What's wrong with animal rights?
Listen to Adrian Rogers. Humane Society literature has claimed for decades, and I quote, there is no rational basis for maintaining a moral distinction between the treatment of human and other animals. Now what they're trying to do is to raise animals to the level of humans, but what they're succeeding in doing is lowering humans to the level of animals. And that has all kinds of ramifications.
Welcome to Love Worth Finding, featuring real truth that never changes from acclaimed pastor and Bible teacher, Adrian Rogers. In simplest terms, the belief behind the animal rights movement is that there's no difference between man and animal. But scripture says otherwise. According to the book of Genesis, both man and animals were created by God separately.
Neither evolved from the other. What are four distinct contrasts between man and animal? Well, if you have your Bible, turn to Genesis chapter one, we'll start in verse 26 as Adrian Rogers begins with part one of what's wrong with animal rights.
Just when you think that something more crazy, more wild and weird than we've ever heard cannot come, it comes. And that's something today that we're faced with called animal rights. I want to talk to you as we talk about a Christian worldview about what's wrong with animal rights. But first of all, let's just jump into the word of God. And let me just get your motor running by reading a few verses from the book of Genesis, which you know is the book of beginnings. Chapter one in verse 26, and God said, let us make man in our image after our likeness and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the fowl of the air and over the cattle and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. And then look in chapter three and verse 21, if you will, and unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skin and clothe them. And then look, if you will, please in Genesis chapter nine, verses one through three, and God blessed Noah and his sons and said unto them, be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth and the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth and upon every fowl of the air and upon all that moveth upon the earth and upon all the fishes of the sea into your hand they are delivered. Now it may sound silly to you that we would even discuss animal rights and say what's wrong with animal rights, but if you'll listen for a while, you'll find out that it is not silly. You see, there are those who believe that men were not created in the image of God, but that we just came out of some primordial ooze or slime. They can never tell us where the ooze and the slime came from, but we somehow just evolved out of all of this, so we're not being animals. All animals are created equal. I want you to know that I love animals, the creatures of God, every creature of God. I love all of God's creation in case you think I've got something against animals. What we're talking about is something, friend, that is more than foolish.
It's literally getting to be very sinister. As a matter of fact, there's an organization called PETA, P-E-T-A. That stands for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. You know what these people did? They went to a Chinese restaurant and bought six lobsters in Maryland to prevent them from being murdered, dismembered, and eaten, and then they put these six liberated lobsters on a plane, flew them to Maine, and released them. Now, they have some $5 million budget, and this is one of their budgetary expenses of liberating lobsters. Ingrid Newkirk, who is the director of PETA, has said this, and I quote, a rat is a pig is a dog is a boy. A rat is a pig is a dog is a boy.
They make no difference. PETA's chairman declared, quote, we feel that animals have the same rights as a retarded human child. Now, some of these people have gotten quite violent. If all they did was put silly things in books, that would be one thing, but one man was arrested while trying to murder the president of a medical research company with a remote control bomb. Radical activists have set fires to research labs. Fried chicken restaurants have been torched. Fur stores have been burned down. Women wearing fur coats have been subjected to spray paint attacks. Turkey farms have been burglarized.
Medical records have been stolen. Zoo employees have been assaulted. Butcher shops have been vandalized. Arson, property destruction, attempted murder, burglary, and theft, all of these are considered acceptable crimes by these animal rights activists because a rat is a pig is a boy.
No difference. The Humane Society now says that a breakfast of bacon and eggs is a breakfast of cruelty. They call McDonald's McDeath. But they say the beef cannot be eaten, or cows kill for the leather, or even exploited for milk and cheese. The eating of fish, chicken, or even snails is to be banned. They would not want you to buy a goose-down pillow, wear a wool suit or a silk blouse. Geese are not to be plucked. Sheep are not to be sheared.
Silkworms are not to be harvested. And cockroaches too have a right to live, they say, because they are efficient little garbage collectors. They believe that wearing animal fur is no different from the Nazis who made lampshades of human skin. It's amazing. But these people are dedicated.
And you wonder, how could this happen in America? How can we come to this place? Well, that brings the question, is man just a clever animal who can stand erect, who has a thumb juxtaposed to his five fingers, a little bigger cranium, a little more gray matter? Is that all?
Is there no intrinsic difference? You see, they reject the idea that I read to you from the book of Genesis that God made man and told man to have dominion over the works of his hands. Their goal is to set all animals free from all human control and domination. Gary Francione, a law professor whose business is litigating animal rights, would not even allow an animal to suffer if the research led to a cancer cure. Let me quote him.
Here's a lawyer. I don't believe it is morally permissible to exploit weaker beings even if we derive benefits. Now, we've heard of racism. There's a new term speciesism. Speciesism, the animal liberation people say that we are bigoted if we say that human beings are more important than the, quote, other animals.
Let me quote. It can no longer be maintained by anyone but a religious fanatic that man is the special darling of the universe or that other animals were created to provide us with food or that we have divine authority over them and divine permission to kill them. Now, what that is, folks, is a statement that flies directly into the Word of God. That's not just some other roundabout philosophy.
