My family were watching Grey's Anatomy earlier. I was appalled by the treatment of the pigs in the show. They are stabbed to provide interns with some live flesh to practice surgery on. Then at the end, after they have spent hours trying to save the pigs (the interns were almost as appalled as I was) they are convinced to put them down in order to save them the pain they would be caused by the months of recuperation necessary after what they have been through. I realise I am touching on very controversial ground here, but I just find it interesting how we have such different priorities with humans and animals. With a human life is sacred and paramount. We can put someone through years of painful rehabilitation without hesitation but letting them die is practically never an option. In contrast, with animals it is prevention of pain that seems to be sacred. We are ok if you kill an animal, as long as it is 'humane'. It is the conditions animals are kept in before they become our food that concerns us, not the fact that they are being raised simply to be killed for our food. We think it is awful to torture an animal, but it is seen as better to kill it - as long as it is as painless as possible. I wonder where exactly this double standard comes from.
So, today's reading. The first time you look at it you might just go ok, I have never stolen anyone else's animals so this reading is not applicable to me, or today's society. Actually there are quite a few gems in this passage.
I want to propose something in reference to v1 and 14. Psalm 50:10-11
says that all animals are the Lord's. Therefore, when we catch an animal, for example a fish; from the ocean we are taking something that belongs to the Lord. It is a wild animal, we have had no part in raising it, but we are taking it. This may not be stealing, but in v14 the passage says that if you borrow something (as stewards, we are essentially borrowing the earth from God) and it is injured or dies, we must 'make it good'. Fishing is an exploitative practice, which does not make it good- as the overfishing crisis makes clear. I may be stretching it, but I believe these verses would support a philosophy of giving back to the environment more than we take from it. To continue the fish example, perhaps we should raise fish fry to replace the stocks we take, or at the very least provide enough marine reserves that the fish actually have a chance to reproduce successfully.v2 is also very interesting in light of our current laws which allow a thief breaking into your house who harms himself to sue you for compensation. Talk about ridiculous.
Finally, v6 is interesting in light of the recent Victorian fires- many of which were lit by arsonists. I believe we all hope they make 'restitution'.
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