GRAPEVINE — Animal advocates are dismayed by a controversial program initiated this weekend by Fellowship Church in Grapevine, which used live animals during religious services.
Called “Wild,” the program involved Pastor Ed Young’s use of a lion in a cage and his clutching a lamb to “communicate biblical truths.”
A photo posted on the church’s Facebook page of its Easter service showed Young preaching on stage to an assembly outdoors, holding a clinging lamb while standing next to the caged lion. The caption reads: “Pastor Ed bringing the message of Easter. Jesus is a lion-like lamb and a lamb-like lion!”
(Hat-tip, Barry’s Blog)
Just one more reason I am a bona fide agnostic.
This man is NOTHING but a false preacher out for money and he's far from being a REAL Christian.
What…the…F?! I would go all animal rights on his A#$ but I'm sure that wouldn't make a difference… he's too busy preaching to others to see that using a lamb and a caged lion is inhumane (considering how there are multiple sources stating that handlers were going around the cage, poking and prodding the lion to get it riled up)… how can those people just sit there?! Judge a man on how well he treats animals and his fellow man without the threat of God menacing over his shoulders for good results…. so he's a double fail and this is NOT Christian-ly at all.
Oh yes, for his next trick is he going to jump in?! Like the preacher in Taiwan that jumped into a lion's den… thinking that God was going to protect him… let's use our imagination to see how well that turned out… or let's just Google that and see the guy get schooled by said lion.
If you are wanting to go "all animal rights on his A#$", let me take you to the Dallas Zoo, where there are hundreds of caged wild animals that live there year after year. Then we'll visit Sea World and you will see dolphins who navigate by radar. But being in a pool they swim to one end (BANG THEIR NOSE) and swim to the other. Thereby developing huge leisons. And then I'll stack up the bodies of the 3-4 million pets that are euthanized each year….But you want to go ape shit on Ed Young for keeping a lion in a cage for a weekend? Interesting.
Please don't hide behind your hatred for God when this is happening "sister"! What a sad sack!
http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/Puppy-Doused-Wit…!
Wow … Ad Hominem and Argumentum ad Misericordiam in the same claim. You somehow seek to misdirect the focus of the claim made by sister by making counterclaims that don't even compare. What makes you believe that her comments are meant to hide a hatred of God? Also, if sister is upset about the treatment of the animal in this particular setting, what makes you think that she wouldn't be equally upset by the treatment of other animals? You seek to make a character judgement based upon a comment made on a blog, I fail to see your logic. I invite you to explain your reasoning further, sans ad hominem.
Your concern for the welfare of the animals at Sea World leads me to believe you may very well be a Dolphin. Dolphins sometimes exhibit homosexual behavior and even have long-term homosexual relationships. Interesting.
Mann, J.. "Establishing Trust: Sociosexual behaviour and the development of male-male bonds among Indian Ocean bottlenose dolphin calves." Homosexual Behaviour in Animals: An Evolutionary Perspective. Ed. P. Vasey and V. Sommer . : Cambridge University Press, 2006: 107-130
(Just an FYI)
Why would you suggest there is a misdirect? Isn't one lion in a cage just like any other? If you truly hate lions in cages would you direct your anger where there are the most lions in cages (zoos)? And by the way, by suggesting I'm gay, does that mean you dislike gay people?
Yay, false logic again. Perhaps you don't really understand the way you setup your previous comment, but I will explain it for you so that you can understand; unfortunately I'm all out of crayon to draw a pretty picture for you. I essentially used your framework to make something completely off the wall with the dolphin comment. So basically Your Original Comment : My Response, they are essentially logical equals and neither of them prove anything…nor are they made any more clever with the addition of 'Interesting' in closing. Now for my original response to your second comment: I wouldn't suggest that there was a misdirect, I am stating it as fact. You brought in outside examples, one of which is pulled from the same site that this article can originally be linked to, and then left it at that. You didn't actually prove anything, nor did you make any kind of real argument. You made statements, and then asserted that you knew 'sister' well enough to actually infer that she didn't care about such things. It is perfectly legitimate for her to direct her anger at the subject of the posting, and makes logical sense. Here is an example of what you did:
Person A: I really hate Hitler and his Generals that masterminded the Holocaust
Person B: Clearly you hate Germans, and how can you even speak about that when you're leaving out the Genocide in Darfur … or the current upheaval in Syria? What a Sad Sack.
