Animal Sunday Background Reading
For leaders of the church service.
This liturgqy is one for a Season of Creation Sunday so, different aspects of creation are the focus of each Church Service. This Animal Sunday presents an opportunity to celebrate the extent and variety of animal life on Earth and to celebrate the joyous relationships many humans have with animals.
This service also presents an opportunity to confront some countless cruel abuses that humans inflict on many animals, for profit or convenience. This can be part of our confession.
However, there are difficulties we encounter when looking honestly and deeply into the Animal Kingdom. It is not all pretty. All things are NOT ‘bright and beautiful’. This can create real problems when looking at the 2nd. Creation myth in Genesis charter 1, where we are instructed that everything God ‘made’ is ‘good’, indeed ‘very good’; Gen:1 31. This looking can also raise questions about the concept of ‘God – the Creator’.
There are two major issues to confront when creating a church service centring on the Animal Kingdom of creation. One is theological and the other biological. They are connected.
1. The theological issue is created by the use of the terms ‘good’ and ‘very good’ in the Genesis 1 myth. These have been misunderstood as statements, not only about beauty of nature, but also about the behaviour of animal creatures.
2. The biological issue is created by the ‘violent’ side of animal activity. This ‘violent’ side of animal activity should never be judged according to human morality, but it may be difficult to commend God on this outcome, and praise God for it, if indeed God created it all. The processes of ‘evolution’ and ‘natural selection’, ‘the survival of the fittest.’, must be considered when addressing this issue.
These are dealt with in ‘Resources Detailed’, but they create a very big and difficult agenda for only one church service. This is extremely challenging because there may be many new concepts that need to be presented to those gathered in church. These unmentioned concepts may bring into question some of their long-held beliefs.
In what is below, there is a reasonably large amount of background reading, because, if a liturgy is to be created, focusing on the Animal Kingdom, then some understanding of these two issues above, as well as others, is essential.
Aims and objectives
Main Aim
To alert the congregation to the extent and variety of animal life on Earth; to celebrate this and to then, be thankful.
Other important aims are,
1. To celebrate the joy of the relationships that many humans have with animals
2. To call out the many cruel abuses that humans callously inflict on animals.
3. To honestly confront the ‘not so pretty’ side of nature in the Animal Kingdom.
4. To introduce the concepts of ‘evolution’ and ‘natural selection’.
5. To explore what ‘good’ and ‘very good’ mean in the context of the Gen. 1 myth.
6. To discern the gospel’s Good News for the day.
It may be a bit ambitious to try to cover all these aims in just one service. You may consider the possibility of having two services. Many resources are offered. They are not prescriptions but suggestions. There is background reading offered, far more than can be used in any one, or maybe even two liturgies. Read what you wish and use what you wish. If you use the suggested liturgy below, you can modify it as you wish and use what you wish and delete the rest. It is a resource, not a prescription. It does not deal with all the above aims.
Resources offered (The leader is encouraged to choose from these resources.)
1. Background reading and commentaries on Bible readings.
Comment is made about the recommended readings on the Internet. The comment in Genesis 1 that, ‘God saw every that he had made, and behold, it was very good’, is discussed. Alternative bible readings are suggested and discussed.
2. Information about the cruel abuses that humans inflict on animals.
A list of organisations, that advocate for kindness and justice be given to animals, is given, together with some helpful quotes for famous people. Different kinds of abuses are also listed for information, and if appropriate, for mention in your liturgy, most appropriately in the time of confession.
3. Thoughts and information about animals and the Animal Kingdom.
Leaders who conduct church services about the part of creation, we might call the Animal Kingdom, need to take a close look at nature on Earth and, amongst other things, respond to such statements as, ‘Many animals, living in the ‘wild’, are predators. Many of them are also hunted by other animal predators. God made a mess when ‘he’ created the animal kingdom.’
In this background reading, information comes from many biologists, naturalists, zoologists, and entomologists, those who study insects, quoting from their expert papers, many of which have been published in the National Geographic Magazine and other recognised journals. Using different approaches and different information, these experts do not always agree. For instance, they sometimes differ quite markedly on their estimates of numbers of different species living on Earth, etc.
Included is some short background reading on ‘evolution’ and ‘natural selection’. This is important to know when speaking about animals.
4. Suggestions for congregational participation
.
Dialogues, individual contributions, and a children’s game are all included in the suggested liturgy.
5. Lyrics to traditional hymn tunes.
6 sets of original lyrics are used in the suggested liturgy.
6. Prayers and prayer suggestions.
A creation prayer is suggested. This prayer is the same in all the liturgies I submit. Other prayers and suggestions are in the suggested liturgy.
7. A suggested Liturgy.
The content of the suggested liturgy below takes about 50 minutes. This includes time being given for the dialogs, congregational participation, the children’s game, and the Prayers of the People, etc. It is suggested that, without interrupting the flow of the service, short commentaries could be given by the leader, to explain some Bible readings or biological matters. The suggested liturgy follows the lead of listed services on the internet, by giving opportunity for members of the gathering to participate, by having dialogues.
