Patrick J Battuello

Archive for the ‘Religion’ Category

Man’s Dominion on Earth

In Philosophy, Religion on July 23, 2011 at 11:07 am

For most Americans, the Bible provides an ostensibly simple, unambiguous protocol for human behavior. It is, in short, a morality manual from God. But upon closer scrutiny, these sacred texts are anything but unequivocal.

Genesis says: “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the cattle and all the animals that crawl on the earth.” But if this oft-cited verse is to be the mandate governing our relationship with animals, then biblical apologists need also explain the divine instructions for genocide (Nahum, Deuteronomy 7), gender subjugation (Corinthians 14:34-35, Ephesians 5:22-24, Deuteronomy 21:10-14), and slavery (Exodus 21, Leviticus 25:44-46).

The Antebellum South’s political class invoked God’s authority to justify their institution. Africans, as descendants of Ham (Hamites) were ordained to be perpetual servants (Genesis 9:20-27). So powerful was the Bible’s sway that a congressman (South Carolina’s James Hammond) could rise on the House floor and declare: “The doom of Ham has been branded on the form and features of his African Descendants. The hand of fate has united his color and his destiny. Man cannot separate what God hath joined.”

The Genesis passage would eventually lead to an animal-property class; dominion from God conveyed ownership. Worse, animals could (can) be used in any way that may benefit mankind. This comes directly from the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

God entrusted animals to the stewardship of those whom he created in his own image. Hence it is legitimate to use animals for food and clothing. They may be domesticated to help man in his work and leisure. Medical and scientific experimentation on animals is a morally acceptable practice if it remains within reasonable limits and contributes to caring for or saving human lives.

So, God’s word somehow justifies this. It’s as if biblical teachings supersede any need to apply reason and compassion. But, in truth, a sensible and just moral code does not require a religious charter; we can manage quite fine without a supernatural guide. Unless we are prepared to revert to Old Testament principles on races, creeds, and genders, we must forever dismiss a God-sanctioned enslavement of other beings as the specious nonsense that it is.

Man vs Mallard

In Ducks, Geese, Hunting, Religion on July 20, 2011 at 11:50 am

Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, an ordained Baptist minister who once said, “I hope we answer the alarm clock and take this nation back for Christ,” shared the joy of mallard hunting with a 2007 NRA audience: “To watch mallards come in a flock, cut their wings and land but a few feet in front of you on a cold winter day near Stuttgart, Arkansas, is just about as close to heaven as I think one can get on this Earth. And as one who believes, because of my faith, that I’m going to Heaven, I’m pretty sure there will be duck hunting in Heaven, and I can’t wait.” Hunter Huckabee is fooling no one with his spiritual rhetoric. Ultimately, he is motivated by a base, macho desire to kill. And that is hardly a Christian virtue.

Waterfowl (ducks, geese, brant) hunting is highly regulated in NYS. No rifles, handguns, traps, snares, or nets. Machine guns and explosives, too, are prohibited. And please, leave poisons and drugs at home. After all, the competition must be fair. Curiously, sink boxes (a float that conceals one’s body beneath the surface) are banned, but blinds (and ponchos?) are fine so long as they’re labeled with name and address. Only paraplegics and amputees can shoot from cars, and “you may not shoot crippled birds when under power.” Decoys are allowed, but they mustn’t be live. Use calls at your leisure, but no electronics, amplifiers, or tapes. And no bait. The DEC also expects you to “make a reasonable effort to retrieve all killed or crippled birds.” How very magnanimous.

In NY, the minimum age to enjoy this timeless tradition is 12. In 1996, the enlightened folks at the DEC established the two-day preseason Youth Waterfowl Days. This is a special time for children to get their feet wet, so to speak. Very exciting. One hunting service boasts that “without a doubt, the biggest rush in water fowling is for the sea ducks. On some days it is literally shooting as fast as you can load your gun. …an unforgettable experience.”

