Friday 12 December 2014

do dogs go to heaven?

No one who lives with a dog could doubt dogs have feelings, but some doubt they have a soul.

So I was interested to read this report in the New York Times about what Pope Francis said recently to a grieving little boy whose dog had died. Reportedly the Pope said, 'Paradise is open to all of God's creatures.'

The implications if we believe this are huge, in terms of how we deal with other species. I guess it doesn't automatically suggest we should be vegans - though I know some would think so - but at the very least it directs us to deal ethically with animals under our control.

I hate the exporting of live sheep from Australia to other countries.

I hate the torturing of chickens in cages.

I hate the evil treatment of sows in sow pens

I hate...

Oh, there are so many practices that I could now regard as not only disturbing, but as a sin against God's creatures.

5 comments:

proud womon said...

i am encouraged by your post parlance... as a vegan i can't help but believe to treat someone ethically automatically excludes enslaving and murdering them - surely that would have to be the greatest 'sin against god's creatures'... we are indeed living in interesting times...

Molly the Airedale said...

We'd sure love to think that the Pope is absolutely correct!

parlance said...

Mitch and Molly, I sure hope so too!

parlance said...

proud womon, I'm glad you saw this post. I was thinking especially of you when I wrote it.

proud womon said...

i thought you might be interested in this article by robert pogue harrison, a professor of literature at stanford university, in response to the pope's remarks parlance - http://www.nybooks.com/blogs/nyrblog/2015/jan/05/our-animal-hell/ - i found it very interesting and hope you do too...