That is a challenge to the Word of God. Michael Fox quoted in the Washingtonian put it this way succinctly, and I quote, there are no clear distinctions between us and animals. Animals communicate. Animals have emotions. Animals can think. Some thinkers believe that the human soul is different because we are immortal, and that just becomes completely absurd.
That's what he's saying. It's absurd to think that men have immortality and therefore they're different from animals. That's what they believe. Humane society literature has claimed for decades, and I quote, there is no rational basis for maintaining a moral distinction between the treatment of human and other animals. Now, what they're trying to do is to raise animals to the level of humans, but what they are succeeding in doing is lowering humans to the level of animals, and that has all kinds of ramifications.
Here's a very interesting thing. The scientists today, I'm talking about the secular scientists. Most all of them believe in research with animals. They believe that you can take animals and be as humane as possible, but use animals, for example, in research to find a cure for cancer or whatever, and the scientists believe this.
The animal rights people say you have no right to do that because an animal is the same as a human being. The secular scientist says that is foolish. There's a difference between human beings and animals, and then they ask this evolutionary scientist what is the difference, and he can't say. He knows there's a difference, but he doesn't know the Word of God, and so he's in a quandary. There's an irony about it. He knows the difference, but if he believes in evolution, I want to tell you the animal rightist has it.
He's got him. He can't argue with him because the scientists cannot say, I believe that man is the special creation of God. Now, some scientists do, but I'm talking about your secular scientists, and so they're really in a quandary. Now, that is compounded by the deception of the new age. We used to think that all of the new age business was just mere foolishness, a passing fad that would go away, but we now have come into what is called the age of Aquarius or new consciousness or cosmic humanism, new globalism.
Sometimes it's called a world order, and where did this come from? It came from Eastern religions, Hinduism, and in the Hindu religion, the Eastern religion that is now pervading the West, God is impersonal. They don't believe in the Yahweh, the Jehovah, the El Shaddai that we believe in. They speak of God as energy, as the all-pervading reality.
Hinduism and pantheism, they don't believe there is no God. They believe everything is God. The air we breathe is God. The flowers are God. The plants are God.
The trees are God. The sky is God. I am God. You are God. Dirt is God. You are dirt because you are God, and dirt is God.
It's all mixed up. So when they believe that everything is God, then what does that do to morality? If everything is God and God is everything, there is no good or no evil because all is the same, and the idea of good and evil is only a figment. That's what these folks believe. That's new ageism. That's pantheism. And what you have now in this animal rights thing, you have to understand from whence it comes. It is a synthesis, an amalgamation, and homogenization of evolution, secular humanism, and Eastern religions.
It did not just happen with a group of college students who were looking for something to do. Now, this is compounded by those who are not into the animal rights movement, nor are they into the new age movement. They are materialists.
They are secularists, period. I picked up an article. Here's the title of the article. Life is Sacred Gets Us Nowhere, and here's some of the things this article said in our paper here in our city. Life. Is there life on Mars? Maybe a minute bacterium. Should a woman have aborted a twin fetus?
Well on its way to life. And what about frozen embryos? In the public mind as big as kittens, but actually a few cells of pinhead size. Nobody knows when life begins.
And what do we mean by, quote, life, end of quote? A cell has life. Any cell of a cabbage or a horse's ear? Or a worm? Ah, but they aren't human cells.
No. And it makes sense to differentiate between our own species and another. Or does it?
She asks. Insects aren't to us the same as serious animals. But even the line between plants and animals isn't as clear cut as you might think.
Going on as if all life has a right to survive us as long as possible obscures to the mighty usefulness of death. Mice and deer are gentle vegetarians. How sad then that their wicked enemies eat them. Yet when the weaker, hearty beasts are no longer picked off owing to a lack of tigers, the strain declines.
Field mice outgrow their food when the falcons leave them alone. But that doesn't make our decisions any easier. It makes them harder because, listen to this now, there are no absolute rules. Now listen, not even my species right or wrong. We have to make decisions, agonizing decisions about which habitats, which animals must be preserved, and which people.
Listen to this. From tiny fetuses that should or should not be kept going. To the old who may or may not be allowed to go on in peace. Do you see where they're coming? Do you see what she's saying? What is life? Saying that life is sacred. She said that doesn't answer the question. And then she concludes this article by saying, but it is time that we realize that saying life is sacred gets us nowhere. It is the beginning of the argument, not the conclusion. Now that's secularism, pure and simple. So we've got to make agonizing decisions, not only as to what kind of animal life will survive, but which babies will live and which older people will live. So what I'm trying to say to you, ladies and gentlemen, is that we're not talking about something that is merely foolish. They do not have the basic core of Christian belief, biblical, Judeo-Christian ethics that we have believing the Bible is the Word of God.
We have lost a generation and now the courts, the colleges, the institutions, the universities do not come from the same base that we come from. Now let me just point out two or three things to fix your minds and get them straight as we talk about this question, what's wrong with animal rights? First thing I want you to notice is the creation of man and the animals. Go back to Genesis chapter 1, and God said, let us make man in our image after our likeness and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the fowl of the air and over the cattle and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. Now notice verse 27, and so God created man in his own image. In the image of God created he him, male and female created he them. Now folks, we need to go back to the early pages of God's Word. How did everything get here?
