Christian reflections on Ohio tragedy

By now there's a good chance you've heard some news of the awful events which took place in Central Ohio early last week.  Terry Thompson, previously convicted of animal cruelty and other criminal charges, set 50-plus animals free from his private exotic animal collection at Muskingum County Animal Farm in Zanesville, including lions, leopards, bears, wolves, primates and 18 endangered Bengal tigers.  Thompson then tragically took his own life, and 49 of the free-roaming animals were killed by local police, naturally untrained to deal with such a crisis involving so many foreign and dangerous animals.

You can get a good overview of Thompson's history with animals and Ohio's lax legislation with respect to exotic animal possession, and failure to require Thompson to relinquish his collection, in a CNN.com article and accompanying video "Friend: Animal farm owner under stress" (from which the following screenshot is taken).

Other meaningful responses have been written, including Michael Markarian of the Humane Society Legislative Fund's "Tragedy in Ohio Highlights Urgent Need for Action on Exotics."  But I wanted to take the opportunity to highlight three meaningful reflections written from a specifically Christian worldview, including two from friends and contributors to our blog.

Nancy Janisch of Conversation in Faith wrote "Ethics, Animals, and Private Zoos," from which the following thought-provoking excerpt is drawn:

Ownership of non domesticated animals says some important things about human nature.  People who have exotic animals will tell you they love their animals.  So will people who horde animals.  I don’t doubt their statement, I do wonder about their definition of love.  But mixed up with the feelings of love and respect and awe, are issues of power.  Power over animals.  Power over big, dangerous animals.

From Karen Swallow Prior and Christianity Today's Her.meneutics blog comes "Exotic Animals and Kingdom Ethics," and this well-stated preview:

This is not an argument for an absolutist position against all human enjoyment and use of animals.  I don’t believe God’s call for human stewardship of or dominion over his creation is quite so black and white. ...  Rather, responsible stewardship requires wisdom, discernment, adaptability, and most of all love—love for the Creator first and, flowing from that, love for his creation.

And finally, pastor Jeff Munroe wrote a post for ThinkChristian titled "Dominion, Destruction and the Exotic Animals of Ohio," including these poignant lines:

We often hurt the very things God has entrusted to our care—we hurt the earth, we hurt each other, we hurt ourselves and we hurt the animals we share this planet with.  The destruction of those great animals—animals that bear testimony to the wonder and variety of God as creator—is yet another sign of humanity’s failings.

I'd also like to say thanks to Rosie and Sandra from our prayer group and grief support group for reminding us to pray about the tragic events and their fallout, including for the animals killed and the few currently in quarantine, for the police and other officials who responded, for better exotic animal legislation to come both in Ohio and across the country, and for Terry Thompson and his wife and family.

Comments

[Best Psychic]

Wonderful blog!