Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. (Genesis 1:26-27)

Ethical And Humane Does Not Apply To Animals

A growing segment of society seeks to make animals and man equals. Some laws governing animals sometimes have a harsher punishment than acts against humans. The commercial world has created a billion-dollar industry for the sanctity of dogs and cats as near human equals. Phrases often convey a familial connection between the two species. During the Thanksgiving celebrations, one commercial encouraged only turkeys that were ethically and humanely treated to be considered for the time of feasting.

It seems contradictory to ask for someone to “do one thing” by selecting an animal that was treated with ethical care and raised humanely just so that the same animal can be killed, cooked, and eaten. There is a moral dilemma in understanding the difference between the two. If someone suggested the same thing to be done to a human, the consequences would be severe. That is immoral on every level of common sense, but not the same for the poor turkey. The animal is treated with ethics before it is killed and eaten.

Ethics is the discipline of right and wrong. Humane treatment suggests the relationship of how one engages with a human being. How is it possible to engage in ethics with an animal or treat an animal like a human? That is impossible because the animal is a life force that begins and ends with nothing beyond death. What separates man from animals is that when a man dies, he does not stop existing – he abides in a world of eternity. A dog that dies is dead. There is no eternity for dogs, cats, snakes, horses, dinosaurs, eagles, worms, chiggers, lovebugs, etc.

God created man in His image. He did not create the animals in His image. Man has dominion over all the animals of the world. That has been the law of God since the beginning of time. It was not until after the flood that the fear of man came upon animals, and man was permitted to eat the flesh of the animals. God does have a covenant with the animal population as a promise He will never flood the world again. If a man is cruel to an animal, he breaks an ethical law, but not because the animal understands ethics. It is because of the ethics the man has before his Creator.

The agenda of the Humanist is to convince the world animals are like men and that men can become like animals. Blending the two species together is the ploy of deception from the father of lies, Satan. God put animals on the earth as a blessing for food, companionship, and evidence of the incredible power of God. All animals have a place in the scheme of God’s creation. Man is the highest of all creation. Jesus died for all men – He did not die for animals. An animal cannot know ethics or the meaning of humane treatment. The knowledge of right and wrong is reserved for the spirit of man, who was made in the image of God.

There is glory in the animal population. They bring laughter, joy, comfort, and amazement. God put animals on the earth to show His glory. When an animal dies, it is nothing more than the matter he is made of and becomes nothing. Man is an eternal spirit abiding in a physical body that will die. When the body stops functioning, the spirit of man lives on. God told Noah that life is in the blood. Killing a man is murder. Having a turkey for Thanksgiving is part of the blessings of God to feed His creation. Keeping the two separated is upholding the will of the Father.