Save the Whales

By Rev. Tim Pauls

Out here in Idaho, there’s been a big hullabaloo about wolves. (Hullabaloo is a technical term, meaning “something that takes up more time on the news than I like.”) A long time ago, ranchers destroyed the wolf population because wolves eat sheep.This, however, apparently destroyed the delicate ecology of the area. Without wolves, it was only a matter of time until we’d be overrun by angry sheep and rabbits, and no one would be available to blow down houses made of straw or sticks. So a few years back, some federal department of something started reintroducing wolves to parts of Idaho to reset the environment. Sadly, some wolves apparently missed the sensitivity training courses,and they started killing sheep again.

Unfortunately for them, some ranchers started shooting them accidentally while cleaning their high-powered rifles with the barrels sticking out the windows of their pickup trucks. I’m sure it was accidental, because shooting wolves is usually a violation of federal law.

I actually have a point to this story, and we’re almost there. So far, it’s a discussion of science (ecology) and environmental law, right? It’s about whether or not wolves are necessary for the environment, right? It’s not about religion, right?

So far, yes. But one night, the local news station hullabaloostically reported that yet another wolf had been shot, and police suspected foul play. The news station then cut to a spokeswoman for a local conservation group who said, “I can’t understand why anyone would shoot a wolf, because the wolf is a sacred animal.”

Huh? Sacred? Sacred isn’t a scientific word or a legal term. It’s a religious word.The woman wasn’t talking science or law but religion. She was saying that wolves should be protected because they’re holy—because some god favors them—which finally brings us to the question that I was supposed to address a few paragraphs back: What’s up with this whole animal rights thing?

I mean, people are attacked for wearing fur coats. Some have said that animals have the same right to live as you, so every burger is a murder in disguise. That’s pretty extreme. On the other hand, cruelty to animals isn’t right either, and few things bug me more than a guy who catches fish and leaves them flopping on the bank instead of throwing them back or taking them home for dinner. So where do you draw the line?

We’ll start here: “And God blessed [Adam and Eve]. And God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth’” (Genesis 1:28 ESV). Note two important truths: God declared that Adam and Eve were superior to animals, and God told them that they were to have dominion over animals. That continues today.You’re superior to animals, and you’re to be a steward of them. After all, God created man in His own image; no animal can say the same.

Now this means that animal rights ideas go bad when they teach that man is just another animal (instead of superior) or that man is the greatest threat to nature (instead of its steward). For instance, imagine someone saying, “I worship Mother Earth. It’s the planet and her ecosystem that’s keeping us alive. Animals are part of that system. When you kill an animal, you’re messing with your Mom.” That’s paganism more or less, and you’ll find that a fair number of animal rights activists are in that camp. What does this say about the one true God? It says He doesn’t exist, that He’s not keeping you alive. Instead, the planet is, so the planet is now your god. If God’s not there, then He didn’t send His Son to die for you. Therefore, you’re not going to rise from the dead. Your last act of service to Mother Earth is going to be as compost. Congratulations.

Or imagine someone saying, “We’re no better than animals. We’re just an accident. Some cells evolved into snails, and some into human beings. But we all came from the same soup.” It’s a logical result—well, sort of—from that religion called evolution, another faith that questions God’s existence and activities. If God doesn’t exist, you’re not created in His image.You’re not redeemed by His Son. You’re just a cosmic accident. Lucky you that you weren’t the snail.

The funny thing is that when people insist that animals deserve the same rights as people, it doesn’t elevate animals—it cheapens people. You’ll find that animal rights groups and abortion rights groups get along quite well, because if man’s just another animal, it’s okay to terminate unborn children. But save the whales, because we’re running low.

Anyway, that’s where animal rights goes bad—when it denies God and worships the creation (e.g., animals, planet, etc.) instead of the Creator. I think Romans 1:22–23 might have something to say about that.

Should you take care of animals? Sure. God created you to be a steward of His creation, including animals. That means using some for food and other resources. It may mean destroying some for the sake of peoples’ safety. Think of the mountain lion that wanders into town or the nest of wasps on a playground. Sometimes it won’t be a clear cut decision: if you’re in Idaho, should you side with the sheep or the wolves? The Bible doesn’t give an answer. It’s your call.

But the Bible makes this crystal clear: this world, with all of its flora and fauna, is coming to an end. You’re a steward on earth, but this isn’t your final destination. You’re not just another animal. God prizes you so highly that He made man in His own image. And because Adam lost that image, God’s Son took on human form and flesh to save you. He didn’t become a wolf to save wolves. He became man to save man and to save you for everlasting life.”

Rev.Tim Pauls is associate pastor and acting school administrator at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church and School in Boise, Idaho. He is the Interim Editor of Higher Things. His e-mail address is tpauls@goodshepherdboise.org.