Save the...animals?

I’m a “cat person.”  I love cats.  Ask my friends and family, my co-workers, and they’ll tell you I’m a cat person.  I really wasn’t a cat person until college when I adopted my first sweet kitty, Chloe, who acted as an emotional support animal to me during a difficult few years.  For real.  Nowadays, Brad and I always have at least one kitty at home, usually two, and we adore them.  Those silly, sometimes snooty, personalities keep us entertained.  And all of our cats have either come from a shelter or we’ve found them as strays.  When we had a dog, a sweet chocolate lab named Gabe, he came from a shelter too.  No breeders for us; we want a rescue.  And I have to say walking by all those pups and kitties in cages at the animal shelter is pretty difficult.  It hurts my heart.

I like animals in general.  Not snakes, though.  Definitely not snakes or most reptiles or nasty bugs.  Not a fan of alligators or those giant rat things.  Cockroaches are only good for flushing down the toilet, in my opinion.  But those majestic creatures such as elephants and giraffes, polar bears, eagles with their piercing eyes, dolphins – the puppy dogs of the ocean –  all the big cats, and the incredibly unique koalas and kangaroos…there are some amazing animals on our planet.  God was super creative and thoughtful those fifth and sixth days of creation.  And I do believe He put all those fish and birds and mammals in the care of humans, to look after, to enjoy, and yeah, to eat in some cases.  (This author is no vegetarian.)

Why I am telling you all of this?  Simply, to lay the foundation for what kind of person I am when it comes to animals.  I absolutely cringe when I hear of animal cruelty; it is a heinous act that I cannot fathom.  I don’t particularly understand big game hunts.  I don’t think I could ever bring myself to shoot a lion (unless his sights were set on me as his next meal).  I couldn’t even shoot a deer, though I have no qualms whatsoever with hunting.  None at all.  My only preference is that hunted animals die quickly.  No need for any animal to suffer.

But anyway, back to cats.  I recently joined a Facebook Group for cat lovers, and as you would expect, it’s people from all over the world posting photos and videos of their kitties doing silly things or being sweet or mischievous or whatever.  I enjoy it for the most part, but I’ve seen people go a little overboard with their comments, like for example when a guy posted a picture of his cat in a cookpot with the lid on it.  Of course, the pot was not on the stove and the lid was not secured in any way, so if the cat wanted to get out he definitely could have.  But alas, some do-gooder feline fanatic commented that this was “cruel” because that poor cat was trapped and might suffocate. 

Give me a break.

In another Cat Lovers post, some poor lady got blasted for considering declawing her cat.  “How cruel and heartless!” someone responded, “to put your pet through that kind of pain and torture!”  I will definitely not be sharing that I have declawed every cat I’ve ever owned.

The point being, many comments made by these Cat Lovers go beyond just “Isn’t my cat cute” to “My cat is like a child to me and therefore deserves the same rights as humans…maybe even more!”  (Not in those exact words, of course).  These over-the-top sentiments often make me sigh and roll my eyes; for though I identify as a “cat lover,” I draw the line at any type of animal being raised to or beyond the value of a human being. 

New York State apparently disagrees with me.  The state recently passed a law that prohibits the declawing of a cat.  Governor Cuomo was quoted as saying, “Declawing is a cruel and painful procedure that can create physical and behavioral problems for helpless animals, and today it stops.”  Meanwhile, also in New York, the “Reproductive Health Act was signed by Governor Cuomo on Jan. 22, 2019, the anniversary of the landmark Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision that guaranteed a woman’s right to an abortion. It’s a measure that abortion-rights advocates in New York have long sought to pass but couldn’t previously get through a Republican-controlled state Senate.” (from factcheck.org)

These two recent legislative acts overtly support the growing trend of animal life over human life, and it is incredibly disturbing.  And in my opinion, the most blatant example of this school of thought in our society today is abortion.  Nothing so palpably diminishes the value of a human life, all the while being vehemently defended by millions of Americans. 

