The other week on the news they were talking how the great Barnum and Bailey Circus will not perform anymore. The animal activists having won their case, the circus had to get rid of its elephants which, among other things, eventually led it to bankruptcy. The news were also mentioned Sea World and its killer-whales in Florida.
I don’t know if there was abuse. I have in my mind the romantic idea of the tamer and his close relationship with his animals. Animals are like people, they don’t perform under pressure, stress or abuse, or if they do, they do not do it well or with their heart. It seems that the circus as we knew it has lost its relevance in today’s society. I remember with nostalgia taking my young children to the small circus that used to come to our little town of Estacada. . The Bible also talks about the proper and humane care of animals. But while it says that a righteous person is one who cares for his animals, it does not have circus animals nor house pets in mind. When it encourages the humane care of animals, it is referring to farm animals. Being knowledgeable of mankind’s potential for selfishness and greed, God in His great wisdom teaches people to not overwork their animals. The Old Testament even says that an ox should be able to eat of the grain while he turns the grinding mill, have a day of rest every week, and a year of rest every seven. But was God only concerned about oxen and donkeys when he made these rules? The Bible is a book of overarching principles. When it speaks about the ox and donkey of the farm, it tells us how we should care for the lowest employee of the enterprise; the one at the bottom of the totem pole. The principle behind it is that, ‘If we have to care so much for the animal of the farm, how much better care should we give to human help, indentured workers, and even more to our paid employees.’ While the Bible does mention ‘slaves’, which were actually indentured workers, it tells us that they should not sleep on a bed less comfortable than that of their master, neither eat inferior food than that of their employers. Because of the selfishness of man, people nowadays have created unions to make sure that workers are cared for and not taken advantage of. But an employer who believes in God should not need the check and balance of the unions. He should remember the God who serves him well, and serve others in the same way just for gratitude sake. The children of Israel were to always remember their slavery in Egypt in order to be kind to the stranger and the worker when they arrived in their Promised Land. They were supposed to remember where they came from. Should we?
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