Scriptures don’t say much on how humans should treat animals, but from the account of creation, we get to know God’s feelings about animals and how as human beings we should treat them. In Genesis 1 is where we find the creation of all things on earth. It’s here that we see how God established a relationship between animals and man. In verse 28, He gives human beings authority over everything He created on earth. Man is to take care of all God’s creations. He has authority over all that was created. He has to assume the protection and control over all that God created and we as human beings should be careful when exercising this role. However, sometimes we go overboard. You might have seen how we transport the animals when we take them to the abattoirs. We transport them as if they don’t have feelings of their own. Yes, the animals too have their feelings just like us. Because they cannot talk doesn’t imply that they don’t. The book of Exodus 23:5 says that “If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying down under its burden, you shall refrain from leaving him with it; you shall rescue it with him,” while Psalm says, “ The Lord is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.” But how do you treat your animals? Peggy Nishimwe of Kimironko says that any person that mistreats his or her animal is a wicked in soul. “We shouldn’t commit any violence against our animals. Instead, we should treat them with tender loving care since God expects us to take good care of all His creations. Nishimwe alludes to cases where human beings sometimes subject these creatures to abominable brutality, saying that even if we must kill animal for food, then it should be quite swift without visiting them unnecessary pain. “Yes, God created some of these animals to provide us with food. But this doesn’t imply that we should be brutal to them when slaughtering them. Instead, we should always strive to treat them with utter care,” she says. The book of Ecclesiastes is also quite clear on how we should forge our relationship with these creatures. “For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity.” But sometimes, out of our wickedness, we starve them. We brutally beat them when we need them to perform some tasks, like tilling of the land. We starve our dogs, claiming that when a dog doesn’t eat is when it can best perform its duty of taking care of our security. Some also claim that when you starve a cat that is when it will be able to hunt for the rats that disturb our peace. Luke also gives us a clear guideline on how an ideal farmer should treat his animals. “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance. Therefore, before you exercise that brutal cruelty to any of your animals, you should know that God doesn’t approve of such heinous acts.
