“It”

Written by cycleguy on March 29th, 2011

I was planning on posting something else today but after reading something this morning, I changed my mind.  Please read the article below.  I will put this in the “I-thought-I-had-heard-of-everything-but-this-changes-that-notion” file:

PETA: Don’t Call Animals ‘It’ in the Bible

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) hopes that increased gender neutrality in Bible translations will lead to more animal-inclusive translations as well. CNN reports that the group is asking translators of the New International Version (NIV) to remove what it calls “speciesist” language and refer to animals as “he” or “she” instead of “it.” “When the Bible moves toward inclusively in one area … it wasn’t much of a stretch to suggest they move toward inclusively in this area,” Bruce Friedrich, PETA’s vice president for policy, told CNN. “God’s covenant is with humans and animals. God cares about animals,” Friedrich said. “I would think that’s a rather unanimous opinion among biblical scholars today, where that might not have been the case 200 years ago.”

 

Alright now…does this fall under the “enough is enough!” category?  I have to admit I was a little flabbergasted when I saw this.  Now…if you are a pet owner and are looking around for the closest gun to shoot, club to wield,  or doggy-toy to throw, hold your horses!  I am not a pet-owner and if I did have one (my wife is not too thrilled with the idea unless she could quit work…and that ain’t going to happen), it WOULD NOT BE A CAT.  I’m just saying… 🙂 …and you now know where my loyalties lie.   For the record: I think there ought to be a special lock-up place for people who mistreat animals, but calling them “It” isn’t part of it.  If I visit someone and they have a dog that is friendly, I will call the dog by its first name.   I will allow the dog to come to me and I will play with its ears, rub its stomach, even let it sit next to me (providing it is not a little yippy dog).  Only when I know the sex of the dog will I call it a “he” or a “she.”

BUT. COME. ON. PEOPLE. PETA!

Dogs (and obviously cats) are not people.  Never have been; never will be (despite our evolutionary friends’ contentions).  Therefore, they do not have a soul.  They have a body, obviously.  They have a spirit-it animates them.  But they have no soul, no awareness of God.  Imagine going up to a cat and say, “Repent sinner!”  (Dogs are already saved).  And now they want the Bible language changed???  For what…to reflect that dogs are like people?  Give me a break!  Mr. Friedrich may also want to check his theology.  God’s covenants were with people, not animals.

One more word to Zondervan and the NIV people: you came out with that horrendous TNIV.  Thankfully, it was a bomb.  But keep in mind one vital thought: slippery slopes are tough to get off.

Now it is your turn.  Any thoughts you care to share?  Have at it.

Please understand the use of truthful feelings sarcasm in this post about me and cats.  😛

 

 

63 Comments so far ↓

  1. jeff harris says:

    The P.E.T.A. organization I belong to stands for People who Eat Tasty Animals. I am thinking this is not the same group you are referring to.

  2. Ike says:

    I think you missed their point. If you drop all your “it n it’s” and insert “he-eth or she-eth”. I think it would make them happy, and also all the KJV people.

    • cycleguy says:

      I had to chuckle with yours as well Ike. Gotta be careful with that she-eth and how you say it though. 🙂 Sorry. Not a KJV person. 🙂

      • Ike says:

        I had the privilege of being under the teaching of Dr. Ralph Stohl. He has been home with his Lord for many years. He would tell us to say Thee and Thou in our prayers. I loved this man of God….but I could “not” do this and be “real”.

  3. Adam says:

    Wow, just when you thought you had heard it all. Really??? Come on people.
    I would have to agree with you Bill.

  4. that wouldn’t make sense to change all references to animals because usually it’s gender is not identified. it makes total sense to make he/she if it mentions gender – that’s just proper writing technique.

    I appreciate what they are doing in trying to highlight God’s love for all of his creation, which obviously includes animals, but this is pretty silly.

  5. Larry Hughes says:

    A bird in the hand is worth more than two in the bush so I have heard. I think it is the other way around.