With the issues that need to be addressed, it may be necessary to delete some of the material and include other material from the Background Reading in order to follow the themes you have chosen.
Resources detailed.
1. Background reading and commentaries on Bible readings.
Bible readings for ‘Blessing of the Animals’ liturgy, accessible on the internet.
My comment.
When planning to use the liturgies for the ‘Season of Creation’, and in particular the liturgy on the internet for ‘The Blessing of the Animals’, the Bible readings below were recommended. Not having a great plethora of material to call upon from the Bible, the writers of this liturgy were endeavouring to use what there is, to make positive comments about animals and their close relationship to humans, how important they are in the total scheme of things, and how beautiful they all are.
Below are these readings with their accompanying exegetical comments.
Exegetical comments can be helpful, but they should not be misleading or blatantly incorrect.
Old Testament: Genesis 2;18-25. Animals created as partners.
God creates the animals and birds from the same ground that the first human is created. Animals and humans are kin and partners. Like children, the first human names the animals as part of a living family in Eden.
Psalm: Ps. 148 ‘All creatures praise the Lord’
Epistle: Revelation 5.11-14 ‘Animals around the throne”
In this vision of the future, it is not only angels that praise Christ on the throne, but also the living creatures of Earth and sky. They are an integral part of our hope and our future.
Gospel: Matthew 6 25-29 ‘How God has made creation beautiful’
Solomon is all his royal splendour cannot match the brilliance of the creatures of land and sky that God creates and feeds.
For the Old Testament Genesis reading, the comments are made, ‘Animals created as partners.’ and ‘Animals and humans are kin and partners.’ These comments are unfaithful to the text, and because of this, they are misleading, regarding what the Bible actually teaches.
In the 4 different Bibles translations I have, each state quite clearly that the intention of alleviating Adam’s aloneness was not accomplished by the creation of animals. All of the Bibles state that, ‘but for the man there was not found a ‘help meet/ companion/ helper/ partner, fit for him.’ Gen 2:20.
The underlined exegetical comments above, are the opposite to what the Genesis myth teaches. They are grossly misleading interpretations. These comments should not be used.
The Psalm and Revelation readings do not have misleading exegetical comments however, the ‘Epistle’(which is not an Epistle!), has nothing to do with our human experience on Earth.
Equally, but not as blatantly wrong, for the New Testament reading, the exegetical comment is made, ‘Solomon is all his royal splendour cannot match the brilliance of the creatures of land and sky that God creates and feeds.’ This is also unfaithful to the text and thus misleading; not as obvious as the Genesis comment, but still misleading.
In the context of this liturgy for ‘Blessing of the animals’, the lilies of the field and not ‘creatures’. That to which Solomon and his glory are compared are flowers, not creatures. They are flowers of the plant kingdom and not animals. Birds are mentioned but the exegetical comment leads readers to a connection between Solomon and creatures/animals, which connection is not in the text of Matthew.
These are examples of a misuse of the Bible. Using the Bible, with all its status as a sacred book, together with the great reverence paid to it by nearly all church goers, and then quoting from it with misleading exegetical comments is a process which should be called out for what it is. Wrong and misleading!
It find it inexcusable that any commentator can make such misleading remarks about these texts. It is even more perplexing to me, that such misleading interpretations can find their way into liturgies that are not only sanctioned by the church leadership, but also are in ‘recommended’ liturgies to be used by congregations in church services.
We can do better! The liturgy of ‘Blessing the animals’ should be revisited and misleading comments deleted. If we call the Bible our sacred book, we should honour it with helpful, and not misleading, commentary.
General comments and commentary about Genesis Chapter 1, addressing the words ‘good’ and ‘very good’. Also comments and commentary on other suggested bible readings.
Note. My suggestion is that this Bible reference need not be used in the liturgy. I do not believe it adds anything significant to the service. However, biblical commentary is given. If the leader wishes to make some comment about it, I believe it should be short. I believe there is need for correction of the general understanding that ‘Nature is ‘good’ because God created it. This understanding began with the human imagination of about 3000 years ago!
For those who use the Bible as a source of instruction, Genesis 1 introduces the idea that what God created was ‘good’, 1:4,10,12,18,21, indeed all was ‘very good’ 1:31. This ‘goodness’ has been interpreted as referring to all creation. This interpretation has led to very serious debate about whether creation is indeed ‘good’ on not.
As with all passages of the Bible, we must put Genesis 1 into its historical context. We must also look closely at the text itself and do some critical analysis of it. We are dealing with a text which was written 2-3000 years ago by writers with a 2 to 3000-year-old-human imagination, wisdom and lack of the same, knowledge and lack of the same, as well as a totally different view from that held today, of the universe, the origins of world and reality as a whole.
