Humane_Religion

HUMANE RELIGION

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Nurture - Support

I am sometimes asked why I spend so much time and efforts on animal related issues when there is so much
insensitivity towards man. I answer....."I'm working at the roots"!                    George T. Angell
With the teachings in the bible that clearly show reverance and respect for ALL living beings, it saddens me to
see so many people - people who 'claim' to be God-fearing and who also consider religion to play a sizable role
in their lives, mistreat, neglect and basicly abuse their companion animals. I live in Dolan Springs, Arizona.
The local community has it's responsible pet guardians, but by no means are they the majority. Far from it.
The average Dolan Springs household with pets is ripe with neglect, ignorant of the pets needs, barron of any
training or even proper restraints for the pets safety.    And don't even get me started on the appropriate
identification of the pets - hundreds of which roam freely with little regard from their human counterpart as to
where they are vs where they should be.So, then why in the world, would the religious teachers, ministers and
those who believe the bible's teachings, refuse to use this incredible tool of faith, to help clean up our
problems of pet overpopulation and especially animal abuse?
IT'S SAD THAT DOGS DON'T LIVE AS LONG AS WE DO. BUT, I SEE WHY NOW. THEY ALREADY
KNOW HOW TO GIVE UNCONDITIONAL LOVE AND AFFECTION - SOMETHING IT TAKES HUMANS 7
TIMES AS LONG TO LEARN!!
The largest majority of those who are causing harm are not doing it maliciously, but out of simple ignorance.
This is what makes me believe that the church could and should play a role in the education of our community.
If we had a rash of rapes in the recent past, there would be a sermon on respect for the opposite sex. If there
were an unusually large number of murders over the past year, we would hear a sermon on respect for life and
so on. So, why, when God makes it so very clear that animals and humans are all to be respected and treated
with kindness and compassion, is this topic so ignored when the problem is so obvious?
There is a definite reason why Noah built the Arc for the animals and no additional humans were invited.
Humane Education, at its roots, has benefits that are felt far and wide in improved behavior of students,
increased attendance, much more awareness of others, a noticably raised level of achievement scores, more
respectful nature of addressing adults and others around them and gaining a less violent resolution
technique when challenged - not to mention the obvious - the lives that are spared and provided with the
proper treatment that will extend their lives in a healthier, happier way. So, if the above reasons do not spur
the preachers and priests on to a more compassionate style of ministries or simple common sense isn't
enough for the local or national ministries to take notice and begin giving more appropriate sermons to their
listeners, maybe some of the following articles can convince them to give a humane style sermon at least once
a year. If their followers are truly resectful of God and his teachings, they will learn how to improve their pets
existance as well - giving the pets a noticably improved chance of living out a healthy life in a manner pleasing
the man above.
"I looked at all the caged animals in the shelter....the castoffs of human society. I saw in their eyes love and
hope, fear and dread, sadness and betrayal. And I was angry. "God" I said, 'this is terrible! Why don't you do
something?" God was silent for a moment and then He spoke softly. "I have done something'' He replied. "I
created you. "

DOGS LOCKED OUTSIDE:
*** suffer from anxiety and do much more damage to property and his or her surroundings
*** become more anti social throughout this   type of treatment - resulting many times in the relinquishing of
said pet to the local dog pound. (excessive barking at night, uncontrollable digging and destruction of
surroundings, constant jumping and even escaping in an effort to find anyone who will provide him or her with
the attention they require.)
*** will be much more likely to suffer from unrecognized ailments such as infections, viruses and other injuries
for extended periods of time. The worst part of this is that when ultimately seen by a vet, the cost to correct
the ailment is now in the hundreds or even thousands of dollars and the human decides to have the dog
euthanized in order to save money. Clearly, had the human noticed this red eye, ear infection or swollen leg 6
months earlier, the vet would likely have been able to correct it with a simple vaccination and a few pills of
anti-biotics.
*** almost certainly be expected to protect the property in the back yard as well as the residents of the home
with no training or guidance of any kind. Yes, the dog will bite someone in the near future, but it will not likely
be an unwanted intruder, but more likely be a guest or utility man who is welcome in the yard, but nobody ever
made it clear to the dog as to what to look for. Another poor excuse to have the poor dog put to sleep. The
same dog is also the neighborhood nuisance for barking throughout the night -barking which the owners
have, over time, disregarded due to its' consistency. Most importantly, even if the dog were to recognize an
intruder who has gained access inside the home to burglarize or cause harm to the residents, there is no way
to gain access for the dog, so protection of the most important commodity on the premises - the residents- is
simply made impossible.
***In the northern American communities, the winter temperature can drop below zero.
***In the southern (especially southwestern US, the pets water can be 120 degrees by 2pm
IT DOESN'T MATTER THAT PEOPLE USED TO DO THIS TO THEIR DOGS - WE USED TO THINK LEAVING YOUR
CHILDREN ALONE WITH A PREIST WAS SAFE, TOO.
Bottom line is: Nobody with any knowledge or true understanding has ever told you that keepingyour dog
outside at night time was a good thing or the right thing to do. You've simply madethat choice out of
ignorance to what the dog truly wants and needs or out of laziness for refusing to take the time and effort to
properly train the dog. The dog suffers throughout the duration of his existance here and will ultimately live 5-
7 years less.

