Do we love animals too much?

 

I love to blog. I don't even care if people read it. It is just enjoyable to write. My biggest hindrance to writing blog posts is lack of ideas.  I actually Googled "ideas of things to blog about" the other day, and got nothing...... except for ideas of where to get blog post ideas -i.e. news stories, Facebook posts, etc. There was also a list of general things, and one was a rant.

This post is one I have had on my mind a long time... and could be classified as a rant -  and I have actually started writing on this a few times, but deleted it for fear people would get angry....... but then that hasn't stopped me before, and it is a sad world if I can't voice my opinion on my own blog.....  It is sad that even Christians want you to shut up if your opinion or views are contrary to theirs or the majority of the country, but that is where we are..... but I won't be silenced, so here I go. Animal lovers.  beware

  I am not an animal lover, well other than fried chicken, pork, ham, venison, steak, etc.... Seriously, I am not that crazy about animals. I still think kittens and puppies are cute, and don't mind cats as long as they are outside. But to be honest, animals are kind of gross.

Here are some thoughts I have on animals:

1) I don't like animals in the house, and can't imagine any house with an animal being truly clean (and for the record, we have had animals in our house before.... so I would know) :)

2) I think it is gross to sleep with an animal or let them on furniture... or worse on counters and tables. (my niece and my best friend sleep with animals...gross!)

3) It is doubly gross to eat after an animal or let them eat off of plates humans use.

4) I feel like throwing up every time I hear someone refer to themselves as an animal's "mommy or daddy". It is an animal, not a child. You did NOT give birth to it.

5) And you did not "adopt" it. You own animals, you adopt humans.

6) You just think your dog isn't peeing all over your house. My dad has been laying carpet in people's homes for at least 30-some years, and he has told me more than once that many people that have had dogs in their house have said their dog never goes to the bathroom in the house..... but then he takes up the carpet and padding and the truth is there to be seen...... yes, their dog went to the bathroom in the house, and more than a few times.

7) It looks gross to see people wearing clothes covered with cat or dog hair

8) Animals do not go to Heaven. God put a soul in humans, so we go to Heaven or Hell. He did not put a soul in animals, and where would He draw the line? If dogs do, do snakes? Spiders? Flies? Chickens? Will I meet all of the chickens I have made a meal out of here on earth?

9) A dog is not man's best friend....... Jesus is man's best friend.

10) In India, they worship cows. Ancient Egyptians worshiped cats. Modern Americans worship cats, dogs, birds, and anything else that can be a pet.

11) Any time someone shares a post about animals from some kind of pro-animal group, I click the button to not show posts from that group anymore.

12) Why do people take animals shopping with them where they have to leave them in the car? Just leave them at home!

13) That same tongue your pet is licking your face and lips with, and that is licking your ice cream cone..... that same tongue was used when he was cleaning his whole body, including his rear......

   A former pastor of mine preached a message from Colossians 3:5 several years ago that I have never forgotten, and we are talking at least 20 years. That verse in the King James version, THE version of the church I attended and the one I currently attend, says this "Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry."

  He focused on the two words in that verse: inordinate affection. Inordinate means excessive or unrestrained. His whole sermon didn't focus on animals, but he did talk about how people are with their animals as part of this inordinate affection....... and from what I have seen and heard, I believe he had a point.

  I am observant. The same people who are always posting things about animal cruelty, puppy mills, bear hunts, etc, never or rarely post anything about abortion or human trafficking. Do I believe people shouldn't post about animals? No, and I am against animal cruelty even though I am not an animal lover. I do think it is indicative of our country's loss of respect for human life and our screwed up priorities. Human lives matter - all races and colors - a million times more than a kitten of puppy or a bear. And it does say something about priorities and what is important to you by what you are constantly posting.

  One has to look only as far as PETA, a very extreme organization that cares much more about animals than babies or human trafficking. They have actually wished death on people for daring to eat meat and chain or cage animals, and have the most bizarre ads and campaigns to draw attention to their extreme views. And it does seem the more pro-animal people get, the less they care about issues like abortion and human trafficking.

  I stated this before, and believe with all of my heart that it is true:

If a politician ran for office and advocated cruelty to animals, or even aborting puppies or kittens, they would never win. They would receive tons of hate mail, and the country would be incensed. But that same politician can cheer on, support, and have as one of their main platforms the "right" of a woman to murder her baby in her womb, and they are called a champion, and are voted by even many who claim to be a Christian.

  Think about that for a minute. Have we lost our respect for human life so much that many people care more about the plight of animals than humans?

  Now imagine another scenario: Imagine a politican advocating that if an animal is born and is struggling to live, that you just let it lie there and die without trying to save it. Now imagine the outrage, and imagine the chances of that politician winning any office,

  Yet - and this is the honest to goodness truth: While senator, Obama voted AGAINST a bill that in cases when an aborted baby survives the abortion that medical treatment would be used to save the baby. He voted to let the baby lie there and die..... but no one would advocate that for an animal.

  There have been a few news stories lately that are worth mentioning:

Cecil the lion. The country was in an uproar because an American dentist killed a lion on a hunt in another country, and that lion had a name. People were calling for his arrest and death. Wow.

  Then the videos started coming out giving proof that Planned Parenthood sells baby body parts from aborted babies, and there was silence from the people who were upset about a lion being killed.

  And now, the newest uproar: Due to problems with bears in Florida, the governor.... horror of horrors - had a bear hunt to thin down the amount of bears, Cue the outrage from the same crowd who is silent about abortion and human trafficking.

  I know of a couple who loves cats. They REALLY love cats. They do everything but bow down and actively worship this cat.... well, maybe they do that too. The cat has its own bedroom. They buy cat DVDs for it to watch. They have an urn with the ashes of their previous cat inside of it. Their world revolves around a cat.

  People put hundreds and thousands of dollars into something that will live an average of 10-12 years, possibly a little longer... and for what? I get that animals can provide companionship and fun, but they should never take the place of people in our lives.

   Anything can become an idol to us. Sports, reading, hunting, eating, cell phones, computers, animals......  Anything we are more devoted to than God can be an idol.

  And don't get me wrong. I am not faulting people for having animals as pets or being fond of them.... I just think we as a country love animals too much and give them a place that no animal should ever have, and that the attitude is almost worship of some people toward animals. So go ahead and post pro-animal stuff, but show once in a while that human issues are important to you also.

  Now excuse me while I go eat a piece of leftover fried chicken from lunch. All this talk of animals has made me hungry.