Biblical historians have a consensus of opinion, that the writers of Genesis 1 did their work during, or just after the ‘Exile’. This was a period of about 40 to 50 years of captivity of many Jews in Babylon, from about 586 BCE to about 537 BCE. They experienced the humiliation of being servants, possibly slaves, to the Babylonians. They were experiencing severe suffering.
During this time of captivity, they began to lose hope in their God and in their national identity as God’s ‘chosen people’. They were subjected to the Babylonian culture and religious rituals; every year being forced to celebrate the Babylonian creation myth, Enuma Elish. They had come to know it well. However, this myth is very different to the Genesis myths; full of violence, gods killing one another, and Marduk, a young god, being rewarded and worshipped, after killing his mother, Tiamut, who was also a god.
But, as the Jews were suffering, they also began to realize that their God was with them, in their suffering in Babylon, and that they could worship their God even though they were not in their homeland, not in Jerusalem at the temple, where their God was thought to live. They began to believe that their God was the only God, the almighty creator of everything. This was what could have inspired the writing of Genesis 1, and Genesis 1, in turn, is what could have inspired renewed hope, purpose and courage, as they began to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem. The gods of the Babylonians and of every other foreign nation were nothing when compared with their God, Elohim.
In this historical context, when we look closely at Genesis 1, we perceive it to be a poetic statement about the God who had delivered them from captivity. It is all about their God, their almighty God, their creator God who was the only God. This was all incredibly important to the Israelite exiles who had been in Babylon.
A closer look at the text of Genesis 1, clearly indicates that it is all about God. ‘In the beginning God ..’ v.1. ‘And God said ..’ vs.3,6,9,11,14,20,24,26,28,29. ‘And God saw ..’ vs.4,1012,18,21,25. ‘God called ..’ vs.5,8,10. ‘ God made ..’ vs.7,16,25. The word ‘God’ is used in this myth 35 times and the words ‘he’, ‘our’, ‘I’, when referring to God, are used another 14 times. In the text, God is referred to nearly 50 times in just 34 verses.
So, what about the comment in Genesis 1, that all creation is ‘good’.
Firstly, the text states that it is God who ‘saw that it was good’. This translation of the text states the writers’ perception of God’s reaction, when ‘he’ looked at what ‘he’ had created. These statements are not about the creation itself. They are the writers’ perception of how God reacted to what ‘he’ saw. However, these statements do comment on God’s evaluation of what ‘he’ had created; that ‘it was good’.
Secondly, even though most translations I have, follow the wording of the King James Authorised Version, with, ‘And God saw that it was good’, it is significant that the Good News Bible has the translation as, ‘God was pleased with what he saw’. This meaning is quite different. In this Good News Bible translation, in verse 31, the word ‘very’ qualifies the extent of God’s pleasure; ‘God looked at all he had made, and he was very pleased.’. In most other translations, ‘And God saw everything that he had made and behold it was very good.’ The word ‘very’ here, qualifies the creation, pointing to its ‘goodness’. Very different meanings!
I believe the Good News Bible has it right. The statements about ‘goodness’ are not about the quality of the results of God’s activity, but they are statements about God’s pleasure, and that’s what the Good News Bible states. I believe the Good News Bible translates the meaning of the text, very well.
So, to take Genesis 1 as teaching something about creation, is to miss the point. It is all about God! The Jews, after their Exile were not really interested in talking about creation, whether it was ‘good’ or not. Far more importantly, they were proclaiming their God was the almighty creator of all things and that ‘he’ was pleased, very pleased with what he saw. Genesis 1 is a theological affirmation about their God being pleased with creation, and thus giving the exiles new hope.
Genesis 1:1-31.
Brueggemann, a German theologian and author of more than 30 books, states on page 37 of his book, Interpretation of Genesis, -
Throughout the narrative, God judges the results of his work ‘good’ and in verse 31 he pronounces the whole ‘very good.’ The ‘good’ used here does not primarily refer to a moral quality, but to an aesthetic quality. It might be better translated lovely, pleasing, beautiful (cf Ecclesiastes 3:11). The shift from the sixth day to the seventh is perhaps, then, not just that time has run its course, but that God knows satisfaction and delight in what he has wrought. He rests not because the week ends, but because there is a satisfying, finished quality in his creation.
Recently, Samuel Terrien has urged that we might usefully distinguish the ‘ethical’ and the ‘aesthetic’ in the faith of Israel (The Elusive Presence – 1979). By this, he suggests that the ethical (which is expressed especially in the tradition of Moses and the prophets), tends to urge obedience between God and the world. In distinction, this aesthetic sense, pursues wholeness. God stands not over against but alongside and in friendly continuity with the world.
In the aesthetic perspective, the distinction of God from God’s creature is not nullified. But the friendly disposition of God toward the world is affirmed. God is satisfied that the world he has evoked in love is attuned to his purposes. The blessed world is indeed the world that God intended. Delighting in the creation, God will neither abandon it nor withdraw its permit of freedom.
