I remember as a child going to the circus. I was truly amazed that an elephant could do a handstand, and that a bear wearing a ruffled collar and a funny hat, could dance! I didn't have any disturbing thoughts, at the time, that something was wrong with this picture. And I recall going to the zoo and being amazed at all the wild creatures. And, it was right there in front of the tiger's cage, I had my first uncomfortable feeling about our relationship to the animal world. The tiger was amazing, but you could tell he was in a trap. A prison. He paced anxiously back and forth from one wall to the other. Over and over and over. Concrete walls and floor, iron bars. It did not feel right at all. And I remember going to a rodeo to see 'real, live' cowboys! They galloped on horses and roped calves by the neck. Then they jumped off their horses and ran over to the calf, and tied his legs up and raised their hands in victory. Somehow, that didn't work for me either.
In going to church, I came to this illumination in the preacher's sermon as he quoted from the Bible. Then 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 birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
Ok, now I get it. This business of caging wild animals, making bears dance, and elephants do handstands, and cowboys showing they are tougher than a four month old calf, is just us having DOMINION over things. And so, this is why bullfighters stab the bull. over and over. This is why it is ok for trophy hunters to kill a moose, and have its head mounted over the fireplace. This is why killer whales should be kept in large aquariums. This is why it's ok to do all kinds of things to animals. God made us boss! I was really glad to learn this, since for awhile, I was worried something was wrong.
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taking things in a different direction....God said:let US make man in our image? ....US? Who else was there?
Yes, that is interesting. And most translations use US in that verse, although the verse that follows is typically, "So God made man in HIS image...."
Years ago, I was encouraged by an old friend of mine to go the the San Diego Zoo with him. Reluctantly, I consented . . . mainly because I wanted to personally see what the so-called "best and most humane zoo in the world" was really like . . . approaching the "exhibit" that housed a "troop" of mountain gorillas from east Africa, I witnessed, perhaps, the most profound visual allegory ever acted out between man and "beast." A giant silverback was defecating in his hand and throwing his excrement at the throng of gawking human onlookers gather just outside the enclosure. He obviously was an experienced flinger of feces. I must admit, I was more than thrilled when one of his missiles of fecal matter hit a retreating spectators squarely between his shoulder-blades.
it's a strange world we live in, isn't it?
BG
Imagine how many books there are which tells the truth!
Some books say that if you do not believe like us you should be killed because there's only one religion which is the right one.
Says who?
Who wrote those books? A MAN! Human being.
"God made us boss!" We have so many BIG bosses in this world today. And all of those BIG bosses want to say the last word.
sigh!
BLOGitse
I saw a tiger just like that in a tiny cage in Antwerp zoo, just pacing backwards and forwards. I've also come across that line from the bible before and for me it has the whole thing on its head. I've also had charity appeals in the post that explain how they get bears to dance. And it isn't pretty.
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