The PLAIN TRUTH about Cats and Dogs
by Richard Burkard
A certain company once boasted in its ads that it had "milk from contented cows." Maybe they were -- but were they CONVERTED cows?
Did you EAT a converted cow at dinner last night -- a cow for which (or is that "whom") Christ died?
Have you read the Bible aloud to your dog today? Or your cat? Or your parakeet? After all, shouldn't we be witnesses of Jesus to our "families?"
Have I lost my proverbial marbles? Well, maybe not. I've merely been pondering some religious article I've read recently -- not in some "New Age" journal, but The Plain Truth. And not by some guest mystic from Asia or Africa -- but by Christian authors, including one from a high-ranking official in the Worldwide Church of God.
It started with "All God's Children" (January-February 1997, pg. 15). The author thought about recent scientific reports of possible primitive life forms on Mars. His conclusions were very different from the status quo that tend to dominate religious radio. Not only did he suggest life can exist on other planets, inside and outside our solar system; he also implied God could be witnessing to all of them right now -- and even to non-human life forms on Earth.
Some ideas raised by the article read like they came from a Unitarian discussion group, or a People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) newsletter. Yet the author cited only one scripture: Psalm 8:3-4. There's no Bible evidence to back any of his other musings. Perhaps the Holy Spirit inspired them -- or perhaps he had a sneak peek at the following March-April 1997 issue, in which Billy Graham stated he also believes there's life on other planets. Both based their beliefs not on scripture, but on the need for men to be humble before God.
Then the animal issue became a Plain Truth cover story - asking, "Do All Dogs Go to Heaven?" (May-June 2001, pg. 26) The article had a lot of opinions from Christian "scholars" of varying degrees - but the general conclusion was that we don't know. The only scripture cited as specific evidence was Isaiah 11:6-9. But the WCG and spinoff groups traditionally have considered that a description of the Kingdom of God on earth, as opposed to heaven.
(There's also the matter of John 3:13, where Jesus says in the NIV: "NO ONE has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven." The Greek for "no one" is all-inclusive -- men, women and things. But the heaven debate is another article completely.)
The 1997 article may have accomplished its real purpose, in that it left me hungry for more depth and detail. I elected to try to "get inside the author's head." Giving him the benefit of the doubt, I searched several Scriptures he might use to support his view -- to see if the view is valid.
First stop: Romans 8:22. Paul writes that the "whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth...." (NIV unless noted) Why? It awaits Christ's glorious return, so it can "be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God." (v. 21)
Are dogs, cats and elephants groaning now? (I'll try to keep this on an earthly plane; you may substitute "Martians" or "space aliens" if you wish.) PETA would maintain some abused animals do groan, since they have feelings similar to you and me. But the whole animal population?
This perspective reminds me of something the WCG has tried to correct in recent years -- members taking the Bible too literally. Paul seems poetic in his scope here, especially considering one consequence of a literal verse 21: that animals can become "children of God." This, of course, is implied by the "All God's Children" article title. While Isaiah 11 describes a change in the nature of animals after Jesus returns, I've found no Bible verse specifically calling an animal a child of God.
On the other hand, perhaps these creatures are groaning because they've heard the gospel. After all, Jesus commanded his disciples to "preach the good news to all creation." (Mk. 16:15) In fact, Colossians 1:23 declared this mission accomplished: "This is the gospel.... that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven...."
These verses spark several questions. First, they never specify every creature on Earth. Does this mean Paul knew about extra-terrestrials? About angels, yes (e.g. Acts 27:23) -- but Martians or other space aliens? To borrow from the first O.J. Simpson trial, this presumes facts not in evidence.(1)
Jesus, of course, would know about the existence of life beyond Earth. "By Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible...." (Col. 1:16) Paul adds that Christ's goal is "to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven...." (v. 20)
So did Jesus mention anything about saving and reconciling animal or space life? The gospels, and for that matter the entire Bible, give no record of Him preaching the Kingdom of God and/or salvation to anyone other than earthly humans. Jesus was "with the wild animals" as Satan tested Him (Mk. 1:13), but the Bible does not say Jesus ministered to those animals. In fact, the verse notes "angels attended Him" -- not them.
When Jesus spoke about animals, He used language that might make PETA "grrrr." Christ actually dared to declare a man "much more valuable" than a sheep! (Mt. 12:12) He also told His disciples to "go rather to the lost sheep of Israel" (Mt. 10:6) -- but this obviously refers to humans, since verse 5 mentions Gentiles and Samaritans.(2)
But could we use Jesus Christ to draw a comparison between animals and humans? Did He die to liberate animals from being sacrificed, Old Testament style -- to save them physically, just as He died to save humans spiritually? Jesus certainly preferred "mercy, not sacrifice." (Mt. 9:13, 12:7) But He never took the correlation with sacrifices this far in the Bible. Christ never prayed for any animal. Nor did He bless animals, the way He blessed little human children. In fact, the only blessing Jesus said for animal life was over dead fish, to feed thousands of people! (Mk. 8:7)
If animals are indeed "God's children," then they must have Jesus, the "firstborn of many brethren," (Rom. 8:29, KJV) as their elder brother. After all, if God is a consistent God, how can a dog "go to heaven" without accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior as humans must? Yet when Jesus asked who His brothers were, He pointed to His disciples! (Mt. 12:48-49) Mark's version of this story notes "a crowd was sitting.... in a circle around Him...." (Mk. 3:32, 34) The Greek root for "crowd" translates as a group of people -- not animal life.
