Pierce Brosnan and the anti-choice whaling flak
I am not an environmentalist, as the term is understood today, but I am certainly an environmental steward, in keeping with Genesis 1:28:
God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
There’s a lot more to this, but on the point of today’s topic I believe if humans have a good use for the body or skin of animals, then God has given us the right to kill them, along with the responsibility to kill them humanely and not deplete a species.
Actor and environmentalist Pierce Brosnan has taken the cause of whales to heart. He does not want humans to kill them, period….
www.SaveTheWhalesNow.org has just released a PSA featuring Brosnan, taking President Obama to task for apparently reneging on a campaign promise to support an International whaling moratorium:
For many reasons I think Brosnan’s logic is faulty, although I’ll reiterate that whaling should be done humanely. And as an aside I sure wish pro-lifers would be allowed to make a comparable PSA on the killing of preborn humans.
But there will be those who call me inconsistent for condemning the killing of preborn humans while condoning the killing of animals. Of course, that is to place animals and humans on the same moral plane, which is illogical and which no worldwide code of law supports. One is not meted the death penalty or life in prison for illegally killing a baby seal, for example.
But would not that logic show Barack Obama to be more vastly inconsistent for condemning the killing of whales while condoning the killing of preborn humans?
Neverthless, Obama is apparently attempting to vote “present” on the whaling issue, just as he voted “present” on the Born Alive Infants Protection Act (before voting against it), which I think is quite the touché to all those liberals who maintained during the campaign Obama’s 130 “present” votes as state senator demonstrated displays of “leadership” rather than cowardliness or indecisiveness.
Apparently even while the Obama administration “reaffirms its unwavering support for the commercial whaling moratorium,” it supports a compromise allowing Iceland, Japan, and Norway to continue killing whales, according to Brosnan.
I continue to be appalled by the liberal blind spot to the bludgeoning of preborn children while it expresses such compassion and outrage against the bludgeoning of animals.
Jill Stanek is a nurse turned speaker, columnist and blogger, a national figure in the effort to protect both preborn and postborn innocent human life.
God never said we should kill some of the animals that are endangered. He said the ones that are for food like cattle (Cows), NOT the magnificent whales.
There’s a difference between killing cattle, pigs, chickens for food and killing whales for NO reason whatsoever.
I agree with your basic point that humans have a stronger right to life than animals. But many whale species are endangered, and allowing them to be hunted into extinction cannot possibly constitute responsible stewardship. So I’m with the environmentalists on this one.
And if anyone would like to make a comparable pro-life PSA, I’m 100% on board.
Liz, are whales endangered? If so, which types? And which types are commonly being killed by whalers? And why is there an industry to kill them if there is no industry to buy them?
This culture thinks killing cows is acceptable, although try saying that in India. This culture thinks killing pigs is acceptable, although try saying that to a Jew or Muslim. Are not whale meat, blubber, and who knows what else valuable to other cultures?
Whale oil is evidently used by NASA as a lubricant on most everything it sends to space, including the hubble telescope. Whale oil stays liquid at subzero temps and we have yet to create anything to mimic it.
Interesting to note that in the KJV version, the only animal mentioned specifically in the creation account in Genesis is the great whale.
The market for endangered species is usually quite strong. It’s a supply and demand problem. People with money to burn want their status-symbol tiger rugs before the tiger population dies out. Very sick, if you ask me. Just because the market exists doesn’t mean the industry is moral- just look at abortion!
Kelsey, Liz: On the whale issue it would be helpful to know if indeed any of the species are endangered and what species are being hunted.
I became a vegetarian after I saw the way animals were treated in factory farms. I became pro life after I saw the way babies are slaughter in abortion mills.
Why do so many pro lifers defend the killing of such a majestic creature? It’s all about the money for the Japanese whalers. WWJD?
Not all cultural practices are right and moral.
I do agree with you on one point, those pro-abortion people are totally hypocritical.
http://www.fws.gov/ecos/ajax/tess_public/SpeciesReport.do?groups=A&listingType=L&mapstatus=1
Eight whale species are currently on the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s endangered species list. They are the blue, bowhead, finback, humpback, killer, right, Sei, and sperm. I do not have statistics on which species are hunted the most often, but if anyone else knows, I’d be interested to find out too.
Why is it that pro-lifers are called hypocrites if we dont support PETA, but PETA members who support abortion are not? (At least by other pro-aborts.?)
