Hey Melissa, I am glad your coworker isn't a cruel person. I was beginning to wonder. Sometimes I wish I wore a banner that said "Don't tell me horrific animal stories...I'm an animal lover and my blood pressure skyrockets when you do, and I will want to gouge yours or someone else's eyes out with a fireplace poker"...lololol.
I'm starting to sound psycho. Of course, horrific stories like yours make me want to go psycho. I wish I wasn't wired that way, but I am. I can't even watch animals getting hurt on TV, when it's fake, like in a movie. I get very angry inside. I got so mad watching The Butterfly Effect (DO NOT watch this if you are an animal lover, and besides, it's not a great movie; pretty violent-my husband's choice), I tried to leave the theatre, and my husband didn't want me to. So I closed my eyes for the rest of the movie and thought about other stuff so I wouldn't be permanently damaged for the rest of my life. I left the theatre and started swearing like I haven't since high school! Witnessing cruelty is hard for me too. My brother-in-law disposed of their cat (a family pet for years) when she started peeing in their new home. I just can't feel the same love for them now that I did; I can't help it. What did they teach their children?!!! And how will they treat one another when their marriage gets rocky, as all do at times? Dispose of one another??? And my uncle once said he would shoot my dog that lived with my mom because she was doing something he didn't like. I got hysterical because I knew he would; luckily, he didn't. My mom and aunt live next door to each other. My uncle is a farmer. I know I'm supposed to love these people, but how can I wholly when I see cruelty? If anyone reading this is offended by scripture, then stop reading...God did give us dominion over animals; that's Biblical (Genesis 1:26 and 1:28); however 'dominion' should be interpreted as 'stewardship' rather than dominance, which gives us a responsibility to care for and protect animals, not neglect them or treat them cruelly! If you are Jewish, you can reference Shabbat 119; Sanhedrin 7 for the same information (although I'm not sure what those mean; I got them off the Internet). Our dominion over animals should be seen in the same way that God has dominion over us: merciful and loving. Proverbs 12:10 specifically says: "A righteous man regards the life of his animal, but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel" (NKJV) or "a righteous man cares for the needs of his animal, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel" (NIV). Tell that to those people who think they know scripture! Thanks for the Bible study time Melissa! :) Wendy "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world - indeed it is the only thing that ever has!" ~~~ Margaret Meade ~~~ ____________________________________________________________________________________ Expecting? Get great news right away with email Auto-Check. Try the Yahoo! Mail Beta. http://advision.webevents.yahoo.com/mailbeta/newmail_tools.html
