Why Caring About Animals Is Central To What It Means To Follow Christ

Recently, I was invited to speak at the adult forum at Christ Episcopal Church in Rockville, MD.  I was, of course, delighted to accept.  I very much enjoyed the hour, and hope that the congregation did, as well.  I'm sharing below a copy of my remarks.  

Christ Episcopal Church, Rockville, MD

 

Dominion In The Image Of God –

Why Caring About Animals Is Central To What It Means To Follow Christ

Remarks at Christ Episcopal Church, Rockville, MD

September 30, 2018

Good morning.  Thank you for inviting me here to talk with you, and thank you for the work the St. Francis Flock is doing in raising the issue of animal welfare as a Christian concern, and thank you for your support of this important work, Rev. Simpson.  There is a lot that I could talk about today, but given our limited time, I thought I would try to lay out what I think are the foundational concepts for a theology of animal welfare, and then answer any questions the group may have. 

I want to start with what might strike you as a fairly startling proposition:  that caring for animals is not just an appropriate Christian concern, I believe it is fundamental to what it means to be human, what it means to be created in God’s image, and what it means to carry out God’s will on earth.  To support that idea, I want to focus on the creation stories, which form the foundation of our understanding of our place as humans in God’s creation.  Specifically, I want to focus on the idea that we are created in God’s image and given dominion over the animals. That’s an idea that traditionally has been used to excuse exploitation of animals, but I think it is telling something very different indeed – and something that goes beyond what many mean when they use the word “stewardship” in place of dominion.

REFLECTIONS ON THANKSGIVING, 2015

“Cruelty to animals is as if man did not love God.”

                                                ~ Cardinal John Henry Newman 

                Thanksgiving is a difficult time for vegans.  We love a good feast with family and friends as much as the next person, but the great fuss made over the turkey is hard to take.  We know that more than 46 million birds will die for Thanksgiving.  We know that nearly all of them come from factory farms, where they have been bred to be mere caricatures of the birds God created, with breasts so big they cannot mate naturally and with such a fast growth rate that they often suffer serious leg and joint problems.  They have often had their beaks and toes cut off without anesthesia to keep them from harming other birds due to the overcrowded, stressful, and dirty conditions in which they live.  We know that as birds, under US law, they are not even afforded the minimal protections of the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act in the slaughter process.  And we know that the slaughter process is terrifying and often badly done, resulting in significant suffering.  We know that year after year, investigations of turkey farms have revealed horrific treatment of these gentle birds, even when they are supposed to have been “humanely raised.” 

               We also know that turkeys, when allowed to live in peace, are intelligent, social, affectionate birds, that they are loved by the God who created them, and that their suffering matters.  It is extremely difficult for us to understand, therefore, how participating in cruelty toward them can in any way, shape, or form be related to giving thanks to God for His great mercies toward us.  

Wild turkey

Butterball turkey, photo by Mercy For Animals

BUT WE’VE ALWAYS DONE IT THAT WAY

(AND ITS COROLLARY, WE’VE NEVER DONE THAT BEFORE)

Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.
                                   Isaiah 43:19   

       Anyone who has ever been involved in church committees is familiar with the cry, “But we’ve always done it that way!”  Whether the topic is the order of service, the language of the prayers, the color of the carpet, or where the cups for coffee hour are stored, church folk are resistant to change.  Of course, this is not unique to church folk (try changing the menu for family holidays), but “the way things have always been” does seem to have a particularly strong pull in our places of worship. 

Dave Walker, Cartoon Church

Perhaps this should not be surprising, since – at least for many Christian traditions – worship is deeply tied with ritual, and when we come to our houses of worship, we want to feel welcome and secure and sure-footed, notwithstanding Anne Dillard’s excellent admonition that we should come prepared for anything, wearing crash helmets.[1]  Often we have treasured memories of walking down that carpet on our wedding day or with our newly-baptized infant; we remember how that one particular prayer got us through a difficult time and it comforts us to say it again every Sunday.[2]  In a rapidly changing world, we like to think that here, at least, we can rely on things to be as they have always been.  Introducing new practices is hard, can lead to conflict, and needs to be undertaken with care. 

            Introducing new ideas is even harder.  Introducing new ideas that ask people to change long-cherished practices is, perhaps, hardest of all.  For church leaders, balancing so many things and facing so many challenges (not least declining church membership), it might be too much to ask.  Even so:

FOOD IN PRAYER, PRACTICE, AND PLANNING

        

         As we plan for feasts this holiday season, here are three things to keep in mind:

 First, here is an article by Bruce Friedrich in Reflections, a publication of the Yale Divinity School: Toward A Divine Diet.  In it, Bruce (whom I've mentioned before), talks about faith and veganism.  He addresses the many impacts of eating animals, discusses food choice as a way of prayer, and suggests, "Eating connects us to the processes that go into producing our food, and by choosing to eat plants, and not animals -- as it was in the beginning and as it will be -- we can all begin to live God's peaceful vision for all of God's creation." 

