“Christianity is supposed to be about compassion, and the Bible says that a righteous man cares for his animals. This is not the answer to What Would Jesus Do for these innocent babies.” ~Judy~
This is an article I had hoped I wouldn’t need to write because churches are involved. I’m following several cases of church pastors and church committees making the decision to commit animal cruelty, animal torture and animal abandonment.
One recent case is taking place in the Dallas, Texas area where cats have been shut up under a church where they’re slowly being poisoned with mothball fumes. Add in starvation and dehydration because the cats don’t have food or water where they’re trapped beneath the church.
There have been recent cases in both North Carolina and South Carolina that could result in cats and kittens being killed. My only hope is that these pastors are acting in ignorance of the law. Every state now considers animal cruelty illegal and those who are taking kittens and cats off of church property or locking them beneath a church property are committing an offense they can be charged for.
SC Code 47-1-40. Ill-treatment of animals generally; penalties.
(A) A person who knowingly or intentionally overloads, overdrives, overworks, or ill-treats an animal, deprives an animal of necessary sustenance or shelter, inflicts unnecessary pain or suffering upon an animal, or by omission or commission knowingly or intentionally causes these acts to be done, is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must be punished by imprisonment not exceeding ninety days or by a fine of not less than one hundred dollars nor more than one thousand dollars, or both, for a first offense; or by imprisonment not exceeding two years or by a fine not exceeding two thousand dollars, or both, for a second or subsequent offense.
SC Code 47-1-70(A) A person may not abandon an animal. As used in this section “abandonment” is defined as deserting, forsaking, or intending to give up absolutely an animal without securing another owner or without providing the necessities of life. “Necessities of life” includes:
(1) adequate water which means a constant access to a supply of clean, fresh, and potable water provided in a suitable manner for the species;
(2) adequate food which means provision at suitable intervals of quantities of wholesome foodstuff suitable for the species and age, sufficient to maintain a reasonable level of nutrition to allow for proper growth and weight;
(3) adequate shelter which means shelter that reasonably may be expected to protect the animal from physical suffering or impairment of health due to exposure to the elements or adverse weather.
According to the Christian website GotQuestions.org, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus spoke of the great care God has for animal life, including each bird that flies in the sky (Matthew 6:26). One of the psalms expresses God’s oversight of all the animals He has made:
“The lions roar for their prey / and seek their food from God. . . . All creatures look to you / to give them their food at the proper time. / When you give it to them, / they gather it up; / when you open your hand, / they are satisfied with good things” (Psalm 104:21, 27–28).
God cares for the needs of His animals, and God’s people should do the same.
So what should a church do if they have an unwelcome cat problem? There are trap-neuter-return groups in every state and most likely in every country. One good way to find help is to post on Facebook in a kind manner that the church has unwanted cats.
If a church manages to capture unwanted cats, it’s ILLEGAL and cruel to abandon cats. They should be turned over to a shelter or a rescue where it can be scanned for a microchip. A lot of ‘missing’ cats can be reunited with family after being scanned. Or if the cat is definitely a stray, perhaps a member would like to adopt the cat or knows someone who would.
I really can’t comprehend how the members of the church in Texas could sit through a worship service knowing cats were slowly dying beneath the church. Especially since some of the members wanted to save them but were overruled by a ‘committee.’
And article in Christian Courier summed it up nicely in why Christians should be kind to animals
We are to treat animals responsibly because this is a part of our stewardship over the creation as appointed by the Creator. Let us strive to be ever conscious of this accountability.
The churches making the rounds on Facebook are finding out the hard way just how seriously animal abandonment is taken. There are hundreds if not thousands who consider themselves animal advocates and word gets around quickly on social media about churches behaving badly.
I ask you not to judge an entire church on the actions of the pastor or a few members. True Christians love and respect animals. There are a lot of people in church who call themselves Christians who should be ashamed of their actions. And they’re being watched because charges can be pursued against those who intentionally harm God’s creatures.
The biggest threat comes not from the laws of man but from when these abusers stand before God. I don’t believe he’ll be in favor of how these cats are being treated.
Note: There are many, many good Christians who do their best to do the right thing by man and by God. This isn’t an article bashing Christians. I wanted to post this article because I’m beginning to wonder whether the ones doing these cruel acts don’t realize their acts can be considered animal cruelty.
related articles can be found below
Urgent! Texas church just sealed 4 TNR cats in their basement in attempt to kill them with poison
