For the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi and the Blessing of the Animals.
Ever hear of the Cambrian Explosion? In 1989 the late paleontologist Stephen Gould published a critically acclaimed book called Wonderful Life. In it, Gould discusses the Cambrian Explosion, the discovery of thousands of fossils from the Cambrian period where it looked like innumerable new lifeforms suddenly appeared, many of them with bizarre types of bodies. Other scientists, however, were reappraising this event and coming up with a different interpretation. But to ethologist Richard Dawkins, Gould's explanation of what was once the scientific consensus was in fact a “near-disingenuous” misrepresentation of the facts. That's awfully close to calling Gould a liar! And of course, this had nothing at all to do with the fact that Gould said that Dawkins' “selfish gene” theory was a form of “reductionism” and an example of “Darwinian fundamentalism.” Nor should we infer that Dawkins doesn't get along with anyone who disagrees with him, whether they are theists or other scientists!
What this was really about was whether these fossils represented new forms of life or not. In fact one of the heroes of Gould's book, Simon Conway Morris, had changed his mind. He originally thought these fossils belonged to new phyla but now thought that most of them belonged to modern classifications. And that's what these scientists were really arguing about—names! They were getting all worked up about what categories to put these fossils into, even though one of the constants of science is redrawing the tree of life. New specimens and new data are always challenging the existing reconstructions of how various lifeforms are related. In the early days scientists looked at various specimens and grouped them by similarities. But since the discovery of DNA, classification has gotten trickier. It turns out that aardvarks and anteaters are not that closely related even though both have long snouts, burrow in the dirt and eat ants. On the other hand, fungi are closer to animals than plants! Although some scientists argue that plants are closer to animals than fungi. Science is always a work in progress.
The fluidity of these efforts to catalogue creation means we need to take the pronouncements of how we are related to other species with a large grain of salt. It is obvious that we are related to apes, and DNA confirms this, but it is just as obvious that human beings are radically different from them and all other species. When I was a kid, I was taught that one of the things that one of the things that made us unique was that we were toolmakers. Now we know that chimps use sticks to fish for termites in their mounds and otters use rocks to break open shells. But there is a huge difference between a stick and a Swiss Army Knife and between a rock and a laser. What we create is much more complex than what other animals make. And while chimps are among the few animals who recognize themselves in mirrors and so may be self-aware, the smartest chimp is not as smart as the average 5 year old human child. We can teach chimps to use symbolic languages but left to themselves they don't develop any. Nor do they use the languages we teach them to communicate in any great depth about anything other than their current needs, feelings and perceptions. They are never going to produce an insightful memoir or great work of fiction.
Nor will they ever endanger the whole world, as we do. All of the locusts in history could not duplicate the ecological damage that humans can. Jane Goodall was shocked to observe the chimps she studied for decades go to war with each other and even practice cannibalism. But they will never develop nuclear devices or biological weapons. The gulf that exists between our powers and those of the other animals means not only that we can do greater good but also greater harm. And due to our language, our ability to imagine the future and to judge potential outcomes as well as our ability to empathize with others, we cannot excuse such acts as due to ignorance. Greater intelligence does not necessarily lead to better behavior. That's why every human culture has to spell out explicit rules of morality.
The ability to choose right over wrong is part of what the Bible calls “the image of God” in humanity. (Genesis 1:27) The negative version of the Golden Rule, that is, “Don't do to others what you wouldn't like done to you,” is so universal it could almost be called a meme, Dawkins' unit of cultural thought that spreads like a gene. While there are areas of morality in which cultures disagree, all peoples recognize concepts such as fairness, moderation, compassion and wisdom. There is broad agreement that these principles apply to our relationships with our fellow human beings. But what are our obligations to the other animals?
In the beginning humanity was not only created in God's image but we were also given “dominion” over the rest of creation. (Genesis 1:28) What does this mean? Some have felt that it means we simply can walk all over other creatures and that we have been granted absolute power over them. That's not what the Bible says. Genesis 2:15 says, “The Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to care for it and protect it.” A better translation of the Hebrew would be “to serve it and preserve it.” In other words, the man was to act as its gardener. So this “dominion” is not ownership but stewardship. The earth belongs to God, not us. We have authority over the earth and its creatures in the same way the manager of a great estate has authority over its land and native animals. He can act in the name of the estate's owner but he is expected to do the owner's will. He is not authorized to go against the express wishes of the owner.
We tend to forget this. We act as if we know better than God does when it comes to what we do with his gifts. We often go against his express wishes. And then we are surprised when we suffer the consequences of going against the principles upon which this world was created. We forget just how interconnected it all is.
For instance, large commercial farms have been paying beekeepers with portable apiaries to travel the country and use their bees to pollinate crops on a scale that the local bees cannot do alone. But the exchange of diseases between the visiting bees and the local ones is being studied as a factor in the problem of colony collapse disorder. As bees mysteriously disappear, the crops they pollinate are endangered. This includes almonds, cranberries, cucumbers, raspberries, strawberries and watermelons. In trying to do God's natural order one better, we may lose many of its delicious gifts and one of its most iconic insects.