To All Religious Leaders: First of all, I want to make it known that I take neglect of animals, abuse of animals
and all types of this behavior very seriously. I would also like to mention that fact that those who are physically
abusive to animals tend to be more violent than average, in general (e.g., in all domains of life). Let me give
you some specific examples that support this supposition. The Child Abuse Potential Inventory (CAP) is an
instrument which is designed to measure one’s potential for abusing children (Milner, 1986). This instrument
has been referenced as a research tool in the abuse literature. One of the statements on this questionnaire is
“I enjoy having pets” in which the person is to state whether he or she agrees or disagrees with the
statement. This particular item is on the questionnaire because it has clinical significance. In other words,
there is a relationship between one enjoying or liking pets and one’s likelihood to be a child abuser.Another
instrument, which is intended to detect child behavioral problems, references animals. The Child Behavior
Checklist for Ages 2-3 (CBCL) developed by Achenbach (1988) specifically asks if the person’s child is “cruel to
animals” in which the person is requested to indicate how true the statement is for his or her child (0 = not
true; 1 = somewhat or sometimes true; and 2 = very true or often true). In this case the child’s behavior
towards animals is considered to be a valid indicator of behavioral problems which later tend to turn into
conduct disorder in the teen years and antisocial disorder in the adult years. Both of these instruments have
been found to uphold high standards of reliability and validity. These instruments have been used many times
as a research tool for empirical studies as well as for detecting and or predicting child behavioral problems
(CBCL). It is not a coincidence that both of these instruments reference either one’s view or treatment
towards animals. Although these two particular questions do not in and of themselves define an adult as an
abuser or a child as one that possesses behavioral disorders, they have been found to be highly related to
the dependent variable (e.g., abuse or behavioral problems).Furthermore, there are numerous studies that
provide empirical evidence of a link between animal abuse and criminal behavior in general. For example
Arluke, Levin, Luke & Ascione (1999) published an article titled “The Relationship of Animal Abuse to Violence
and Other Forms of Antisocial Behavior” in the Journal of Interpersonal Violence, which indicates that there is
an association between animal abuse and a variety of antisocial behaviors. I mention this article in particular
because its methodology was very robust and the findings, I believe, are based on highly reliable and valid
sources of data. Now is a pivotal time in our society and it requires that we make a strong statement by
enforcing the maximum punishment possible for the man who dragged the dog with his car. We should also
consider revising the current laws so that stricter punishments may be awarded. I will provide you with two
reasons why this is such:
1.    Now is a time in which our society greatly suffers from an over abundance of hatred, ignorance,
prejudices, etc.
2.    And, although there have been many other times in history dating back hundreds of years in which the
existence of cruelty and all the above can be documented, we are more sophisticated now than ever. This
means that we can either use our sophistication to become most cruel and commit evil acts, or we can take
our sophistication and become teachers of humane education and societal problem solvers.Help us
proponents of change and humane education activists make this a better place to live by sending out a
message that cruel behavior, whether intended for humans or animals, will not be tolerated for the simple fact
that it is unnecessary and terribly immoral. Please spread my message to everyone you are able to reach. Let’s
face it,knowing what we know today, what these people do is extremely cruel and someone capable of
committing such acts is clearly a threat to society!
Sincerely,
Dr. Jeanette Shutay Ph.d
Board Member 21st Century Animal Resource & Education Services

FINAL CHALLENGE:
I will make this impassioned challenge to all who preach, spread and share the gospel. Gather some
information on you local area by speaking to your local humane society in detail: contact your local police as
well. You will be amazed at the numbers and the level of abuse they witness on a daily basis in your own back
yard. Find out what problems they see as crucial to the beginnings of an improved society - beginning where
all larger than life projects begin - at the root level - the home.
Then bring this information to the pulpit one Sunday in the future.   Clearly outline that much of what we do TO
our animals are certainly not beneficial to their existance - such as tying them to a fence post. Locking them
outside in small cages or pens.   The unnecessary restrictions these dogs suffer from, lack of social
interaction and exercize and extreme temperatures lends itself to uncontrollable behavior and attacks,
medical problems that are usually noticed too late, unwanted litters - adding to the already overwhelming
number of slaughters seen in this country.
This leads to a life of neglect, illness and other problems caused by the treatment by humans - resulting in a
life span that is 7 years less than a dog who sleeps inside the home at night and has proper exercize. I'm
talking about this community where EVERYONE
has their dog on a short chain outside. Between coyotes, rattlesnakes scorpions and
heat strokes, you can see a home change dogs once a year or more. but they get the
next little puppy and tie it to the same chain. Your community will have similar challenges.

With all the studies tha are out now on so many matters, these issues are clearly no
longer ones of personal opinion, but moreso those of right and wrong. These people are
wrong. the churches could and should step in, give details and speak out.
Have a list of do's and don'ts for the congregation to take with them. Many argue that it is their right to do this
and to do that. It is NOT anyone's right to cause harm to an animal. .
It's clear there will be animals in heaven as there were animals in the Garden of Eden. So, when we see clearly
that abuse is current in our very own congregations, why does the church choose to ignore them here on
earth? Remember,   '.....not a sparrow shall fall from the sky....."?
Dogs are more of a role model than we give them credit for. If we learn to listen to the voices of our pets, it
will enhance our emotional and spiritual growth as well as give new meaning to the phrase, "Man's Best
Friend'

Readings for your sermon and Sunday School Classes:
               IMPORTANCE OF HUMANE EDUCATION by Dr. Jeanette Shutay Ph.d
               http://www.21stcenturycares.org/hcy.htm
               http://www.21stcenturycares.org/freekits.htm
               http://www.21stcenturycares.org/petsinheaven.htm
               http://www.21stcenturycares.org/istole.htm
               http://www.21stcenturycares.org/truestory.htm
                                                                                          Randy N. Warner