There are only three possible answers. One is godless evolution. We started out as primitive protozoa and then became unsegmented worms and then became a fish and then an amphibian, then a reptile and then a bird, then a mammal and then a man. You believe that.
Go ahead. I reject it for logical reasons as well as theological reasons. I reject it for moral reasons, but godless evolution, that's one answer.
The other is theistic evolution. People say, well, it's not godless evolution. God did it.
God made it that way. Friends, you can't ride one horse in two directions. That will not fit the Bible. There's no way that you can make it fit the Bible. It is impossible theologically, philosophically, analogically to read this Bible and believe in what some call theistic evolution. The third alternative is that God created man and woman just exactly as God's Word says.
I believe that. I've been amazed how anxious man is to make a monkey of himself. All right, so you see the creation of man and the animals. Now, here's the second thing I want you to see is the comparison of man and the animals. Man is like an animal, but he is not an animal. Now, some think because we compare with animals that therefore we are animals.
For example, there's a similarity in design. Men and animals are designed somewhat alike. I took a course in college in human anatomy and physiology. One of the things that we did in that laboratory was to dissect a pig. It had been soaked in formaldehyde, so you didn't know you had a surgeon for a pastor. But because the pig has a very simple digestive system, we were able to see the various parts.
You find the heart, the liver, the lungs, the stomach, these parts of the pig just to help understand the very elementary things. Men and animals have a basic design, but that doesn't mean therefore that man evolved from the animals. All buildings have a basic design. A doghouse has a floor, walls, and a ceiling.
A mansion has floors, walls, and a ceiling. So since a doghouse has floors, walls, and a ceiling, and a mansion has a floor, walls, and a ceiling, isn't that proof positive that the mansion evolved from the doghouse? Because you can see the similarity in design.
No. All that means is the same architect designed them both. That's all that means, because both of them would live in the same vicinity, planet earth. Now, not only are men and animals similar in design, but they are similar in diet.
We eat the same thing. Look in verses 29 through 30 of this same chapter. And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed which is upon the face of all the earth and every tree in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed. To you it shall be for meat, and the word meat here simply means food. He's not talking in this place about animal flesh.
Later on he will. And to every beast of the earth and to every fowl of the air and to everything that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat and it was so. So men and animals have similar diets. Some men and some animals eat basically the same thing. Now, does that mean, therefore, that man evolved from the animals because we have the similar diet? A motorcycle and a limousine both have carburetors. So anybody can see that the limousine evolved from the motorcycle. Is that right?
No. They just burn the same fuel. There's another similarity, not only in design and diet, but in death. Both men and animals die. And God said to Adam, in Genesis chapter 2 verse 17, If you disobey me, you'll surely die. And the animals die. Men die and animals die. And the writer of Ecclesiastes, the great Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 3 verses 19 through 20, That which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts. Even one thing befalleth them. As one dieth, so dieth the other. The man dies, the animal dies.
Yea, they all have one breath. So that the man has no preeminence above a beast for all his vanity. Now, you certainly have to take that text in context. He's not saying that a man is no better than a beast, but he's saying when it comes to dying, a man has no preeminence over a beast. And coming up Monday, we'll hear part two of this important message.
I hope you can join us then. Now, maybe as you've listened today, you have questions about who Jesus is, about what he means to you, about how you can start a relationship with God through Christ. Go to our Discover Jesus page at lwf.org slash radio and find resources and materials that can answer questions you may have about your faith. Again, go to lwf.org slash radio and click the tab that says Discover Jesus. Now, if you'd like to order a copy of today's lesson in its entirety, call us at 1-877-LOVE-GOD and mention the title, What's Wrong with Animal Rights? This lesson is also part of the powerful series, Christian World View. For the complete collection, all six insightful messages, call that number, 1-877-LOVE-GOD, or go online to lwf.org slash radio, or you can write us to order at Love Worth Finding, Box 38600, Memphis, Tennessee 38183.
Well, thanks for studying with us today. As we consider the creation of man, maybe it's a good time to ask, what did God create me to do? God created you to know Him, to love Him, to serve Him. Fulfill your God-given purpose today and be sure to join us next time for more profound truth from Adrian Rogers right here on Love Worth Finding. You know, at Love Worth Finding Ministries, our greatest hope is to continue Adrian Rogers' work in introducing people to Jesus and sharing what it means to follow Christ. That's why we are so excited to share our brand new book, Discover Jesus. Without Jesus, we are lost both literally and spiritually. Discovering Jesus is a journey. This book is a map for those who are beginning or re-beginning their journey toward the author and finisher of our faith. If you're navigating new territory or you need to refresh your walk with Christ, Discover Jesus provides the tools to use for such a season. If you'd like more information about the book or if you'd like to purchase a copy, go to our online store at lwf.org. That's lwf.org. And thank you for your continued support of Love Worth Finding.
Whisper: medium.en / 2024-02-24 13:40:23 / 2024-02-24 13:49:09 / 9