    If you have “it” in your hand, you may well have just signed it’s death warrant unless you are Jesus.

    Wild birds in your hand has an auto matic reaction that causes them to die if held captive. Thus it is wiser to let them be free and sing their songs of joy or what ever they are singing. It is music to my ears.

  6. Bill,

    Seriously…having to read what PETA said has actually stupefied me. I felt at least 4 IQ points leave my brain.

    Please no more ridiculosity from PETA, or that stooopid gender-nootrel verzin of teh Byble.

    See? I am officially stupider.

  7. Jason says:

    I’m with Jeff. I have my People Eating Tasty Animals membership card. I’ve reached the “Outdoor Spicy BBQ” level of membership.

  8. Larry Hughes says:

    I think the main topic is PETA wanting to change the scriptures for their own agenda. I see “it” (or he or she)as one of the warnings Jesus mentioned to the apostles ( be it He or hers combined).

    PETA doesn’t have the best track record for being ethical by any sense based on their prior activities from what I have read.

    I am just saying if the scriptures didn’t include gender in applications, we have no business changing the scriptures just to satisfy one organization or another ( his or hers).

    • cycleguy says:

      You have boiled the whole issue down to its crux Larry. We, or anyone, have no business to twist the Scriptures to satisfy our whims. Thanks.

  9. Elizabeth says:

    I tell my cats to repent all the time. It doesn’t do much good, though.

    And I agree that PETA is being ridiculous. Unfortunately, I have come to expect that of them.

  10. Zee says:

    wow… granted, in russian, we got the distinction in the very term (she-cat is a koshka and he-cat is a kot, etc) so whenever i speak of animals, i use the pronoun which relates to the gender anyway, but still… c’mon – as if there are no other problems in the world to worry about!

    i am not sure about souls – it’s a dangerous topic where one needs to tread carefully. i’ve had my cat for 17 years (and she’s still around), and you know, sometimes i really wonder whether she’s just got the “spirit” or a “soul.” dogs… are different. they act on instincts and most of the time do what the master tells ’em… cats, on the other hand, have a mind of their own – you can never tell the cat what to do (even those trained cats). so yeah, while dogs might be saved already, cats will need to make a choice 😀 hahaha.

    anyway… i would say that changing Bible translations to fit the PETA people would be ridiculous. and what’s next? writing He / She for God?

    • cycleguy says:

      you made me chuckle Zee. Did you know there is a book called Dog & Cat Theology based on some of what you wrote? seriously, and it is pretty good. And…your last paragraph is the crux of the matter. Thanks for coming by you, you, you cat person, you. 🙂

      BTW: what do they say “7 years for every 1 of man’s?” That means your cat is…wow…old.

      • Zee says:

        i hope i still can be your friend even if i love cats 🙂 (btw tonight i’ll be watching my friend’s Moscow Guard dog, Jake – that’s ought to count for something – and i LOVE that babe… even when he stands up on his hind paws and hugs me around my shoulders, trying to lick my face…)

        Hmmm… another book to check out… 😀 (i’m losing track of all the books that i want to read… or, actually, i’ve lost track long time ago) 😀 but that definitely sounds great.

        yeah, my cat is quite old. 119 human years old. my pastor’s cat lived to be 21.

        • cycleguy says:

          Sure you can still be my friend. I have lots of friends who are cat lovers. My secretary is one but she also has a Husky so that redeems her. 🙂 That is one big dog!! Do animals live longer in Ukraine?

          • Zee says:

            yes, he’s the size of a month-old bull… 😀

            i love huskies… probably because they look so similar to my beloved wolves.

            i live 90 miles from Chernobyl, so who knows? maybe the animals thrive on that 😀

  11. Jim F says:

    This is one of those things that make you just shake your head and say…REALLY? I am with you on this one Bill.