This theology of blessing is not derived from ancient Near Eastern texts. It has emerged out of the faith of Israel. As it was offered as a principle of survival and sanity for the exiles in Babylon, so it may be offered as ground for sanity and survival in our time. This liturgy affirms and enacts a blessing in the world that the world cannot reject or refute.
Frethiem in his commentary in the New Interpreter’s Bible on page 343, when commenting on 1:4, states,
“And God saw that it was good.” God acts as an evaluator. In this remarkable and recurring phrase, God responds to the work, making evaluations of it (2:18 implies that the evaluation is part of an ongoing process, within which improvement is possible). The ‘subdue’ language (1:28) implies that ‘good’ does not mean perfect or static or in no need of development. This statement carries the sense of achieving the divine intention, which includes elements of beauty, purpose, and praise. This evaluative move (as with naming and blessing) means that God remains involved with the creation once it has been brought into being. God sees the creature, experiences what has been created, and is affected by what is seen. God’s response leads to the further development of the creation and of intra-creaturely relationships. God’s creative activity may thus in part be determined by that which is not God.
Genesis 2:19-25. (Suggested in the recommended Church’s liturgy accessed on the internet)
My comment.
This passage about animals, that the animals being named by the man, creates a special relationship between the two. Both humans and the animals are created from the same ‘stuff’ – the dust of the Earth. However, this passage states that the animals did not accomplish God’s purpose of creating a helper/companion/partner for the man, even though the exegetical comment on the internet, claims that they did.
According to this passage, animals are not partners for humans. So, I have not used this passage in my suggested liturgy. Instead, I have used Genesis 1:20-25.
Genesis 1: 20- 25. (Instead of Gen. 2: 19-25.)
My comment.
On the 5th day, God made the fish and birds, blessed them, and said they were to multiply and fill the seas and the sky. Then on the 6th day, God made the animals that live on dry land. They share the same day of creation as humans. This may say something about the status of animals within the whole scheme of living creations. The animals are blessed, and God was pleased with what ‘he’ saw. It would appear that in Genesis, ‘creatures’ do not include birds and fish however, biologically they are included in the definition of what is an animal. Whatever is not a plant but is living, is included in what is an animal, even insects.
The story of Noah.
The story of Noah could be used for comment about the way God treats animals the same as humans. This is more important than the suggested reading above, of Genesis 1:20-25. It need not be read but, a comment could be given that, ‘It is significant that in this story, every time Noah is mentioned, all the creatures and animals are also mentioned.’ Fish are not mentioned because they can continue to live in the excesses of water, their natural habitat. Animals are regarded, treated by God in the same way as humans, Genesis 6:19-20, 7:8,14-16,21-23, 8:1,17,19,20-22, 9:1-3,10,15-17. In this last passage, God makes ‘his’ covenant not only with Noah and his family but with all the animals as well. They are dealt with in the same way as God deals with humans. This demonstrates the importance of animals in the whole scheme of creation, in the minds of the writers, and sets the tone for the Old Testament.
Matthew 6:25-29. (Suggested in the recommended Church’s Internet liturgy)
My comment.
This passage is not used in my suggested liturgy. Again, the exegetical comment on the Internet is misleading in that it makes a connection between Solomon and all his glory with ‘creatures’. The connection of Solomon is to flowers, not ‘creatures’.
This connection suggested is not in Matthew’s text.
I have suggested the following readings instead.
Matthew 6:26.
Jesus is teaching:
“Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.”
Luke 12:6.
Again, Jesus is teaching:
“Are not 5 sparrows sold for 2 pennies. And not one of them is forgotten before God.”
Both these teachings of Jesus tell us that animals, in this case birds, are important to God. God feeds them and none are forgotten by ‘him’. Both teachings are embedded in a comparison of animals with humans, and humans are far more important, however, animals are fed and not forgotten.
About 80 different animals are mentioned in the Bible, in more than 200 instances, many of which appear in lists of ‘clean’ animals that can be eaten, and ‘unclean’ animals which are forbidden to be eaten. Some animals mentioned elsewhere, are mentioned as examples of certain behaviour. Seldom do these passages actually teach anything about how humans and animals relate to each other or how we as humans should treat animals. However, there are many times when the Bible indirectly states important matters about animals.
In Proverbs 12:10, it is stated,
‘A righteous man has regard for the life of his beast; but the mercy of the wicked is cruel.’
Some passages speak of animals as being important, when they are in trouble and are not to be treated like enemies - Exodus 23:4-5, when they also need rest - Ex. 23:12, when God makes a covenant - Hosea 2:18, when humans are given God’s mercy - Jonah 4:11, and when needing help even on the Sabbath - Luke 14:5. These passages could be mentioned as biblical teaching about how humans are to behave regarding animals.
2. Information about the cruel abuses that humans inflict on animals.
A list of organisations that advocate for kindness and justice for animals.