Now let me be the first to say that my point (animal life over human life) could also be made with the issue of human trafficking, domestic abuse, or any other condition in which human beings are treated like disposable property.  It is despicable, all of it, and every one of these issues deserves our attention and a call to action.  But for my purposes today, I will focus on abortion, namely because it has reached an unprecedented level of malevolence over the past few years, going beyond a “woman’s choice” to infanticide in some cases.

The topic of abortion has long created a divisive line between conservative and liberal Americans.  Evangelical Christians such as myself have been appalled and disgusted at some of the arguments made in favor of abortion and the rhetoric used that even five years ago would have been considered taboo even to the furthest left-leaning abortion advocate.  “House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., told one of the nation's leading abortion advocacy groups that Republicans ‘ignore basic morality’ when they push bans on [abortion].” (from foxnews.com)

In the last couple of years, we’ve seen women dress as giant vaginas or parade around almost naked in the name of their cause.  The following is the tagline from a site called shoutyourabortion.com:  “Shout Your Abortion is a decentralized network of individuals talking about abortion on our own terms and creating space for others to do the same, in art, media, and at community events all over the country.  Abortion is normal.  Our stories are ours to tell.  This is not a debate.”

“Abortion is normal.”  I think that is the phrase that gets to me most of all.  Murdering a baby in utero is normal.  Normal. 

Normal.

How did we get here?  When did the human race get to the point where declawing a cat is a cruel and painful procedure but tearing a tiny human limb from limb is “normal?”  WHEN????

At this point some might say, “What in the world does a Cat Lovers Facebook group have to do with abortion?”  In some ways, nothing.  But to my convictions, a lot.  I read the remarks made to other cat owners deeming them “evil” for letting their kitties wander outside where they could possibly be hurt, or chastising a guy for feeding his pet cheap food, or insisting that an owner pay a whopping $2,000 to save his cat’s life when he can barely pay his electric bill.  And based on the liberal platform, (am I wrong in assuming that most of these people are of the liberal persuasion?), I am betting that a large number of these animal advocates are also pro-choice, preaching respect for the animal population while defending the eradication of human fetuses.   

Again, I don’t want pets to be mistreated.  I don’t want elephants to be poached for their tusks.  I am saddened by the images of koalas running from fires.  But God help me I cannot raise a cry of justice for animals without first speaking out for human beings.  Have you ever seen an illustration of a baby being aborted?  It is horrific.  The epitome of cruel and painful.  And don’t tell me that babies in utero don’t feel pain.  Hogwash.

I’m really not writing this to begin an argument on abortion.  I don’t care to get into a woman’s right to choose or the fact that that right began when she chose to sleep with a man she had no intention of having a child with.  I’m also not here to bash women who have had an abortion and still wrestle with the awful guilt of their choice.  There is redemption and forgiveness and love for ANYONE who has sinned, from a God who values His human children above all else. 

Today I write in order to flesh out my thoughts on animal versus human rights.  The two are not mutually exclusive, but they are also not at all on an equal plane…not to me, and surely not to those who follow Christ. 

You see, animals are a beautiful part of a creation that is God-breathed.  Human beings, however, are not just part of God’s creation.  They are images of God Himself (Genesis 1:27).   Human beings have the capacity to accept or reject God, to find salvation in Jesus Christ, to have a personal relationship with Him.  Animals cannot do that.  Trees cannot do that.  So while deeply God cares about His creation, (Matthew 6:26, 28-30 makes that clear, as well as the Creation story in Genesis), God’s redemptive act of sending His Son to die was for humanity. 

If God places human beings higher than the animals, it only makes sense that Christians do so as well. 

Psalm 139 is perhaps the most beautiful biblical illustration of our human value, even before we were born. “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful” (vs.13-14).

God knew us and loved us long before we were even conceived, and His love for humanity exceeds everything else in all creation. “So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” Matthew 10:31.

So while I will treat my two kitty cats at home with love, as I am grateful for their companionship and believe they are deserving of a good home, I am asking God to give me a heart for people, to love them as God loves them (John 3:16).  And as I snuggle my cats tonight, I can also say a prayer for a young woman who is struggling with an unwanted pregnancy, that she will decide her baby is worth more than many sparrows.