1. Milan Kundera 4/1/29-7/11/23
Milan Kundera, a renowned Czech-French novelist, died this week. In his
most famous novel The Unbearing Lightness of Being, he wrote, “True human
goodness, in all its purity and freedom, can come to the fore only when its
recipient has no power. Mankind's true moral test, its fundamental test
(which lies deeply buried from view), consists of its attitude towards those
who are at its mercy: animals. And in this respect mankind has suffered a
fundamental debacle, a debacle so fundamental that all others stem from it.”
Comment: The absence of human goodness – human evil – threatens human
civilization. There are many existential threats, and each derives from the
failure of humans to be guided by the faith of Christ. Christianity need not
become the world’s religion, and indeed much evil has been done to protect
or expand Christian institutions. Perhaps Father Zossima in Dostoyevski’s
The Brothers’ Karamazov best described the faith of Christ:
Brothers, have no fear of men’s sin. Love a man even in his sin, for that is
the semblance of Divine Love and is the highest love on earth. Love all
God's creation, the whole and every grain of sand in it. Love every leaf,
every ray of God's light. Love the animals, love the plants, love
everything. If you love everything, you will perceive the divine mystery in
things. Once you perceive it, you will begin to comprehend it better every
day. And you will come at last to love the whole world with an all-embracing
love. Love the animals: God has given them the rudiments of thought and joy
untroubled. Do not trouble them, don't harass them, don't deprive them of
their happiness, don't work against God's intent. Man, do not pride yourself
on superiority to the animals; they are without sin, and you, with your
greatness, defile the earth by your appearance on it, and leave the traces
of your foulness after you--alas, it is true of almost every one of us!
2. The Problem of Evil, Part 7
Jesus understood well the pervasiveness of evil, which he witnessed
around him and ultimately experienced with his suffering and death through
crucifixion. As he faced his destiny, Jesus said,
“Father, if thou art willing, remove this cup from me; nevertheless not my
will, but thine, be done” (Luke 22:42; see also Mark 14:36, Matthew 26:34).
Jesus chose to be faithful, despite the enormous cost.
This, I think, is our calling as Christians: to be willing to bear the
cross in service to God. We are to struggle for justice, even to the point
of death. We should not, as Dietrich Bonhoffer advised, give up our lives
cheaply. But, we should not cherish our lives above all else.
If the faith of Christ were a uniquely Christian faith, then its value to
humanity would be limited to Christians. While numerous, Christians are less
than a third of the world population. Children tend to adopt to their
family’s religion, in part because their upbringing makes their religion
seem true and in part because rejecting their family’s faith often results
in losing cherished ties to family members. In a global community, where
social, economic, political, and environmental concerns encompass the world,
we need a universal ideology that transcends local, national, cultural, and
religious boundaries.
I think the faith of Christ is a possibility. Christians are naturally
encouraged to adopt such a faith, and I think this faith accords with nearly
all the world religions. I will discuss this further.
Stephen R Kaufman, MD
3. From All-Creatures.Org Ministry
Join us this Sunday, July 16, for the free Reading Vegan Books Aloud
Group as we work our way through Christian vegan author Matthew King’s
newest book. You must register for this free group. Register now! Here are
the details:
Reading Vegan Books Aloud Together - Pride Goes Before Destruction
(all-creatures.org)
All-Creatures.org Newsletter for
July 12, 2023
We hope you enjoy this week’s newsletter. Factory farming Octopus, Squid,
Cuttlefish! — Planetary health: recipe for sustainable future — alpaca wool
cruelties — how to do a vegan ice cream giveaway — baby Stanley’s need for
family — more NIH funding for animal torture ends — caring about the
suffering of ALL beings — too many ‘unwanted’ Roosters — secrets in every
living being — 23rd horse ‘died’ at Belmont’s track — and more…
All-Creatures.org Newsletter, July 19, 2023
In this week’s newsletter: The power of empathy/listening — another horse
racing track to shut down — Philly’s first electric horseless carriage — do
we need to call Animals ‘friends’ to advocate for them? — AniCare Model:
treating children who abuse animals — Veganizing America’s comfort foods —
vegan curricula designed for Catholic schools — the amazing power of
language in advocacy — Elon Musk’s cruel brain experiments — SHARK’s July
newsletter — and more.
In the Love of the Lord,
Frank L Hoffman
All-Creatures.org
and
Kindness,
Tams Nicholson
Executive Directress
All-Creatures.org