1. Animals Australia: A registered not for profit charity providing professional skills across animal protection, law, strategic planning and advocacy. (Members of the Board are leaders from other national and international animal welfare organization e.g. Humane Society, Animal Liberation. Lynda Stoner is ALs President. Lynn White is its founder member. Animals Australia is a world-wide network of compassion and positive change, which funds and ensures life-saving work for animals.)
2. Anglican Society for the welfare of animals
3. Catholic concern for the Welfare of Animals
4. Animals Asia
5. People for the ethical treatment of animals.org.au (PETA)
6. Animal Justice Party (NSW parliament) Mission is to raise the plight of non-human animals through advocacy education, protest, media and research.
7. RSPCA
8. Voiceless.org.au. Working towards a world where animals are treated with respect and compassion
All these organisations have their websites and information can be gained from these.
Helpful quotes and comments from and about famous people.
David Attenborough: ‘His witness, videos and numerous papers give voice, regarding the state of the animal world and how to change it.’
Archbishop Tutu said, “Churches should lead the way by making it clear that all cruelty to animals is an afront to civilized living and a sin before God.”
Gandhi said “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”
St Francis of Assisi said “Not to hurt our humble brethren is our first duty to them. We have a higher mission to be of service to them.”
St Isaac a 7th century mystic said “What is a charitable heart? It is a heart burning with love for all creation, for people, birds, beasts...for all creatures; the immense compassion of those who cannot bear to see or learn from others of suffering. This is why such a person never ceases to pray for animals...moved by infinite pity which reigns in the heart of those who are becoming united with God”
Abuses detailed.
It shocks many Australians to learn that farmed animals are largely excluded from the protection of cruelty laws that apply to companion animals like dogs and cats. This is generational thinking which excludes animals, mainly those raised for food, out in the cold. Social change happens very slowly although there have been some glimmers of hope recently, headed by major charities and the general population, as awareness of the cruelty issues becomes more widely known.
Factory farming is apparent in most industries, and it is most often indirect abuse, based on our own ignorance e.g., eating factory-farmed meat, battery produced eggs, using animal tested cosmetics, wearing furs, hunting, etc.
Battery Hens: Hens confined in small cages together, unable to act out their natural instincts, flap wings, groom, nest etc. Beaks are seared toff to stop pecking, chronic pain from standing on wire.
Pig Farming: Social intelligent animals and their natural behaviours are denied. Kept in crowded concrete sheds, medical procedures without anaesthetic, unacceptable transport and slaughter methods e.g., gassing. Use of farrowing crates.
Broiler chickens: genetically modified to produce meat. Killed at 4-7 weeks, severe overcrowding, high death rate, broken bones and heart failure.
Dairy Farming: Genetically modified, calves removed at birth causing great distress, male calves killed on farm or transported to slaughter. Artificially inseminated yearly to produce maximum milk. Confined in crowded barns, poor management, cruel practices.
Live export: Sheep and cattle transported long distances, from Australia to Europe, Indonesia and many other countries. Many animals suffer and die of heat and stress-induced diseases during weeks of crowded transport aboard converted old ships. Unacceptable handling practices abroad where there are no laws. Slaughter without stunning.
Other industries with unacceptable practices are: Animals in laboratories, Racing industry, Rodeos, Puppy farms and others.
Animals are often treated like commodities, to be used for profit or convenience. The reality however is that they are sentient beings, meaning that they feel and experience emotions such as joy, pleasure, pain and fear. Just as we do!
3. Thoughts and information about animals and the Animal Kingdom.
This background reading is not extensive and somewhat simplistic. Libraries are full of books written by zoologists, biologists, entomologists (those who study insects) and naturalists. A great deal is now known about the animal kingdom but so much more is yet to be discovered and studied.
Many people, particularly those who live in an urban situation, may not have given much thought to the detail of the Earth’s environment, regarding the Animal Kingdom in the ‘wild’. Those of us, who do live in the urban situation, are surrounded by domesticated animals, mostly pets, and we are given information about the animal farming community. Nearly all farm animals are herbivores; they eat grass, plants, tree bark, and shrubby growth; not meat. Sheep, horses, cows, other cattle, and pigs are all naturally herbivores. Even chickens, while they will eat insects and other very small animals, their main diet is grass, vegetables, and other green plants. In our home fish tanks, we do not see the fish killing and eating other fish! All this is calm and peaceful, and reassures us that, ‘All is well, for all the animals.’ Not so in the wild! Nearly ¾ of animals are carnivores; they eat meat. The only source of their food is other animals. Animals must be killed and eaten by other animals for them to survive. This has been the situation for millions of years.
Leaders of church services need to have some knowledge about the part of ‘creation’ which is the focus of the service, and this, for the Animal Sunday must include some knowledge of ‘evolution’ and ‘natural selection’, because the animal kingdom, in particular, is where these processes are very evident for those who study creation. These processes are always present and powerfully dominant. They are all amoral.