    Second, and by way of contrast, here is Mark Bittman in the Washington Post with an article entitled "How A National Food Policy Could Save Millions Of American Lives," addressing the sorry state of our current national food policy, and the grievous implications that has on our health.  While he does not discuss food as a theological issue, what he has to say shows that we are reaping what we have sown in our disregard for our roles as stewards of God's animals, God's planet, and God's people. 

     And finally, here are some amazing-sounding cruelty-free holiday recipes from the Choose Veg blog, so we can all develop our own compassion-based diet in celebration of God's compassion toward us and all that He has made. 

      Eat plants, pray to God, love His creatures.  Amen.

Eating connects us to the processes that go into producing our food, and by choosing to eat plants, and not animals – as it was in the beginning and as it will be – we can all begin to live God’s peaceful vision for all of God’s creation. - See more at: http://reflections.yale.edu/article/risk-our-food-our-water-ourselves/toward-divine-diet#sthash.qrGfK6eV.dpu

Eating connects us to the processes that go into producing our food, and by choosing to eat plants, and not animals – as it was in the beginning and as it will be – we can all begin to live God’s peaceful vision for all of God’s creation. - See more at: http://reflections.yale.edu/article/risk-our-food-our-water-ourselves/toward-divine-diet#sthash.qrGfK6eV.dpuf

Yet slowly but surely, faith communities are recognizing that food matters – that food choices are not just political, but spiritual too. And as more of us do, the dire ramifications of meat consumption, as well as the inevitable cognitive dissonance of expressing mercy for animals while habitually killing and eating them, will disintegrate. - See more at: http://reflections.yale.edu/article/risk-our-food-our-water-ourselves/toward-divine-diet#sthash.qrGfK6eV.dpuf

Yet slowly but surely, faith communities are recognizing that food matters – that food choices are not just political, but spiritual too. And as more of us do, the dire ramifications of meat consumption, as well as the inevitable cognitive dissonance of expressing mercy for animals while habitually killing and eating them, will disintegrate. - See more at: http://reflections.yale.edu/article/risk-our-food-our-water-ourselves/toward-divine-diet#sthash.qrGfK6eV.dpuf

Yet slowly but surely, faith communities are recognizing that food matters – that food choices are not just political, but spiritual too. And as more of us do, the dire ramifications of meat consumption, as well as the inevitable cognitive dissonance of expressing mercy for animals while habitually killing and eating them, will disintegrate. - See more at: http://reflections.yale.edu/article/risk-our-food-our-water-ourselves/toward-divine-diet#sthash.qrGfK6eV.dpuf

LOVE BUILDS UP:

1 Corinthians 8

Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that “We all possess knowledge.” But knowledge puffs up while love builds up.

                                                                                    1 Cor 8:1

            Last time, I considered the harm that working in high speed slaughterhouses and factory farms causes to humans in light of 1 Corinthian 8, in which Paul admonishes us always to act in love, being careful not to cause others to fall into sin.  With this post, I want to take a closer look at that passage from Paul’s first letter to the church in Corinth to see what it might have to tell us about loving our neighbors – with two feet and four – and about proclaiming the gospel. 

In 1 Corinthians 8 Paul begins his response to a question from the Corinthian church regarding whether it is permissible to eat food sacrificed to idols.  Paul’s full response is lengthy and carefully structured, comprising 8:1 - 11:1, but in Chapter 8 he lays the foundation for his argument with a central Pauline theme: in discerning appropriate behavior, the Corinthians are to consider what will build up the community and draw people to Christ.  Although today we tend to dismiss this passage as irrelevant in a culture that does not sacrifice meat or other food in the temples of the Greco-Roman pantheon, the lesson of this passage is as relevant today as it ever was.  

Ancient Corinth, photo by Ploync, cc via Wikicommons

THEOLOGICAL VEGAN 

“I love that every time I sit down to eat, I’m able to take a stand on behalf mercy and compassion, and against misery and cruelty. Saint Paul calls on us to ‘pray ceaselessly,’ and for me, veganism is a kind of prayer.”

