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In 1
Corinthians 10:31-33 Paul says “So whether you eat or drink, or
whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.” Should this
principle be applied today with our decisions regarding animals?
(Please also see 1 Cor. 8:13).
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Paul said in 1 Timothy 6:10 “For the
love of money is the root of all evils…” Since most animal cruelty
is for big business, (and hidden from the pubic), animals are
clearly victims of greed. Should we, who are God’s children living
in God’s Kingdom, support animal abuse in:
The legal and illegal trade of animals; puppy mills*; dog racing;
fur farms**; research laboratories; factory farms***?
*Over 500,000 puppies are cruelly bred and confined in puppy mills
each year in the US alone, mostly in PA and the Midwest. They are
then shipped to businesses such as puppy stores.
** 31 million animals are bred, confined, and killed for the fashion
industry.
***Factory farms are multi-billion dollar industries
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Do you think that the increase of
pestilences or plaques is a sign of the end times? Could the
increase of zoonotic diseases such as Mad Cow Disease, CJD, E-Coli,
the bird flu, etc. Be the beginning signs? Do you think that
diseases of dementia could be from eating sick cows/cattle which
show up years after congestion?
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God, who has compassion for all
animals, (Psalm 145:9) gave laws in the Old Testament to help them
(see Exodus 23 and Deuteronomy 25:4). If we are God’s children,
should we also have compassion for them?
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Is animal research necessary and
should we support charities who use animal research? (Please visit
Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine at
www.PCRM.org and
www.curedisease.com
for information).
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Churches are generally silent about
our responsibility to care about God’s creatures. Why do you think
it is not taught?
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God’s Creatures Ministry and Catholic
Concern for Animals-USA have Veterinarian Charity Funds to help
people pay vet bills. How can your church or community help people
raise money for these charities? Do you think that Christians should
help people with vet bills and/or provide pet food, etc.?
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Does our treatment of (and
relationship with) people and animals reflect our relationship with
God? Should patience, mercy and kindness be extended to all animals?
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Steel leg-hold traps have been banned
in more than 70 countries, so why does the USA approve of them?
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Should we celebrate religious
holidays without using animal flesh, dairy and eggs from animals who
have suffered their whole lives? Do you believe God is pleased with
our celebrations? Do you think the analogy Jesus uses about the
thief coming to steel, kill and destroy, (see John 10:10), could
describe the stealing of calves, piglets, chicks, and all animals
who belong to God?
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Lobsters and crabs boiled alive are
accepted as normal to do. Some stores refuse to sell live lobsters
because of their intense suffering. Do you believe that God cares
for them also? Do you think God feels their pain (as well as all
animals’ pain)?
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Balaam’s donkey (please see Numbers
22), the man’s pet lamb (please see 2 Samuel 12), and the dogs who
licked Lazarus’ sores (please see Luke 16:20-21) teach us something
about animals and their relationship with humans. What do they teach
us? Is our relationship with them important to God?
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Are dairy products really good for
us? Please visit www.PCRM.org
for answers.
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Obviously animals are important to
God. Should we teach God’s views of His animals and our
responsibilities towards them in Seminaries and Churches? What is
the best way for adults to teach children (and adults) God’s
compassion?
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If animals are going to be in God’s
Peaceable Kingdom and if God reconciled the whole world (cosmos) to
Himself through Jesus, are there and will there be animals in
heaven? (See sources on GCM’s website and also 2 Kings 2:11; Isaiah
11:6; Revelation 19:11-14).
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How does a vegan diet (God’s original
intended diet for us) help the poor, the environment, our health,
and the suffering of animals? Does it give God glory? Is sustainable
agriculture for animal consumption really the answer? Should we
eliminate or at least minimize our consumption of meat and animal
products such as eggs and dairy?
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What is God’s relationship with
animals? Does God see and care for each one?
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How can we follow Jesus, the Prince
of Peace, more closely? If all animals belong to God, who put them
in our care to protect, what can we do to LET them praise the Lord
as the Psalmist tells us to do in Psalms 150:6? Do you believe that
Satan, the father of lies, has been deceiving us? How?
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Do animals and humans have the same
created soul (nefesh chayah)? (see Genesis Chapters 1 & 2 and
Ecclesiastes 3:19-21)
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What kind of diet did Daniel request
and why? (See Daniel 1)
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Are rodeos and circuses cruel to
animals? (Visit
www.rodeocruelty.com and
www.circuses.com ). If they are, why do we patronize them?
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What did God really mean when he gave
us ‘dominion’ over the animals in Genesis 1:26? What context is it
in?
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Is it wise to send or sponsor animals
to poor countries to raise and breed? Why?
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What was Paul instructing Timothy in
1 Timothy 4:1-5 and why? What context is it in?
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What did God mean in Acts 11:1-18
when He told Peter to “Kill and eat”?
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Esau and Nimrod were hunters in the
Bible. Do you believe that hunting is pleasing to God? (Please see
article by Rev. J.R. Hyland on God’s Creatures Ministry’s website
for more information concerning hunters in the Bible).
