Hello Everyone,
Some of my favorite passages in the Bible are God's interactions with His creations: commanding the ravens to feed Elijah, instructing the "great fish" to swallow and then release Jonah, and closing the mouths of the lions so that they were "not even allowed to give (Daniel) a lick."
I heard a pastor once say that he believes when Jesus told the disciples to throw their nets on the other side of the boat, God called out, "Here, fishy fishy," and all the fish swam to the other side.
I have always loved alligators, and had prayed many times that I would get to see one on my morning walk, not just at a zoo or preserve. As I was coming around a corner one day, I happened to see two eyes floating on top of the water... and lo and behold!!! A "teenage" gator, probably about 4 1/2 feet long, was floating on the surface!!! He stared at me a long time before backing away and hiding under the dock. I was thrilled, and, foolish as this may sound, personally believe that God called out to this gator and said, "I want you to go to the surface and wait... I have someone who wants to see you." I even believe God asked me what I'd want to name this particular gator, and I told God, "Well, Lord, I think I would name him 'Ralph.'" I smile every time I drive by that lake. I know it sounds crazy, but that's my relationship with God.
Something I have thought about for a long time is, what started the human belief that we are allowed to end the lives of animals when we believe something will be too cruel for them, such as an illness or injury? Is it Biblical and part of God's command, or is it something that we as humans decided?
The reason why I'm asking is NOT because I believe that animals should be made to suffer, but I have always wondered why we are "allowed" to decide when animals will die (under extreme circumstances--I am NOT talking about general cruelty, which of course, I am against) but NOT when people can be "put out of their misery"?
I was always told it is because humans are made in God's image and have an eternal soul, whereas animals do not (which of course, brings about the question as to whether earthly pets will join us in heaven.)
Maybe it's just me, but I've always been very troubled that we do our best to prevent any extreme suffering in the animal world... but humans must bear it all up until the painful, heartbreaking end (I'm thinking of things such as cancer and terminal illnesses.)
What are your thoughts?
And yes, I know people will wonder, WHAT THE HECK is this doing in the Singles Forum???
Well, everyone tells us singles that one of the benefits of being single is to "get closer to the Lord". Since I supposedly have more time to read my Bible (the inspiration for this was Jonah 4:11, in which God shows concern for not only the people of Ninevah, but also the "many animals"), these are the kinds of things I think about.
These days I hang out almost exclusively in Singles, and I thought this might be interesting because I know many singles rely on the companionship of pets or rescuing animals (I myself do not have pets--I'm allergic.)
Please share your thoughts and experiences!
Some of my favorite passages in the Bible are God's interactions with His creations: commanding the ravens to feed Elijah, instructing the "great fish" to swallow and then release Jonah, and closing the mouths of the lions so that they were "not even allowed to give (Daniel) a lick."
I heard a pastor once say that he believes when Jesus told the disciples to throw their nets on the other side of the boat, God called out, "Here, fishy fishy," and all the fish swam to the other side.
I have always loved alligators, and had prayed many times that I would get to see one on my morning walk, not just at a zoo or preserve. As I was coming around a corner one day, I happened to see two eyes floating on top of the water... and lo and behold!!! A "teenage" gator, probably about 4 1/2 feet long, was floating on the surface!!! He stared at me a long time before backing away and hiding under the dock. I was thrilled, and, foolish as this may sound, personally believe that God called out to this gator and said, "I want you to go to the surface and wait... I have someone who wants to see you." I even believe God asked me what I'd want to name this particular gator, and I told God, "Well, Lord, I think I would name him 'Ralph.'" I smile every time I drive by that lake. I know it sounds crazy, but that's my relationship with God.
Something I have thought about for a long time is, what started the human belief that we are allowed to end the lives of animals when we believe something will be too cruel for them, such as an illness or injury? Is it Biblical and part of God's command, or is it something that we as humans decided?
The reason why I'm asking is NOT because I believe that animals should be made to suffer, but I have always wondered why we are "allowed" to decide when animals will die (under extreme circumstances--I am NOT talking about general cruelty, which of course, I am against) but NOT when people can be "put out of their misery"?
I was always told it is because humans are made in God's image and have an eternal soul, whereas animals do not (which of course, brings about the question as to whether earthly pets will join us in heaven.)
Maybe it's just me, but I've always been very troubled that we do our best to prevent any extreme suffering in the animal world... but humans must bear it all up until the painful, heartbreaking end (I'm thinking of things such as cancer and terminal illnesses.)
What are your thoughts?
And yes, I know people will wonder, WHAT THE HECK is this doing in the Singles Forum???
Well, everyone tells us singles that one of the benefits of being single is to "get closer to the Lord". Since I supposedly have more time to read my Bible (the inspiration for this was Jonah 4:11, in which God shows concern for not only the people of Ninevah, but also the "many animals"), these are the kinds of things I think about.
These days I hang out almost exclusively in Singles, and I thought this might be interesting because I know many singles rely on the companionship of pets or rescuing animals (I myself do not have pets--I'm allergic.)
Please share your thoughts and experiences!