Our starting point.
In biology, evolution is based on the idea that all species are related. Changes in the characteristics of a species occur over very long periods of time (millions of years) and these are governed, to a large extent, by the processes of natural selection.
Simple animals evolved around 500 million years ago.
Biologically, an animal is a living thing that is not a human being or plant. Fish, birds and insects are all included. It is estimated that there are about 1.7 million species of animal life on the Earth, that have been discovered and studied. Many hundreds are newly discovered each year. There are vast numbers that are yet to be discovered. Quite a wide variety! Let us celebrate this diversity.
We must begin by rejecting, totally, the idea that it is appropriate to impose human moral attitudes and judgements, on the behaviour of animals in nature. Nature is nature, and that’s it.
We may say that some things in nature are pleasing to the human eye and others are ugly; but that cannot be a moral judgement. We cannot say “Nature is cruel”, nor can we say, “Nature is kind.” Nature ‘behaves’ like nature ‘behaves’, and that’s it. Nature is neither nice nor nasty! This mystery in nature, is very evident when we look at a spider’s web. It’s beautiful. An engineering masterpiece! And its sole and only purpose is to trap insects so the spider can kill and eat them. “Does it not seem strange to you, to call a death trap, beautiful!” Therein lies a mystery.
My comment about life and death.
Life and death are inseparable. They are both essential in the 'scheme of things'. They struggle with each other, and they dance together. They sing a different tune, but in harmony. Life gives way to death, and death springs back into life. Death is not the enemy of life; it is the beginning of new life. Life and death both need each other. They are both part of being. They follow one another and when they meet, they embrace, and then continue their mysterious journey together, as they give place to each other.
Evolution and Natural Selection, regarding the Animal Kingdom.
9 points about evolution.
1. Life forms reproduce and therefore have a tendency to become more numerous.
2. Factors such as competition and predatory behavior work against the survival of individuals.
3. Each offspring differs from their parent(s) in very minor, random ways.
4. If these differences are beneficial, the offspring is more likely to survive and reproduce.
5. This makes it likely that more offspring in the next generation will have beneficial differences and fewer will have detrimental differences.
6. These differences accumulate over many, many generations, resulting in changes within some of the population.
7. Over time, sometimes millions of years, populations can split or branch off into new species.
8. These processes continue indefinitely.
9. These processes nearly always work towards more complexity.
The principle of ‘natural selection’ discovered by Charles Darwin (1809-1882) is the process by which organisms become adapted to their environments. These are summarised in Nos. 3 to 6 below.
3. Each offspring differs from their parent(s) in minor, random ways.
4. If these differences are beneficial, the offspring is more likely to survive and reproduce.
5. This makes it likely that more offspring in the next generation will have beneficial differences and fewer will have detrimental differences.
6. These differences accumulate over many generations, resulting in changes within some of the population.
The 9 processes governing evolution, are all amoral: not good or bad, not cruel or kind. They just are! They are the processes by which evolution works. Different environments are largely the cause of the 300,000 different species of Beetles and about 4,000 species of Frogs, etc., etc. These are just 2 of numerous examples.
Evolution is an extremely slow continuous process, taking millions of years for even small changes to evolve in any species of life. Here is one time sequence that has some scientific backing. There are many others.
Scientists suggest the beginnings of the universe as we know it today, is about 13.8 billion years old. That’s 13.800,000,000 years!
The Earth evolved into being about 4½ billion years ago. That’s 4.500,000,000 years!
3.8 billion years ago, evolution of simple cells,
2 billion years ago, evolution into complex cells,
600 million years ago, evolution of simple animals,
570 million years ago, evolution of arthropods - ancestors of insects,
550 million years ago, evolution of complex animals,
500 million years ago, evolution of fish,
475 million years ago, evolution of land plants,
400 million years ago, evolution of insects and seeds,
300 million years ago, evolution of reptiles,
200 million years ago, evolution of mammals,
150 million years ago, evolution of birds,
130 million years ago, evolution of flowers,
65 million years since the dinosaurs died out,
200,000-300,000 years since humans started looking and acting basically something like they do today.
The evolutionary processes of natural selection, mean that what has been in the past, influences what is now present, and what is present now, influences what will evolve in the future. In the world of life, we call this influence ‘hereditary’. Genes that are passed on from parents to children, determine many traits, such as hair and skin colour, and can modify the way populations behave, such as how Emperor Penguins in Antarctica crowd together to share their body warmth in the middle of winter, and how certain fish swim in schools to protect themselves from predators.
Because of evolution we are all connected; much in an indirect and complex way, but we are all connected.
Pope Francis, in his Encyclical letter Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home, states: “The climate is a common good, belonging to all and meant for all” (# 23). The Pope's message is that everything in creation is interconnected and that ongoing formation in this reality is vital to contributing to God's mission in our times.
Let us celebrate this connection.
