Our discussion in class on Friday was very interesting. I have always considered myself an animal lover, but I have never considered how hypocritical it is for me to say that and then eat meat from animals that have been horribly mistreated or use medications that have been tested on animals - often times harming or killing them.
I was shocked when I read in The Green Halo that animals had been so mistreated in the past, (like with the vivisection of dogs) but then I was thinking about it, and just as many cruel things are done to animals today. We just do a better job of covering it up and glossing over it.
The discussion and the reading assignment not only made me think about what's wrong with society, but they also prompted me to think more about the afterlife. My favorite part of the reading was when Kohak discusses whether or not animals "have souls." I have occasionally thought about whether or not animals will be in Heaven, and I distinctly remember getting upset when my 6th grade religion teacher told me that my cat wouldn't go to Heaven because she didn't have a soul. I would be happy to go to Heaven and get to share it with all different kinds of animals. Although, I'm not going to lie, I'd rather not see my neighbor's vicious dog there. But all other animals are welcome in my opinion.
The point is that I don't think we as humans have the right to assume that we're better than all of God's other creations and that we're the only ones God cared enough about to give souls. I believe everything God created deserves to be treated with respect, and I find it disappointing that some people don't feel the same way.
I'll admit I need to work on this mindset in some aspects of my life. I tend to ignore animal cruelty when I don't see it myself. Hopefully this class will give me a stronger sense of what I need to do in order to put my beliefs into motion.
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