It could be said that you, more than likely won't get that. If you had actually understood my original comment, then you would know why I make the claim that there is a misdirect. Go ahead, you can google the terms that I used; there is no shame in curing ignorance.
I wanted to remain mute on the matter but, quite frankly, your comments are exceedingly vexing. Are you trying to say that this caged lion is a non-issue in comparison to the Dallas Zoo, Sea World, euthanized pets and the likes (not to mention the gratuitous link to a puppy doused with lighter fluid)? Or do you just assume that I'm not aware of such things to have a thorough understanding and in turn, not entitled to have an opinion on the matter? Or do you like Ed Young and/or go to Fellowship Church, resulting in a need to defend? Either way, your ill-tempered comments were based upon the assumption that you knew me well enough to assert that my comment was merely superficial. I am, as a matter of fact, aware of such things as my life revolves around animals: I am active in multiple animal welfare organizations; well connected within the pet industry to know beyond what the consumer knows; I rescue; I transport; I foster; I donate beyond my means to many causes towards animal rights and welfare; and will attain a DVM in the next few years to work towards my cause. My comment addressed the post, nothing more, but somehow to you I am ignorant or ill-informed. The main thing that I have issue with (which prompted my reply) was your second comment. Hopefully, you were not calling me “a sad sack” as you accused me of hiding “…behind (my supposed) hatred for God”. Regardless of my religion, I’ve been very blessed to share my life with some genuinely great examples of true Christians, from blood (like my brother) to non-blood relations (like my brother’s mother-in-law for example). I’ve seen acts of true altruism from these people, and they are very much so their own person. They strive not to be hypocrites to their God and fellow man. Just as these people exist, so do others that are their antithesis. It would be idealistic of anyone to think that some sort of fallacy doesn’t exist within any religious creed. Just because I am cognizant of such things does not make me some sad sack of a God hater. This is why there is such a negative perception of ‘Christians’. These ‘Christians’ are usually very quick and adept in castigating those they assume are non-believers (God haters, if you will) and very quick to preach, one of their many downfalls. Exceedingly unlike true Christians, who extend grace and tolerance. As far as I’m concerned, your animosity towards me and/or my comment were based on unfounded speculation. Your irascible retort was unnecessary and tactless, as you crossed the line and accused me of being a God hater.
“I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” – Mahatma Gandhi
Let me simply close our debate by saying that your original claim of inhumane treatment to the lion and the lamb is blatantly false. That' really all I have to offer. That and what Patty Williams said here.
This wasn’t a debate. Within a debate, there has to be opposing arguments put forward and in a formal manner. You merely expanded on what I had to say in a very skewed manner (in addition to being very fervent and irate), any formality was lost when you turned it into a hateful insult by calling me a God hater. I guess our definitions of “inhumane” are completely different. My interpretation of inhumane holds true to it’s definition, as yours seem to be a lose interpretation, where a wild animal, kept in small cage, poked and taunted to yield a reaction, is humane. You’re fighting a losing battle here Doug, trying to defend someone for reasons you cannot substantiate. My claims of inhumane treatment were not false, as I never make any claims without proof. Here’s a video of the handler taunting the lion to get a reaction:
http://www.zoenature.org/2012/04/pastor-brings-ca…
Ed Young can and should be able to preach without stooping to such theatrics.
Proverbs 12:10 (via the Aramaic translation)
The righteous one is aware of the soul of his animal, and the evil withhold their compassions.
You apparently don’t have much to offer in your defense. Dogs, cats, horses, exotic animals and everything in between, hold the same level of importance to me. I would never change my standing on the matter, regardless if he’s my pastor. Also, in regards to what Patty Williams said, Ed Young might be reaching millions but he’s also angering a very large group of animal rights activists AND Christians. John 3:16, in addition, has nothing to do with your animal rights arguments and is therefore immaterial.
http://www.examiner.com/animal-rescue-in-dallas/g…
“Records obtained from Humane Society of the United States regarding the conditions at Miller’s 55-acre California ranch showed small enclosures and not the life of luxury portrayed by Fellowship Church in its statements.”
John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. I am thankful for Ed Young and the fact that he continues to reveal God's message to all of us. Keep it up, Fellowship Church, you are reaching millions in the name of Jesus' love.