The ‘not so nice’ side of Earth’s Animal Kingdom.
2/3rds of all animals are carnivores, i.e., they eat meat. This means that their only source of food is other animals. Another 10% are omnivores, i.e. they eat both plants and other animals.
Some birds kill and eat other birds; some frogs kill and eat other frogs; some fish kill and eat other fish; many animals kill and eat smaller animals, and many insects kill and eat other insects. A very large number of larger animals eat insects. Even some plants derive their nutrients by trapping, killing and consuming insects.
Many animals are both predators of smaller animals, and prey for larger animals. Many animals live most of their lives in fear of being killed and eaten. This applies to both predators and victims. Without these ‘be killed and eaten’ and ‘survival’ alternatives, the Animal Kingdom could not exist. There is very wide consensus amongst biologists about these matters. When the ‘death and being eaten’ and ‘survival’ exist side by side, they create a delicate balance for the continuation of a species.
Cannibalism is a common ecological interaction in the animal kingdom and has been recorded in more than 1,500 species. ... Cannibalism is prevalent in aquatic ecosystems, in which up to approximately 90% of the organisms engage in cannibalistic activity at some point in their life cycle.
Rats and mice, lions and tigers sometimes eat their offspring. Mice can give birth to a litter of 4 to 12 offspring, about 3 weeks after they are born, and then in periods of three weeks after that. For one species of mice, 1/3 of their litters is lost to cannibalism. Other animals often eat their deformed or diseased offspring. In some species of spiders, the mating ritual involves the female killing and eating the male, after mating has taken place. Offspring killing and eating their female parent in not uncommon.
‘Food cains’ are essential in nature on earth. A food chain is a system where a small animal is food for a larger animal which, in turn, is food for an even larger animal. An example of a simple ‘food chain’ is, ‘A caterpillar eats leaves. The caterpillar is eaten by an insect which in turn is eaten by a frog, which in turn is eaten by a snake, which in turn is eaten by an eagle.’ Specific food chains are defined by, ‘Who eats who’. Many different ‘food chains’, involving many different animals, interlock to form ‘food webs’.
In the evolutionary process, this so-called ‘not so nice’ side of Earth’s Animal Kingdom, with its life-death-life-death-life cycle, creates over time, an essential balance, a balance between life and death. It also creates a stability in the shorter periods of time. It has done so for millions and millions of years.
Defence mechanisms.
Over millions of years, thousands of generations, the evolutionary process through natural selection, enables victims to gradually create effective defence mechanisms. Most animals living on Earth are hunted by predators, so that’s why most species have evolved one or more defence mechanisms, which help to protect them from animals that are dangerous to them. These defence mechanisms are essential for the ‘balance’ between ‘be killed and eaten’ and ‘survival’, to be maintained.
1. Some animals inject special toxins called venoms into predators. Venoms are usually stored in a special gland inside the animal’s body. But, when an animal is threatened by a predator, the animal can inject the venom into the attacker with the help of a stinger, fangs or claws. A few animals that use venom to defend themselves include Bees, Spiders, Lionfish.
2. Some animals have toxins on their skin that protect them from predators. Unlike venoms, poisons are not injected into an attacker. Instead, poisons are usually allowed to ooze out of an animal’s skin. When a predator touches a poisonous animal or tries to eat one, the poisons usually make the predator very sick.
3. Sharp spines serve as effective protection for many animals. Spines simply work like a sharp spike that can puncture the skin of a predator. Some animals have only a few spines, but others are completely covered in them, like Porcupines and Echidnas.
4. For many animals, speed serves as the best protection from predators. Some animals try to avoid predators by simply running, flying or swimming away from the danger as fast as they can. This is a very common defence mechanism. Many animals that use speed as a defence often live in open habitats, which don’t provide many places to hide from predators. Many animals that rely on speed also have excellent vision or hearing, so they can detect predators before they get very close. A few species that use speed to escape predators include, many species of Deer, Rabbits, Black Racer Snakes, etc., etc.
5. Some animals use camouflage to help them blend in with their surroundings and thus avoid detection. Some animals evolve, over long periods of time, colour patterns that look almost exactly like their habitats, making them very difficult to see by predators. For example, arctic Hares are white Rabbits who blend in with the snow covering the ground where they live. A few animals that have excellent camouflage include Whippoorwills, Geckos, Flounders, as well as many insects.
6. Many animals have evolved protective armour that helps protect them from the teeth and claws of predators. Because armour is usually heavy, most animals that use protective shells or scales, move relatively slowly. A few of the best examples of armoured animals include Turtles, Armadillos, Pangolins.
7. Many animals try to trick predators into thinking they’re dangerous, more dangerous than they really are. Some of these are Cobras, Pufferfish, Monitor lizards. Scientists call this strategy ‘bluffing’.
