The Disconnect of Blessing One Animal While Eating Another
Church Silence Promotes Violence: An Article Series From All-Creatures.org

Church silence promotes violence to humans, to animals, to our environment, to our economy, to our education, to our finances, and to our health.
By: Mary T. and Frank L. Hoffman

If the churches were not silent about the horrible exploitation and suffering of all farmed animals, and instead encouraged the people to live the loving, compassionate, and peacemaking lives that Jesus taught us to live, they would not contribute to the animals' suffering.

As part of the celebration of St. Francis Day in October 2010, the St. James the Great Church, St. Kilda East, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, held a blessing of the animals.  On the surface, this sounds wonderful and in keeping with St. Francis's teachings, but it wasn't; for following the blessing service, the church held a sausage sizzle.

How could such a horrible disconnect occur? 

How could they fail to see and understand that the Bible teaches us that all animals were created by God as living souls, just as we were?

How could the people not know that pigs and other farmed animals feel pain, and suffer, and want to live in loving surroundings just as their cats and dogs do?

The problem is that almost all of the people really do know, but hide from the truth. Because of societal pressures, and the churches' failure to teach unlimited love and compassion for the whole of creation, they harden their hearts so that they can disconnect their love and compassion for companion animals from the animals they eat. They may try to fool themselves, but they cannot fool God. To knowingly cause an animal to suffer or to be complacent about the atrocities committed upon animals is a sin for which they will be held accountable, as they will in all the other churches who exhibit such hypocrisy.

And as for the clergy and other religious leaders who should know better, we believe the follow Bible passage applies:

Matthew 7:21-23
21 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven.

22 "Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?'

23 "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.'
NAS

Go on to next article: The Pershore Abbey's Support of Sport Hunting is Against the Teachings of Jesus Christ
Return to previous article: The Compassion of the Wicked is Cruel
Return to Church Silence Promotes Violence Table of Contents

The intent of this series is to wake up and encourage the Church to greater works of love and compassion (John 14:12).  It is not to condemn the Church, in general, or any individual, any more than Jesus condemned the woman caught in adultery.  Jesus said to her, "...go your way.  From now on sin no more." (John 8:11)  And this is our message to the Church:  Recognize our sins of the past and go forth seeking to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect (Matthew 5:48), correcting the sins of the past, for that is the only way we can truly show the world that we love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, might, and mind, including the whole of creation, which includes our neighbors whom we are to love as ourselves.