                                                                                              ~ Bruce Friedrich[1]

            It seems that lately there has been a lot in the news about famous people becoming vegan. Bill Clinton, of course, has been vegan for some time. Al Gore has recently joined him.  Beyoncé famously wore a fur coat to a vegan restaurant shortly after announcing she was adopting a short-term vegan diet. [2]  Mike Tyson is vegan. Even NFL players are writing and speaking about veganism.  And Samuel L Jackson was recently quoted as saying that he has a “new vegan diet” because he wants “to live forever.”
           All this got me thinking about the different reasons people become vegan or vegetarian or just reduce their consumption of animal products. Before going further, though, I want to pause to say that in this post, I will use “vegan” as a sort of goal or end point, recognizing that food (and other lifestyle) choices are most often not an “either/or” proposition (either you are a “vegan” or you are not). Most of us start eating the way our community and culture eats – with lots of meat and dairy - and some of us later move toward veganism, giving up or reducing meat and/or dairy by degrees. Few of us are perfect vegans. Let me also say that as I talk about veganism as a Christian ideal, I have no intent to look down my nose at people of faith who eat meat. Many meat eaters are, no doubt, much better Christians than I am in other areas. Instead, I believe we are all on a Christian journey. Christ meets us where we are and helps us draw closer to God as we are able. My hope here is to raise diet (and other animal-related lifestyle choices) as one of the areas where Christ can work in us and with us to bring us closer to him, and enable us to do his work here on earth. As always, I seek to include animals and diet as not only a legitimate, but an important, element of the on-going conversation about how we, as Christians, can live our whole lives as God intends.

Photo credit: Herbert T, Wikicommons, Creative Commons license

CHICKENS ARE BACK IN THE NEWS 

“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed.”

                                         ~   Proverbs 31:8 (New Living Translation)

            Back in October, I wrote a post titled, “Opening Our Eyes – To Chickens.”   That post addressed an article about a proposed change to USDA regulations governing chicken slaughter.  The proposal would speed up the slaughter lines, allowing 175 chickens to be killed every minute (up from the current 140 birds).  Animal advocates (among others) opposed the measure because every year, even under current speeds, nearly one million chickens are not killed in the slaughter line and are instead dropped alive into scalding water.  I argued that this is the kind of information that demands Christian attention. 

            The proposal remains pending and last week I saw another article about this same proposal and it made me even angrier than the first.

Washington Post, full credit below

COMMON CREATURELINESS:

CREATION CARE AND ANIMALS, PART FOUR

“For the fate of humans and the fate of animals is the same; as one dies, so dies the other.  They all have the same breath and humans have no advantage over the animals; for all is vanity.  All go to one place; all are from the dust, and all turn to dust again.”

                                                                  ~ Ecclesiastes 3:19-20.

            In my last three posts, I have looked at the work of various creation care authors who, while making many excellent points regarding our right relationship with the earth, have failed to address our right relationship with animals.  At least one author, however, shows us how a “green theology” perspective can specifically address our obligations to animals.  
          In his book, Living With Other Creatures: Green Exegesis And Theology[1], Richard Bauckham considers how the church has traditionally understood its relationship with animals and reconsiders that relationship, analyzing several scriptural passages that deal directly and indirectly with animals.  He considers two issues in particular, the ecological setting of first century Palestine and Jesus’ role in ushering in the kingdom of God, “in order to show that the kingdom includes the whole of creation and that some of the acts in which Jesus anticipated the coming kingdom point to the redemption of the human relationship with the rest of creation.”[2]  He does this, however, without conflating animals with non-sentient creation. 

           

IS VEGETARIANISM CONTRARY TO GOD’S INTENTIONS?
CREATION CARE AND ANIMALS, PART THREE

In my last two posts, here and here, I have considered the ways in which creation care has made great strides in moving us away from thinking of humans as entitled to exploit the earth, but has failed to bring us to accountability for our treatment of animals.   Too often, creation care authors consider animals as part of “nature,” to be grouped together with plants and waterways, rather than as individual sentient beings, more similar to humans than trees.  Norman Wirzba is a well-known agrarian theologian whose book, Food & Faith: A Theology of Eating[1], illustrates how failing to make this distinction can lead to conclusions that I believe are seriously flawed theologically, ethically, and practically.   

Wirzba proposes that choosing not to eat meat may be thwarting God’s intentions. Wirzba’s reasoning is complex, beginning with the inevitability of death and the Christian belief in death as a means to greater life.  He considers the ancient sacrificial system, which called upon its practitioners to give up something of value, and portrays all of creation as God’s eternal self-giving wherein all creatures feed on one another.  In this context, he theorizes, refusing to eat of God’s bounty, including the animals, is a refusal of God.