Within the hunter’s code lies some convoluted notion of the fair chase (or, as the case may be, the hide, lure, and fire away), and towards that end, the aforementioned limits have been established. But I would argue that this fairness doctrine applies not to the adversaries in question, but rather to equitably maintaining a bountiful supply for all (hunters) to enjoy. For in this titanic struggle between man and mallard, some unfair (if you were a duck) advantages (guns, blinds, decoys, calls) are deemed acceptable, while others (laying waste with battery guns and grenades) are not. The ducks, it should be noted, have no desire to participate in this game. They are simply flying for their lives.

While Mike Huckabee and Joseph Classen, Catholic priest and passionate hunting advocate, unabashedly invoke God’s name as they wantonly destroy his creations, my Catholic school upbringing informs otherwise. The nuns and brothers described a God (Jesus) who embodies love, compassion, mercy, and, life. Seems a rather difficult reconciliation to make. Shooting defenseless ducks on a Saturday afternoon is not communing with nature, nor is it a necessary evil for ecological balance. It is a leisure activity in which some animals suffer if only wounded, while others die a premature death. Hunters hunt, primarily, because it is fun. And there is no better example of this than shooting, “as fast as you can load your gun,” the menacing waterfowl. Mike Huckabee, noble warrior, must burst with pride at the day’s harvest. And, at least for him, God smiles approvingly.

God’s Hunter

In Hunting, Religion on June 21, 2011 at 3:40 am

“…He [God] hooked me up with a monster 6 lb 22″ bass!” (Father Joseph Classen, hunter/fisherman)

While channel surfing one night, I came upon a show called Life on the Rock on the Eternal Word Television Network. The host, a Franciscan Friar, was interviewing two Catholic priests who also happened to be seasoned hunters. One, Father Joseph Classen, has a website entitled Hunting For God. On it, he offers the usual hunting defenses: to provide ecological balance; to humanely cull populations; to feed the less-fortunate with excess meat; and to protect crops, landscaping, and careless drivers. Yet what fascinates about this particular hunter is how he deftly combines his ministry with his passion. And make no mistake, it requires uncommon rhetorical skill to invoke Jesus while killing.

Classen quotes directly from the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

God entrusted animals to the stewardship of those whom he created in his own image. Hence it is legitimate to use animals for food and clothing. They may be domesticated to help man in his work and leisure. Medical and scientific experimentation on animals is a morally acceptable practice if it remains within reasonable limits and contributes to caring for or saving human lives. It is likewise unworthy to spend money on them that should as a priority go to the relief of human misery. One can love animals; one should not direct to them the affection due only to persons.

In short, animals are soulless resources at mankind’s disposal. And since human misery will always exist, animal-related causes are both pointless and wasteful.

Classen calls fishing and hunting “sacred catalysts” for revelation and guidance. But this quote from a St. Louis Post-Dispatch book review betrays his true motivation: “He’s had triumphs too, like the day he used his bow to harvest a 10-point trophy buck.”

Hunting, for most, is primarily a self-indulgent pursuit of pleasure, and the celebratory poses and mounted corpses prove it. Classen denies that hunting and fishing are sports but writes: “As I gently released that beautiful fish I was reminded once again of an important lesson: put the Lord first in all things.” Catch-and-release sounds suspiciously like a sport (or leisure activity) to me. How, Father Classen, does one reconcile causing pain for fun with the teachings of Jesus Christ?

While maybe lacking the richness and variety of human existence, life for other sentient beings is more than an endless, all-consuming foraging that Father Classen describes. And, with the Church denying a soul (and eternal life) to nonhumans, is not intentionally cutting their (only) lives short morally objectionable? At the very least, isn’t commemorating the kill distasteful? Father Classen: “Certainly, it is not fun to watch the spark of life dwindle away from a creature’s eye, knowing that one is directly responsible for its death. But at the same time there exists a satisfaction, and yes, a sense of honor in being an active, disciplined, gracious, responsible and respectful participant in the cycle of life.” I believe that Father Classen does enjoy hunting and experiences exultation (a rush) when causing the “spark of life” to vanish. The rest of his quote, then, is merely a diversion.

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