01/01/2025
Happy New Year!
Christianity, God, and Animals - a long article/post regarding the animals (link on the first comment to the post on X)
Christianity, God and Animals
“Qui me amat, amet et canem meum. (Who loves me will love my dog also.)”
- Saint Bernard of Clairvaux [Spiritual Founder of the Templar Order]
“The Earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof. O God, enlarge within us the sense of fellowship with all living things, our brothers the animals to whom thou has given the earth as their home in common with us. We remember with shame that in the past we have exercised the high dominion of man with ruthless cruelty, so that the voice of the earth, which should have gone up to Thee in song, has been a groan of travail. May we realise that they live, not for us alone, but for themselves and for Thee, and that they love the sweetness of life.” - Saint Basil the Great
Our societies around the world have different customs regarding animals and their relationship with the divinity. In some cultures some animals are held at high regard while others are considered less important. From the beginning of written history we have accounts of animals being sacrificed to different deities as it was considered their blood purified man or was offered as fair trade for power, health, favorable weather, etc.
However, that animal sacrifice came historically after human sacrifice was not employed anymore. We can draw the logic conclusion that it is possible to consider animal blood “more sacred” than human blood, therefore animals could be considered “holier” than grown humans (excluding babies).
A look at what the Bible/Scriptures tell us about that can be revealing. Perhaps there is a lot more to pay attention to in our sacred book(s) than generally acknowledged. Perhaps it is because over the thousands of years man has abused animals and understanding our mistake could be difficult.
The Bible tells us that God gave men dominion over the animals. Several passages in Genesis clearly address this:
“And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.” Genesis 1:26 (KJV)
“And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.” Genesis 1:28 (KJV)
“And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered.” Genesis 9:2 (KJV)
Dominion does not equal a license to abuse. The man is to be considered the head of the family and to have “dominion” of his family. Christ is the King of His Church and has “dominion” over it…
Nevertheless, with “dominion” comes responsibility to provide for, to protect and if need to sacrifice for. The man should protect and if needed sacrifice for his family. Christ already did so for His church.
So why would we not employ the same meaning regarding dominion over the animals?
Different Bible passages tell us about God’s creation. Man and animals can live together, can communicate and have different relationships.
“For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind,” James 3:7 (KJV)
“And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.” Genesis 1:21(KJV)
Furthermore, other Bible passages indicate, the perhaps superior nature of the animals. We as humans are asked to learn from them:
“Who teacheth us more than the beasts of the earth, and maketh us wiser than the fowls of heaven?” Job 35:11 (KJV)
“6 Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:
7 Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler,
8 Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.” Proverbs 6:6-8 (KJV)
“Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?” Matthew 6:26 (KJV)
“7 But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee:
8 Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee: and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee.
9 Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the LORD hath wrought this?
10 In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind.” Job 12:7-10 (KJV)
Not only that men should pay attention/learn from animals, other passages indicate the animals’ superior faith/trust in God’s plan:
“Yea, the stork in the heaven knoweth her appointed times; and the turtle and the crane and the swallow observe the time of their coming; but my people know not the judgment of the LORD.” Jeremiah 8:7 (KJV)
“Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls?” Luke 12:24 (KJV)
“The young lions roar after their prey, and seek their meat from God.” Psalms 104:21 (KJV)
While not part of the Bible, in the Book of Jasher (Apocrypha), God even teaches us through a wolf:
“43 And the Lord opened the mouth of the beast in order to comfort Jacob with its words, and it answered Jacob and spoke these words unto him,
44 As God liveth who created us in the earth, and as thy soul liveth, my lord, I did not see thy son, neither did I tear him to pieces, but from a distant land I also came to seek my son who went from me this day, and I know not whether he be living or dead.
45 And I came this day into the field to seek my son, and your sons found me, and seized me and increased my grief, and have this day brought me before thee, and I have now spoken all my words to thee.
46 And now therefore, O son of man, I am in thy hands, and do unto me this day as it may seem good in thy sight, but by the life of God who created me, I did not see thy son, nor did I tear him to pieces, neither has the flesh of man entered my mouth all the days of my life.
47 And when Jacob heard the words of the beast he was greatly astonished, and sent forth the beast from his hand, and she went her way.” The Book of Jasher 43:43-47
As far as the ability of animals to understand/perceive God, to seek salvation and ultimately to reach heaven, the following passages seem pretty clear:
“Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.” Psalm 150:6 (KJV)
“18 I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts.
19 For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity.
20 All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.
21 Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?” Ecclesiastes 3:18-21 (KJV)
"Thy righteousness is like the great mountains; Thy judgments are a great deep: O LORD, thou preservest man and beast." Psalm 36:6 (KJV)
"And all flesh shall see the salvation of God" Luke 3:6 (KJV)
“6 The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.
7 And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
8 And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den.
9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.” Isaiah 11:6-9 (KJV)
If we wish to argue that the passages above as not as clear as they can be, or that somehow they are taken out of context, we can look at what some of the Saints tell us about animals and God.
“The Saints are exceedingly loving and gentle to mankind and even to brute beasts… Surely we ought to show them great kindness and gentleness for many reasons, but above all, because they are the same origin as ourselves.” – Saint John Chrysostom
“If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men.” – Saint Francis of Assisi
“Not to hurt our humble brethren is our first duty to them, but to stop there is not enough. We have a higher mission to be of service to them wherever they require it.” – Saint Francis of Assisi
Not only that many Saints have clearly expressed the need for us to respect and protect the animals, both wild and domestic, we even have Saint Roch (August 16th) as the patron saint of dogs. Part of the required miracles to be considered a Saint, is the miracle of the dog who helped him and saved his life.
The sacrifice of animal blood in the Old Testament was a ritual which had power to purify one’s sins. 2000 years ago all that changed for Christians through the blood of Christ, as we learn from the New Testament. Nevertheless, what is important to acknowledge is that God’s Divinity is present in both animals and His Son.
As Templars and Christians living a righteous life, we are commended to protect the ones who cannot protect themselves, including the animals. May we do so! Deus Vult!
“And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass these three times? behold, I went out to withstand thee, because thy way is perverse before me:” Numbers 22:32 (KJV)
“A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast: but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.” Proverbs 12:10 (KJV)
Andrei's Templar Ministry (01/01/2025)
