At first it seems like a heartwarming partnership: Christians join with a prominent nonprofit that purports to save puppies and kittens. But this new movement, ostensibly aimed at reminding Christians of their duty to protect animals, is peddling a theologically questionable and overtly political agenda.<\/p>\n
This fall appeared the initiative Every Living Thing, spearheaded by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), a national group that doesn\u2019t manage local pet shelters, despite public perceptions. More than 1,000 Christians have signed a statement invoking the Bible to note that animals are an \u201cespecially vulnerable subset of all God\u2019s creatures\u201d\u009d that \u201ccan be most subject to irresponsible and cruel treatment by humans.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n
For centuries Christians have debated animal theology. Last year newspapers reported incorrectly that Pope Francis had assured an aching young boy whose pet had died that \u201cwe will see our animals again in the eternity of Christ.\u201d\u009d Christine Gutleben, director of faith outreach at HSUS, said the pope\u2019s comments seemed to imply \u201cthat animals have a soul.\u201d\u009d As it turned out, the media mangled the facts. Pope Francis never said such a thing, though in the 1970s Pope Paul VI alluded\u201d\u201dpastorally, not as a matter of doctrine\u201d\u201dto the idea that all dogs go to heaven.<\/p>\n