There’s a disturbing news story out of Philly last week regarding the behavior of three or four youth who, just for kicks, burned a pit bull to death. According to the Philadelphia Daily News, the youngsters walked the dog down near the Olney Train Station last Thursday evening placed a blanket on the pit bull and then saturated it with lighter fluid. 
With the strike of a match, these sadistic juveniles reduced the dog to ashes and then fled the scene.
District Attorney Lynne Abraham noted that animal cruelty in the city of brotherly love has been dramatically rising of late. This trend is disturbing on several levels. For instance, Abraham cited research that suggests those who commit acts of violence against animals are “more likely to commit other violent acts.” She went on to say, “How we treat our animals is a reflection upon society as a whole.” You might want to read that again.
The outrage over the cruelty toward animals like the horrific treatment of the pit bull should be loud. You don’t have to be a member of PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) to understand that torturing or abusing any members of God’s creation is wrong. Very wrong. At the same time, I’d like to know where is the outrage over the practice of infanticide in this country?
Take, for instance, the hospital in Illinois where a nurse stumbled upon a dark secret in a dirty utility closet: whimpering babies left to die. Their crime? They had been aborted, and survived. Where was PETA? Why were the animal rights activists–who howl over the “cruelty” of animal testing for cosmetics–silent in the face of such inhuman treatment of humans? How could anybody turn a deaf ear to these little babies screaming for their right to life? And why do a number of politicians and leaders refuse to use their position to put an end to the practice of infanticide?
Here’s a thought. Perhaps young people today have such a cheap, disposable view of life (as evidenced by the abuse of the pit bull) because society has failed to treat all life as sacred. That includes the unborn, babies with Down’s syndrome or other birth defects, as well as infant survivors of abortion. I believe it’s time for the church to find her spine and to lead the way by not backing down on the issue of preserving life.
What issue could be closer to the heart of God, the Author of life
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