In the Keys we have seen how overfishing has had drastic negative effects on our fish stocks. It seems that even after killing all the dodos and passenger pigeons, we have not learned our lesson and we have pushed almost to the brink of extinction blue whales, red wolves, black rhinos, gorillas, leatherback sea turtles, chimpanzees, sea otters, elephants, lions, tigers and bears. Oh, my! Even with recent conservation efforts most of these species are endangered or the slightly higher rating of vulnerable. But their numbers are not robust and some are in decline. They are not out of the woods yet, so to speak.
We have also worked against God's way of breeding healthy species. Purebred people or animals are not natural. Just as blood diseases such as porphyria and hemophilia ran rampant through the inbred royal families of Europe, so have more than 500 distinct genetic defects been found in various breeds of purebred dogs. God's natural selection of mates works better than our artificial selection.
So we have not been wise stewards of the animals we have been charged with caring for and protecting. But does the Bible explicitly tell us to treat animals well? In Exodus, just 3 chapters after having been given the Ten Commandments, Moses is told that the Sabbath applies to our animals as well. (Exodus 23:12) They are also to rest from work so that they may be refreshed. And Jesus points out that the prohibition against humans working on the Sabbath could be lifted if an animal needed to be rescued. (Luke 14:5; Matthew 12:11) If you see an animal in trouble you are to help it. (Exodus 23:4-5; Deuteronomy 22:4). Oxen were not to be muzzled as they tread on grain. (Deuteronomy 25:4) In other words, they are allowed to eat some of the food they are helping to process. And Proverbs 12:10 says that the righteous person takes care of the needs of his animals. Or as Eugene Peterson translates it, “Good people are good to their animals.”
Another significant piece of Biblical data: Animals are included in God's covenant with Noah never to flood the whole earth again. (Genesis 9:8-11) And when he tells Jonah why he cared if Nineveh was destroyed, God specifically mentions his desire to save the animals as well as the people in the city. (Jonah 4:11) Jesus says that God is aware of each sparrow that falls. (Matthew 10:29) The conclusion is clear: God loves all of his creatures, not simply humans.
This is not to say that the Bible advocates vegetarianism nor that it puts animals on parr with humans when it comes to rights. Animals can be used for food. (Genesis 9:3) They were used in the sacrificial system. (Leviticus 1:2) Their blood reminded the penitent of the cost of his sin. (Leviticus 1:4-5) Their blood was used precisely because they are precious to us. If it became easy for a person to sacrifice an animal, it would not send the right message. The loss of any life has to be a significant loss. In the Bible, part of the preparation of meat is the draining of all blood. This predates the Kosher laws. God tells Noah that blood was not to be eaten. Blood is life and all life belongs to God. (Genesis 9:4)
The paradox is that we are animals and yet we are different from all other animals. Biologically, we are their kin. Spiritually, we are their caretakers. We are, as C.S. Lewis put it, amphibians, at home in both the physical and spiritual realms. When Paul tells us to be spiritual, that doesn't mean we are to be divorced from our bodies but directed by God's Spirit. (Romans 8:8-10, 12-14) The physical creation is not to be reviled but redeemed. Our ultimate destiny is not an ethereal existence in the clouds but a resurrected life in a new world, where heaven comes to earth, and the Creator's original plan for his creation as a paradise has been restored. (Romans 8:11; Revelation 21:1-4)
So on the day we remember St. Francis of Assisi, we bless our animals and they bless us. Just as we reflect some aspects of God, so also they reflect others. But there is an overlap. We are startled to see bits of ourselves in them and they remind us that we too are creatures and not gods. They often cock their heads in amazement at what we do, reminding us of the radically generous gifts God has bestowed upon us. We need to remember that in the Biblical economy, power is not given so that some may exploit others but so that we may help and protect others. To that end we are given gifts of empathy and love for them. (2 Samuel 12:1-6) And it works both ways. Our animals often sense when we need their love to lift our spirits.
Blessings are to be shared. We are blessed so that we may bless others. And the blessings of God need to be expressed and articulated, lest we forget that they are there and lest we forget what they are and what they mean. They need to be articulated so that we can see if our works are in harmony with our words, if what is on our lips can be found in our lives.
Let us pray:
Almighty and everlasting God, creator of all things and giver of all life, let your blessings be upon our animals. May our relationships with them mirror your love, and our care for them be an example of your bountiful mercy. Grant our animals health and peace. Strengthen us to love and care for them as we, like your servant Francis, strive to imitate the love of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We ask these things in his name and through the power of your Holy Spirit, who live and reign with you, Father, one God forever and ever. Amen.
First preached on October 4, 2009. It has been revised and updated.
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