Spoiled Pets

Dear Victorious,

My sister had cats and a small dog. She babies them, treats them like family and of course spends an inordinate amount of money on them. This all just seems wrong to me on several levels. But I cannot explain why? Is it wrong?

Pets in Moderation

Dear Pets,

Yes, it's wrong. But the reason won't be found in the circumstances. It is not wrong for people to have pets. While we don't have Biblical context to say that everyone should have a pet, we do have Biblical context for the role animals are to play in our lives. They are here for our pleasure, use and consumption. We have dominion over them. It is when we surrender that dominion or get them out of the perspective that God intended them to be in that things get awkward.

We are created to be in relationship with God first, and each other second. You'll never find any place in the Bible where it says we are to be in relationship with animals. The Bible doesn't say that a dog is "man's best friend." Man says that.

So why do people get so fixated on their pets? Because they don't have the community, the fellowship and the human relationships that they need. Why they don't have them may be a point of debate. It could be that they are too lazy. It could be that they don't really love others. It could be that they don't know how to be a friend. It could be any number of things. But the bottom line is that your sister relates so well to dogs and cats because she lacks relationships with God and/or people.

If I were you, I wouldn't judge your sister. But neither would I be confused about what's really going on. God first. People second. Animals to serve us. That is God's order for man's relationships. Anything less is a perversion of God's will for us.