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CVA Weekly Newsletter
January 3, 2013
- Universal Prayer of Forgiveness
- Essay: Should Animal Activists Make Analogies with the Holocaust?
- This Week’s Sermon from Rev. Frank and Mary Hoffman
1. Universal Prayer of Forgiveness
By Sandie Ann Sajner
(Interpreted and created from various prayers and verses)
For all of the people that have caused you any pain or suffering, harm or shame, fear, guilt or doubt. Whatever injustices those people have imposed and inflicted upon you, throughout your lifetime, whether they had done so intentionally or not, knowingly or unknowingly. Please Forgive those people.
For those that maybe you may have caused some pain or suffering, harm, shame, fear, guilt or doubt, too, knowingly or unknowingly. May those people Forgive you.
And for yourself, for any harm you may have imposed and inflicted upon yourself, whether it be emotional, mental, spiritual, nutritional, sexual, physical or financial, whatever injustices there may have been, knowingly or unknowingly, Please Forgive yourself.
May you be strong and healthy.
May you be happy and peaceful.
May you be safe, sane and secure from all inner and outer harm.
May you take great care of yourself with joy, love and laughter.
And May your life unfold smoothly and with ease.
And if there is anything that is heavy on your heart, mind and soul today. If there is anything that is of burden to you, please take it and take it all and wrap each piece of it into brilliant white, healing, loving, forgiving caring light and bless it all as you hand it graciously to God giving it all thanks and praise, for everyone and every experience that comes into our life is truly a gift and a blessing from God.
And may the Divinity and the Sacredness that resides within your soul recognize the Divinity and the Sacredness in all of life, in all of God’s creation.
Amen
2. Essay: Should Animal Activists Make Analogies with the Holocaust?
Many animal activists have shown similarities between the contemporary treatment of nonhumans, particularly those on factory farms, to the Holocaust. The analogies have angered many Holocaust survivors and their families, who often assert that the comparison belittles Holocaust victims. Should animal activists be sensitive to or change their strategies on account of this sentiment?
I do think animal activists should aim to be sensitive to those who suffered during and after the Holocaust. Many people had horrific experiences, and many lost close family members. Indeed, there are many survivors who have no other family members who survived the tragedy. I think that one thing pains many Holocaust survivors is the notion that their beloved family and friends are being equated with nonhuman animals. I would argue that it is not necessary to equate the value of the victims in order to see that there are real analogies in the attitudes and underlying philosophies between those who perpetrated the Nazi Holocaust and those who are responsible for contemporary treatment of animals. In a future essay I will consider whether or not the victims should be regarded equally. I will argue in the upcoming weeks that the victimizers have similar mindsets.
Holocaust survivors are understandably upset when people with a broad range of concerns use Nazi or Holocaust imagery to advance their own cause. As I see it, analogies that are silly will fail to get much traction, such calling women who insist on gender-neutral word use “feminazis.” The analogies will attract public interest only if there are legitimate grounds for making comparisons.
If the comparison between the Nazis’ treatment of their victims and the contemporary treatment of nonhumans is valid, then articulating the analogy makes many people uncomfortable. Nobody wishes to be equated with the Nazis, which in contemporary language is synonymous with evil. In particularly, meat-eating Holocaust survivors are deeply offended if they are compared to the people they understandably despise. But, if the analogy is valid, then should it be used, even if doing so offends some people? I will explore this further next week.
Stephen R. Kaufman, M.D.
3. This Week’s Sermon from Rev. Frank and Mary Hoffman
What Are Our New Year’s Resolutions?
Your question and comments are welcome
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