8. Loud sounds are frightening to many predators. Many animals that rely on sound as a defence, produce their noises with their mouths, but others use other body parts too. For example, Rattlesnakes have evolved specialized tails that make noises when they move rapidly. A few of the best examples of animals that use sound for protection include Bull Snakes, Ravens, Hissing Cockroaches.
9. Some animals deter predators by playing dead. While some predators will eat prey animals whether they are alive or dead, others don’t like to eat dead animals. A few of the animals that play dead to escape death include Opossums, Hognose Snakes, Common Eider Ducks.
Evolution has thus enabled many animals to protect themselves from predators. But these defences and others, don’t always work, and predators occasionally figure out ways to defeat them. In fact, no defence mechanism is always effective. That’s why many animals use more than one defence mechanism at a time. For example, Hognose Snakes have camouflaged colours that help them avoid detection by predators. But if an owl or some other predator finds them, the Hognose Snake will often inflate its neck to bluff the predator and appear larger than it is, to try to scare the predator away.
All this may suggest that evolution is on the side of the victims. Not so. Evolution produces stability. Over many thousands of generations, millions of years, the processes of evolution through natural selection enable animals to improve and refine defence mechanisms. In so doing, this produces a stability, a fragile balance between being killed and survival.
There are some animals that are herbivores. These include antelope, camel, cow, deer, elephant, giraffe, goat, gorilla, guinea pig, hare/rabbit, hippopotamus, horse, kangaroo, koala, mouse, rhinoceros, squirrel, zebra. Even though they are not predators, they have significant defence mechanisms against other animals. These include speed to escape predators, using their horns, their huge jaws, their long necks and trunks, their ability to jump and kick (sometimes karate style) in battle (A giraffe, by using its skill at kicking, will usually kill a lion in a fight for survival.), their ability to make very loud sounds, and camouflage all help these herbivores survive in the wild. Koalas have few predators, only dingoes and some large snakes. Bush fires and being run over by motor vehicles are also very common causes of death, and, of course, deforestation and thus loss of habitat is their main danger.
So who eats what/who?
For your interest, here are some examples of animals that kill and eat other animals. Many other animals are meat eaters, which means that, in the ‘wild’ they eat other animals. Many fish eat other fish. A large number of larger animals, as well as insects, kill and eat insects.
Insects Lots of insects eat plants, and many insects eat other insects; some even drink blood.
The mosquito is the most dangerous animal to human beings. Some experts number human deaths, from mosquito bites, at about 1,000,000 per year.
Ants There are over 12,000 species of ants in the world. And literally, they eat everything. However, Anteaters can eat up to 30,000 ants a day.
Frogs and toads are carnivores. Larger frogs will eat larger insects like grasshoppers and worms. Some large frogs will even eat small snakes, mice, baby turtles, and even other smaller frogs!
Lions usually hunt at night. Their prey includes antelopes, buffaloes, zebras, young elephants, rhinos, hippos, wild hogs, crocodiles, and giraffes. But they also sometimes eat smaller prey like mice, birds, hares, lizards, and tortoises.
Tigers mainly eat sambar deer, wild pigs, water buffalo and antelope. Old and injured tigers have been known to attack domestic cattle and people.
Leopards’ preferred food sources are ungulates like antelope, gazelles, and impalas, but they also feed on many animals that might surprise us. These include baboons, hares, rodents, birds, lizards, porcupines, warthogs, fish, and dung beetles.
Eagle’s diet is principally mammals and birds, taken both alive and as carrion. Their main live prey consists of medium sized mammals and birds such as rabbits, hares, ptarmigan. Their diet of coastal birds includes gulls and other seabirds. Eagles don't hunt cats or small dogs.
Pelicans They're opportunistic [feeders]… they are able to eat almost anything. They eat things like small turtles, ducklings, goslings and there are stories of pelicans killing and eating small dogs like chihuahuas. They have been known to kill and eat cats. The fact is, a pelican will eat anything live, that it can get into its pouch, down its throat, and into its belly. Once they figure out something is food, it’s fair game.
This list is nearly endless.
Some of the above information is provided to give evidence to the fact that there is a ‘violent’ side of nature, regrading animals. This is not a moral judgement. It is just a statement of fact. It may seem somewhat irrelevant to a church liturgy, but such background reading can assist the leader of the church service to understand the complexity of nature, particularly the animal kingdom. It is not really for use in a liturgy itself. However, your choice.
4. Suggestions for congregational participation.
a Conversation about animals.
See in the suggested liturgy.
b Personal sharing.
See in the Suggested Liturgy.
c Play ‘Follow the leader’ with the children.
See in the Suggested Liturgy
5. Lyrics to traditional tunes.
See in the suggested liturgy 6 original lyrics are used. Because of time restraints one or two may have to be omitted. Other sets of lyrics are available on my website, accessible at George Stuart - Google sites, or https://sites.google.com›view›george-stuart. Follow the links Singing a New Song and then 32 Themes/Subjects.
6. Prayers and prayer suggestions.
See in the suggested liturgy.