Clarification

To all of you pet people, I apologize if my previous post seemed a little heartless. I am not a pet person. Never have been. It eludes me why people want to bring animals into their homes. It isnt that I dont like animals. They're fine, in their place, which I find to be outdoors among the other animals living as they were created. Excluded from this are farm animals such as cattle, horses, etc. These are not pets. They're partners, after a fashion- tools, if you must. Either way, I just cant get my emotions all worked up over a dog or a cat. (As a kid, I did get a little choked up when they shot Old Yeller.)

About the best I can do is set up an aquarium and get disappointed when my favorite fish goes belly up. It isnt an emotional thing, though. I like to look at fish. I also like to look at horses, elk, deer, various birds, and the like. It happens, though, that fish are easy to care for and dont require much monetary investment. For a little bit of nothing, I can get a good sized tank off Craigslist and stock it with a nice blend of little fresh water tropicals. I dont have to walk them. They dont need to go outside to do their business. Fish food is cheap. When my favorite one dies, I flush it and get a new one, a little sad that I wont get to enjoy that one anymore.

I was a vegetarian in my teens. It had to do with how inhumane it seemed to raise an animal with no other purpose than to kill and eat it. I imagined someone pressing my leg down into a sausage grinder, just to make a pizza. I dont want to get into that discussion, other than to say that God made very clear in His word that it's okay to eat meat. What kinds of meat remain up to your personal preference or interpretation of the Bible. I dont personally think it's a moral issue whether I include or exclude certain things from my diet. I will say, however, that I cant think of anything that I wouldnt try at least once. This is reflective of my liberty in Christ.

What? Let me rephrase: Because of Christ's sacrifice, I am now free to eat anything- snails to sea urchins, caviar to calves brains- without condemnation. What I am not free to do is condemn others who cant exercise this freedom. I dont believe there's any New Testament reason to abstain from this or that, but my brother may believe differently. If my liberty will impede my ability to minister, then I must sacrifice it. What matters most isnt my freedom, but my brother's. God is very clear- I must confine my own liberty in order to help others grow in Christ.