All animals are individuals, created by God's wondrous hand, and they feel joy, sadness, loneliness, and fear, just as humans do. Using them in these types of displays undermines what it means to be a good steward of God's creation.
HOLLY MEYER: ‘People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals [PETA] sent a letter to Cornerstone Nashville after the church incorporated several animals from a South Carolina park into its Sunday back-to-school worship service. “All animals are individuals, created by God’s wondrous hand, and they feel joy, sadness, loneliness, and fear, just as humans do,” the letter states. “Using them in these types of displays undermines what it means to be a good steward of God’s creation.”
Pastor Galen Davis, the associate lead pastor for the Madison church, used the animals, – including a cougar, horse, lion and ram – as teaching illustrations during his sermon. During the Mascot Live service, he linked characteristics of each animal to a biblical message. They were in cages and pens while Davis preached… Periodically throughout the year, Cornerstone holds special services that feature large-scale, illustrative sermons — including a rodeo inside the church’s sanctuary in 2016…
In its letter, PETA took specific issue with Cornerstone using animals from Hollywild Animal Park in South Carolina. The U.S. Department of Agriculture fined the park nearly $19,000 for violations after a two-year investigation found that animals were held in unsafe enclosures and lacked veterinary care among other chronic issues’. SOURCE…
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