul of Corporations
• Essay: Some Victims Are More Equal Than Others
• Reflections on This Week’s Lectionary: Titus 2:11-14
• Luke 2:22-40; Does God Want Sacrifices?
• Luke 2:22-40; Does God Want Sacrifices? part 2
• Does God Want Sacrifices? part 3: Substitutionary Atonement Theory
• Does God Want Sacrifices? part 4: Substitutionary Atonement Theory
• Does God Want Sacrifices? part 5: Sacrifices in the Hebrew Scriptures
• On Certainty
• Can we have certainty?
• What is the Logos?
• Monotheism, part 1
• Monotheism, part 2
• Thoughts on The Better Angels of Our Nature, part 1
• Thoughts onThe Better Angels of Our Nature, part 2
• Should We Attend Meat-Eating Churches?
• The Faith of Paul
• The Faith of Jesus
• Is Christian Faith Reasonable?
• Does Faith Encourage People to Do Good or Evil?
• Is “Rational Faith” a Contradiction of Terms?
• What Might a Distinctly Christian Faith Look Like? part 1
• What Might a Distinctly Christian Faith Look Like? part 2: Rejection of Scapegoating
• What Might a Distinction Christian Faith Look Like? part 3: Love and Animal Protectionism
• Are Animals Scapegoat Victims?
• Nonhuman Beings as Scapegoats
• Animal Abuse and Self-Esteem
• Can We Gain Self-Esteem without Harming Others?
• Are Members of Some Species More Equal Than Others?
• Can We Be Certain of Anything?
• Job and the Theodicy Problem, part 1
• Job and the Theodicy Problem, part 2
• Job and the Theodicy Problem, part 3
• Job and the Theodicy Problem, part 4
• Job and the Theodicy Problem, part 5
• Job and the Theodicy Problem, part 6
• Job and the Theodicy Problem, part 7 – The Faith of Christ
• What is the “faith of Christ?”
• Reflections on the Lectionary: Mark 13:1-8
• Reflections on the Lectionary: Luke 21:25-36
• Reflections on the Lectionary: Philippians 4:4-7
• Is It a Vice to Throw Feces?
• Commentary on the Lectionary for March 3, Luke 13:1-9; A Parable for Our Time
• Corinthians 5:16-21, part 1
• Corinthians 5:21, part 2
• How Are We Created in God’s Image? part 1
• How Are We Created in God’s Image? part 2
• How Are We Created in God’s Image? part 3
• Book Review: This Is Hope: Green Vegans and the New Human Ecology, part 1
• Book Review: This Is Hope: Green Vegans and the New Human Ecology, part 2
• On Being Outraged without Being Enraged
• On Making Judgments
• Christian Communities versus Christian Institutions
• Problems with Institutions
• Institutions and the Scapegoating Process
• Can Christian Communities Avoid Scapegoating?
• Commentary on A Theory of Justice
• Could I Ever Be a Nonhuman?
• What Happens to the Soul When We Die?
• Could I Exist as a Nonhuman?
• Thoughts on Reincarnation
• Who Is a Person?
• Review Essay: The Honor Code: How Moral Revolutions Happen by Anthony Appiah
• Applying The Honor Code to Animal Issues
• Review Essay:Willful Blindness by Margaret Heffernan, part 1
• Review Essay: Willful Blindness by Margaret Heffernan, part 2
• Review Essay: Willful Blindness by Margaret Heffernan, part 3
• Sins of Omission versus Sins of Commission, part 1
• Sins of Omission versus Sins of Commission, part 2
• Commentary on the Lectionary: Isaiah 11:1-10
• The Knowledge of the Lord, part 1
• The Knowledge of the Lord, part 2
• The Knowledge of the Lord, part 3
• Creating Economic Incentives to Reduce Animal Abuse
• Martin Luther King Day Reflection
• How Can We Love and Accept What We Despise in Ourselves? part 1
• How Can We Love and Accept What We Despise in Ourselves? part 2
• Should Churches be Tax-Exempt? part 1
• Should Churches be Tax-Exempt? part 2
• Should Churches be Tax-Exempt? part 3
• On Science and Religion, part 1
• On Science and Religion, part 2
• On Science and Religion, part 3
• On Science and Religion, part 4
• Faith and Human Psychological Needs
• Churches as Welcoming Communities
• The Limits of Science
• Meditation: "Be kind."
