by Dennis Albini
Clash Daily Guest Contributor
Our country is “going to the dogs.” A disturbing pattern has developed in our nation – most notably reflected in the outrage concerning the abuse of our canine friends by NFL Quarterback, Michael Vick, about 6 years ago. I’m speaking about the increased valuation of the of the life of animals versus that of God’s Crowning Glory of creation … mankind.
The responses (see below) were the result of a recent Facebook posting regarding severe cruelty to a dog, as follows:
“2yrs old (pit bull) in mass [Massachusetts] found with eyes poked and beaten [so] severly that they had to put it to sleep … and even sicker the dog tongue was cut into a serpent are people really that sick [sic].”
Please note some of the responses below:
“The people who did that, deserve to have that done to them. That’s pathetic.”
“How horrible! I hope they find out who did that and punish them equally.”
“That person should be tied up and stoned to death along with doing the same to that person that they did to that dog. Thats friggan [sic] disgusting.”
I, too, abhor the cruelty perpetrated against this dog. I love dogs. Also, I believe that the perp should be punished accordingly (i.e., as Mike Vick served two years of confinement, plus probation and fines).
However, the outrage expressed here, that a human being (made in the Lord’s Image … Imago Dei) should receive the same fate as the dog, is unscriptural. While it may be construed as hyperbole due to the “heat of the moment” (and I pray that it is), a great concern is that the immortal soul/spirit of a human being is being considered as no different than that of a dog … or perhaps any other creature, for that matter.
This is very troubling, and more importantly, seemingly becoming the mind-set of a significant number of people in our society. Part of the plan of the enemy of our souls is to devalue the sanctity of human life … one approach is by elevating the value of non-human life to the same degree. May the LORD have Mercy upon us!
I implore my fellow animal lovers not to ignore Holy Scripture regarding the Lord’s view of human beings. Genesis chaper 1, verse 27 proclaims, “So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them.”
Psalm 8:5-6 declares, “For You [God] have made him [man] a little lower than the Angels, and have crowned him with glory and honor. You made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands: You have put all things under his feet.”
The intrinsic value of the life/soul of even fallen, unregenerate mankind is far more precious in the sight of the Lord than any other manifestation of His creation.
Please understand that this privileged status of people in God’s sight doesn’t grant permission to abuse/ neglect/waste His gift of creation, especially regarding man-to-man interpersonal relationships. There are consequences for our sinful acts, as evidenced by the penalties incurred by Mick Vick for his crimes against “man’s best friend”… but NOT “eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth, life for a life” retribution.
Image: Devilal; Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license
Topic: Animal Abuse, Dog Abuse, Human Life, Creation of Man