The Plain Truth author in 1997 asked: "Is God the Holy Spirit so bounded that he cannot fill created beings other than we humans?" The Spirit descended "like a dove" after Jesus's baptism (Mt. 3:16; Mk. 1:10), but no scripture indicates it descended onto doves!
Admittedly, a few verses tempt us with the thought of salvation for animals. Genesis 9:5, for instance, quotes God as saying, "I will demand an accounting from every animal." Does this mean a white throne judgment with humans standing alongside murderous man-eating tigers? From the context of the Torah, no. My NIV Bible's margin referred me to Exodus 21:28-32, where killer bulls are stoned. That is their accounting.
(The Contemporary English Version puts it this way: "If an animal kills someone, that animal must die. And if a person takes the life of another, that person must be put to death.")
Then there's Hosea 2:18, which indicates a covenant with beasts and birds is planned for the Kingdom of God. But other translations put this statement in a different light. The CEV addresses this to Israel: "I will agree to let you live in peace -- you will no longer be attacked by wild animals and birds...." Besides, even if this "animal covenant" was established, Isaiah 11:6 indicates humans would still lead them.
If New Testament verses about salvation apply to animal life as well as human life, that should be verifiable elsewhere. But the Biblical precedent is not there. (In fact, the 2001 article didn't even offer evidence to back its claim that "the early church did not hold the view that animals did not have souls.") WCG leaders have said where Bible precedence is lacking, there is heresy. At least they said this about being "slain in the spirit" or falling unconscious during services.(3)
Here, however, we come to a major crossroads in current WCG theology. Do we, as another article in the same Plain Truth issue said, let the Bible be "the ultimate authority in all matters of doctrine and Christian living?"(4) Or do we allow the Holy Spirit to override the Bible, if we feel it/He is directing us that way?
In a video sent to all Worldwide Church of God congregations, Pastor-General Joseph Tkach called the Bible the "final court of arbitration."(5) Yet WCG leaders seem to "pick and choose" on this, much as they say leaders did in decades past with the Mosaic law. For example, one District Superintendent warned worshippers would be asked to leave if they practice so-called "holy laughter" during services, or pressure other members into trying it. It's not Biblical, he correctly noted. But clear Bible statements against women speaking in the church (I Cor. 14:34-35, I Tim. 2:12) are not considered ultimate authority; the "Spirit has led us to see" this matter is limited by culture and time, WCG leaders contend.
Given these shifting standards -- or an occasional lack of specifics, which several WCG members described to me as "wishy-washy" -- is it any wonder that some brethren remain a bit dazed and confused? That some are hesitant to show love for other brethren? That church income continues to slump, as some members head elsewhere for services?
To be fair: yes, God could indeed be performing a work in animals and UFO's. "With God, all things are possible," Matthew 19:26 reminds us. But the recent articles about animals and space aliens are largely works of speculation. Current WCG leaders laugh and scoff at old Plain Truth articles theorizing Adolf Hitler hid in South America, or Europe would unite by 1972. Yet speculation about interplanetary and animal ministries is acceptable?! They're not really among the Bible "essentials," which the WCG claims must now be emphasized.
What you do with this information is up to you. As for me, I don't plan to watch "All Dogs Go to Heaven" cartoons. I've read Ecclesiastes 3:21, and perhaps "the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth" - !! It's just not B.C. -- Biblically Correct.
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1. Another question arises, on a different topic: why did Paul write this in past tense, as if the preaching is already complete? The New Bible Commentary claims he's "dwelling on possibilities rather than actualities." (1970 edition, pg. 1145) Herbert Armstrong said during his last years that he had preached the gospel to the whole world. Sometimes, however, he and other ministers qualified that claim -- explaining if a national leader heard the gospel, the leader's country did.
Today's WCG seems to be dismiss such statements as hype from a former ad man; we must evangelize "stay-home" members and neighbors, we're told, not to mention the world.
2. Parts of the Old Testament also could insult animal lovers. Elihu described a God who "teaches more to us than to the beasts of the earth...." (Job 35:11) And it took a righteous human named Noah to save all the animals.
3. 3. "Faith in Faith", Plain Truth, Jan.-Feb. 1997, pg. 24.
4. 4. "Christianity & Islam: a Comparison", op. cit., pg. 35.
5. 5. "Onward Christian Soldiers," videotape played in Columbus, GA WCG 2/28/98.
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