• Essay: What Is Evil? part 1
• Essay: What is Evil? part 2
• Transcending Satanic Desires
• Transcending Satanic Desires, continued
• Transcending Satanic Desires – The Need for Forgiveness
• Transcending Satanic Desires - God's Forgiveness
• Does God Forgive Unrepentant Sinners?
• Peacemaking, part 1: The Need for Peacemakers
• Peacemaking, part 2: Peacemaking and Pacifism
• Peacemaking, part 3: A Proposal to Ensure Good Motives
• Peacemaking, part 4: Does Hypocrisy Matter?
• Respectful Communication: Political Correctness
• Peacemaking
• Who Is Our Neighbor?
• Who Has a Soul?
• Reflections on Genesis 1:26 and Man’s Dominion
• Harming Animals Harms Humans, part 1: Health
• Harming Animals Harms Humans, part 2: Hunger
• Harming Animals Harms Humans, part 3: The Environment
• Harming Animals Harms Humans: Undermining Any Universal Ethic
• Action and Faith
• Reflections on John 3:16
• Reflections on John 3:16, continued
• John 3:16, “Eternal Life,” part 1
• John 3:16, “Eternal Life,” part 2
• John 3:16 “Eternal Life,” part 3
• In What Kind of God Do You Believe?
• Essay: Is There Forgiveness without Repentance?
• How Animal Abuse Undermines Social Justice Movements
• Essay: Is Eating Meat Sinful?
• Are Some People Evil or Are Some Institutions Evil?
• Why Do People Support Institutions?
• Are Institutions Evil?
• Discerning Institutional Good from Evil
• Are Animals Victims of Scapegoating?
• Animals as Victims of Scapegoating
• Who Are the Animals People Abuse?
• Intelligence and Moral Rights
• What Is a Soul?
• Is Having a Soul Morally Relevant?
• According to the Bible, do Animals Have Souls?
• On Free Will, part 1: Definition
• Thoughts on Free Will, part 2
• Thoughts on Free Will, part 3
• Thoughts on Free Will, part 4
• Thoughts on Free Will, part 5
• Thoughts on Free Will, part 6
• Thoughts on Free Will, part 7
• Thoughts on Free Will, part 8
• The Human Need for Self-Esteem and Animal Mistreatment
• Animal Abuse and Humans' Fear of Death
• Projecting Human Attributes onto Animals
• What Humans’ Views about Animals Tells Us about Humans
• Harmful Misunderstandings about Animals
• Comment on: “Muddy Boots and a Cassock: A Commentary on Laudato Si, the Enclyclical Letter of Pope Francis” by Dr. Philip G. Hill
• Eating Meat Is Not Primarily about Food
• Can Humans Transcend Evil?
• Can Christianity Be Redeemed?
• Does Christian Mercy Inspire Compassion for Animals?
• Why Don’t Churches Oppose Animal Abuse?
• Reflections on Genesis 3:16
• Anger and Values
• Advocating for Animals, part 1
• Advocating for Animals, part 2
• Advocating for Animals, part 3
• Advocating for Animals, part 4
• Advocating for Animals, part 5
• Advocating for Animals, part 6
• Advocating for Animals, part 7
• Advocating for Animals, part 8
• On Humanism
• On Evil, part 1
• On Evil, part 2
• On Evil, part 3
• Discerning Motivations, part 1
• Discerning Motivations, part 2
• Is Factory Farming the Greatest Evil Ever?
• Review of Meathooked: The History and Science of Our 2.5-Million-Year Obsession with Meat
• The Importance of Freedom of Speech
• The Importance of Democracy
• Advocating for Animals: Our Goals
• Advocating for Animals: A Christian Perspective
• Further Reflection on Genesis 3:16
• Motivations to Protect Nonhumans, part 1
• Motivations to Protect Nonhumans, part 2

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