When killer whales kill

[redcliffsw]

When Killer Whales Kill:  A Biblical View
-Ellis Washington


   




When killer whales kill: A biblical view
Posted: March 06, 2010
1:00 am Eastern

© 2010

    In the long run we are all dead.

    ~ John Maynard Keynes, progressive economist

It has been a little over a week since the tragic death of Dawn Brancheau, a veteran trainer at SeaWorld in Florida who was killed by a serial killer whale named, "Tilikum."

Eyewitnesses said that Dawn did not accidentally fall into the tank of the animal as officials from SeaWorld originally claimed, but that while the trainer wasn't looking the killer whale grabbed her hair and mercilessly mauled her in the water. SeaWorld quickly revised their storyline of the tragic accident:

    SeaWorld acknowledged two hours later that Tilikum had grabbed Brancheau by her ponytail and yanked her into the water. The park then made its head animal trainer available to the media to explain and defend its methods of training and maintaining its whales.

These unscrupulous acts on SeaWorld's part are beyond the pale. The park must be held accountable, and Tilikum the killer whale should be immediately destroyed.

This euthanasia policy isn't without precedent. I remember reading about a mountain lion that had killed a jogger in California. Officials tracked the offending animal down and immediately killed it so that the public could be put at ease when out enjoying the wilderness.

rest of the story:
http://www.wnd.com/index.php?pageId=127056

[Varmit]

That is the biggest load of crap.  First of all, the passage in Exodus deals with domesticed animals, not wild animals.  Secondly, the whale was just being a whale.  The trainer shouldn't have turned her back.  What do they expect when they take a wild animal and enclose it in a pen for the rest of its life.  Wouldn't you feel just a little animosity towards your captors? 

[srkruzich]

1. God had created animals for the use of human beings, and human beings were therefore entitled to use them in any way they want;

I agree but man is also charged as caretakers as well.

2. Animals were distinctively inferior to human beings and were worth little if any moral consideration, because:
          * humans have souls and animals don't; and
          * humans have reason and animals don't;

I don't know that inferior is the word i would use.  Man is set above everything else in this world because the world was created for man.  Secondly this man is wrong.  Animals do have souls. Souls are the memories of our experiences. Animals do not have spirits that live on after death.
And he's wrong in that Animals can reason and reason very well.  He obviously has never seen a goat.

3. Christian thought was heavily humano-centric and only considered animals in relation to human beings, and not on their own terms.

Turning to the Bible, in Exodus 21:28-29 Moses gives God's law concerning personal injury or what we call today "torts":

Last of all, he totally misquoted, misapplied exodus 21:35.  His premise that euthanasia or putting the animal down if it attacked is totally inaccurate.
The scripture says

Exd 21:35     ¶     And if one man's ox hurt another's, that he die; then they shall sell the live ox, and divide the money of it; and the dead [ox] also they shall divide.

The ox is to be sold and the money divided as well as the carcass of the other ox must be divided.  It says nothing about an animal killing a human. period.

Exd 21:36         Or if it be known that the ox hath used to push in time past, and his owner hath not kept him in; he shall surely pay ox for ox; and the dead shall be his own.

This verse deals with neglect of the owner.  Neither party suffers total loss.

[Varmit]

Srkruzich, the author was correct with his quote of Exodus 21:28 "If an ox gore a man or a qoman, that they die: then the ox shall be surely stoned and his flesh shal not be eaten: but the owner of the ox shall be quit."

As to the souls and spirits point of view, I disagree.  I believe that animals do have "spirits", I can't imagine Heaven without dogs.  Why else would God have made mans best friend?

I believe that animals can reason. Just as they can feel emotion, loyalty, etc.  I think that we humans have lost our conection to the natural world. 

[srkruzich]

Srkruzich, the author was correct with his quote of Exodus 21:28 "If an ox gore a man or a qoman, that they die: then the ox shall be surely stoned and his flesh shal not be eaten: but the owner of the ox shall be quit."

Well duh. thats what i get for trying to do this when i am tired.

As to the souls and spirits point of view, I disagree.  I believe that animals do have "spirits", I can't imagine Heaven without dogs.  Why else would God have made mans best friend?

I don't know as the bible is very silent on this matter. it doesn't say whether they do or not.  But i do know that God says that anything that is good for his people he wants them to have it.  I can't imagine heaven without animals.  If you look at Gods word it talks and makes references to animals. I know of a book that is called character sketchs which take animals and looks at their characteristics and compares them to human character.  For one example the honeybee.  Industrious worker, social, communal, as well as productive.
God used animals in all of his work.  The raven who fed elijah, the donkey that bore mary to bethleham, the donkey that gave balaam his curse, many references and uses of animals in interaction with man.  Last of all animals did not commit the original sin and are still innocent.  They only die because sin entered the world and affected everything.
Its like this, when i do get to heaven, and if my pets are not there, i'm going to ask him to bring em up. He doesn't deny anything that is good for his people.

I believe that animals can reason. Just as they can feel emotion, loyalty, etc.  I think that we humans have lost our conection to the natural world.  

I totally agree.  one night i sat a pizza up on the counter. One of my PITA pups flipped the pot for their water over, it was empty  and pushed it over to the counter and stood up on his hind legs and grabbed the pizza.  Now anyone that thinks a animal cannot reason needs to take a good long look at the thought process that my dog exhibited.