A Controversial Topic —by Hermien van den Bergh
H
unting is a Biblically‐justified practice, and in South-Africa hunting is a booming business. My son and I are living on a hunting farm in Botswana while we are building a Mission Base adjacent to the Tuli Block. I grew up here where hunting is the norm, but my dad was not a recreational hunter. It annoyed him when people were exploitative and ego‐driven when they hunted. He encouraged his neighbour, an avid hunter, to protect wildlife.
meat provides necessary food for poor families.
Many find hunting unsavoury
Many people find hunting unsavoury and are offended when trophy hunting pictures are posted on Facebook. They lack understanding of the challenges wildlife management faces and practice double standards. Hunting is criticised but many forget how they enjoy Hunters need to heed a Sunday roast. Such meat comes neatly packaged and people are blissfully unaware Today’s wildlife management Proverbs 12:10, which of the terrible price that farm animals pay to Wildlife management in today’s rapidly satisfy their carnivore needs. No wonder many changing world is difficult and complex. is clearly against people long for the day when humans won’t There are land‐use challenges, critical farmer cruelty to animals. kill animals for survival or entertainment, but needs, rural poverty, population explosion, society at large is not there yet. and conflict between animals and humans. In northern Botswana locals welcome an elephant hunt because they fear elephants stomping their villages and crops, and the Is there such thing as ‘ethical hunting’? Hunting is considered a sport, but any sport has rules and an umpire. In the hunting field the hunter’s conscience is the umpire. A friend once said that if you feel sorry for animals, don’t hunt. That concerned me because if you lack compassion and respect for animals, you will likely not abide by ethical hunting. It is inhumane to carelessly shoot, or recklessly hunt from the back of a bakkie, or to be drunk when you hunt, or not hunt a wounded animal until it is found. It is not okay to aim for the eye of an animal to show off your hunting skills. When the bullet hits the jaw and not the eye, an escaped animal will starve to death slowly and painfully. Hunters, game farmers, and professional hunters need to heed Proverbs 12:10, which is clearly against cruelty to animals.
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A deeply‐ingrained culture
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NATURE
Christians & Hunting
With a hunting culture deeply‐ingrain millennia, it is time to heed the call of Ro Y A 8:19-22, it is time for the revealed RS of God to actively end the groa Should Christians hunt? and suffering of creation instea What are your thoughts? perpetuating it. Email info@joymag.co.za
Please donate and help us educate people to treat animals better, WhatsApp “LOFU” to 060 070 2753. For anyone interested in following our journey as travelling missionaries, visit our website at www.lofunlimited.org