  12. Jan Frame says:

    hahaha!!! I am reading this at school & laughing out loud!!! Not just what you say in your post(I’m with you on the cats Bill, in fact remind me to tell you a funny story of what my husband did)….but some of the comments are hilarious. Thanks everyone for the laugh today! 🙂 “And that’s all I got to say about that.” 🙂

  13. I wanna say something about He Its and She Its, but I might be accused of profananity, so I’ll try to refrain. Oh, wait….

  14. Tom Raines says:

    like Satan tempting Jesus, Peta using scripture has the same feel. Evil and manipulative.

  15. Stan says:

    Speaking honestly:
    1) I’m with you on the cats thing, honestly. Can’t stand them. If I had a cat, “its” name would be, “Target.”

    2) In my personal and humble opinion, the NIV is turning into a joke. Their most recent translation, the 2010 NIV, is filled with even more changes to the original in terms of gender neutrality, etc. I don’t like the NIV and really haven’t ever liked it. This is only going to help build my case. And as you mentioned, only serves to add to the slippery slope of changing God’s Word. This is where other faiths have been as well when they have to start adding new versions and new “options” because the old one isn’t good enough. Catholics and Mormons are among the leaders in changing the Bible whenever it feels good to them.

    3) Dogs rule, cats drool.

  16. dustin says:

    No words, simply no words…. 🙂

  17. lindaM says:

    Hi Bill,
    I had some laughs from you and commenters here today. 🙂
    I’ve had both cats and dogs for pets. I’m ok with either one.

    Something that comes to my mind is that students are being taught in schools that humans are just like animals. The only difference being that through the evolution process humans have gotten a better brain. A discussion of this took place in a Philosopher’s Cafe at the local college library a couple of months ago.

    Students are also being taught that survival is the goal of our ‘species’. Do whatever it takes to survive. It seems that morality get set aside, the value of a human life gets set aside, etc.

    Upcoming decisions of young people as adults in power positions later in life are likely going to be based on a different criteria. The value of a person is being undermined.
    I think the gender identity stuff has gone way beyond reasonableness. It’s like that saying in the Bible in Matt 23:24, ‘straining out a gnat but swallowing a camel’.

    I lost my Bible recently at the local college. I pray that whoever took it will be ministered to by it. Rather than thinking of someone as having ‘stole’ it, I have chosen to ‘give’ my Bible to him/her with my blessings.

    I bought another NIV translation at Chapters bookstore. Someone commented here some weeks ago that the Bible is words written down on paper until the Spirit makes them life for us. I pray that if my pronouns have been changed a bit in my Bible that that’s not going to make a whole lot of difference to the teaching that the Spirit does.

    I’m in agreement with leaving things alone in the Word of God, however nothing is impossible with God. He’s able to protect and preserve his Word.

    • cycleguy says:

      I have always felt if my Bible were ever taken (borrowed) or any of my CDs stolen, I would hope they needed them and would learn from them. 🙂 I follow you on that Linda. Wish I had known: I would have told you to check out the ESV. I absolutely love it and have been using it for close to 9 years I think. Thanks for the comment. Glad you got a laugh.

  18. Jan Frame says:

    Oh my gosh! I have to stop reading this, I am going to get in trouble for laughing in my study hall!!!!! Target & Dawn Snax…..hilarious!!!!

  19. Jan Frame says:

    oops, see I was laughing so hard I misspelled Dawg snax!!!!

  20. I see I’m in the minority…I love cats. 🙂

    I’m an NASB girl, myself. So I don’t really care what NIV does. 🙂

  21. Jon says:

    Seriously?! C’mon…I own a dog, but is this even an issue. I don’t think my dog’s feelings are being hurt lol! Seriously though, what does the PETA actually do…..

  22. jasonS says:

    Wow. That’s it. Thanks Bill, made me smile today. 🙂

  23. Pinky says:

    Some people have too much time on their hands to even THINK of this STUFF(I did not say cr–)!!!! I’m with you, enough already!