Anyway, I am not all that versed on whaling BUT I do know that whales are not just hunted for sport. As Elizabeth G pointed out we do use whales.
Whales have a lot of uses, which is why they are being hunted. They are not just discarded; they are used for food, lubricant, fuel, etc. If they were being hunted for sport, that would be different.
Um, is there any religious tradition that supports whaling? Just asking. Judaism and Islam severely restrict what animals are allowed for food. I will agree that the moral preening of some folks when is pretty dumb. They have no problem eating animals that were slaughtered inhumanely.
AMy.. WWJD? Jesus took fish and ate them. I realize whales are mammals, not fish, but still…
God commanded animal sacrifice in old testament times. He commanded the Israelites to take BABY SHEEP (lambs) and KILL THEM and sprinkle their blood on the altar. Please don’t delude yourself into thinking Jesus, God in the flesh, was an animal rights activist.
We are to be good stewards of the Lord’s magnificent creation as already stated above. My family hunts. We love venison etc…We are also Christians. No moral qualms there.
Do not hunt of fish certain animal populations into oblivion and kill them humanely. Take care of the environment because it shows respect to God not because the government commands us to worship mother earth. I am pro-environment but with concern of human beings #1 and with an attitude of respect for the Creator who gave us creation as a gift.
Sydney, I understand that animal sacrifice was part of the Old Covenant. I don’t believe in killing animals for sport (I have a problem with Sarah Palin about this) or for their skins, but I think that in Japan whale meat is consumed.
I am glad to see there are prolife people that care about the environment — I am heartbroken about the loss of animal life in the BP oil spill disaster, not to mention the human lives lost in the explosion and the people who have lost their livelihoods, perhaps for good. This may turn out to be the disaster of the decade.
Phillymiss, I am not into killing animals for sport either. :-) I totally agree with you.
Hippy, while there is Biblical record of a whale eating a human (and then spitting him out 3 days later… :), here was the Biblical mandate on eating fish, Leviticus 11:9-12:
As for marine animals, you may eat whatever has both fins and scales, whether taken from fresh water or salt water. You may not, however, eat marine animals that do not have both fins and scales. You are to detest them, and they will always be forbidden to you. You must never eat their meat or even touch their dead bodies. I repeat, any marine animal that does not have both fins and scales is strictly forbidden to you.
So whale was forbidden, as was dolphin, catfish, eel, etc. Also shellfish such as lobsters, oysters, shrimp, clams and crabs were all forbidden.
There is no reason to kill these defenseless creatures. They are at risk of becoming endangered, and whenever whaling is allowed the population is reduced dramaticallly. The National Review has a great article on why whaling is a needless disregard for wildlife.
Common sense dictates how we should manage the earth’s resources, and respect for life and the rejection of cruelty towards living things should be the guidelines here. Since the oil disaster in the Gulf is spreading into the Atlantic Ocean via ocean currents, all fishing industries will be devastated on the east coast, and possibly beyond.
Let’s just stop being greedy, gluttonous, and contentious about the morality of what we ought to be eating, and start fasting and praying for our own salvation and the survival of Mankind and the world God gave us to live in.
Most have argued that killing an animal is ok IF it is done humanely… I would suggest there is no humane way to kill a whale as there are quick and humane ways to kill livestock & farm animals. Whaling is equivalent to bullfighting in the amount of time the impaling & suffering continues until the animal’s life is extinguished.
The Native Americans and Inuits hunt whale because it is part of their culture, but not necessarily for religion. However, one whale can feed an entire tribe for a year, and they use the entirety of the whale, so it’s allowed for them.
There are some people that purposely kill endangered whales simply because you can’t get the meat anywhere, so it’s considered a delicacy. Some of the Japanese fishing industries do this. They recently started whaling the endangered whales in Australian waters, even though they’ve received warnings not to do so by the Australian president. They refuse to listen.
I’m all for a moratorium on whaling endangered whales. No species deserves to be hunted into oblivion. The dodo bird deserved to live, even if it was considered to be a stupid bird.
In Australia, there is a strong public consensus against whaling especially since the Japanese keep trawling Aussie waters for “scientific research” on whales. Everyone knows that’s how the Japanese get around whaling laws to be able to harvest whale meat, which is a traditional delicacy. Most Aussies think nothing of being shown graphic depictions of whales being killed on the evening news. The content of television is regulated by the Government, and I haven’t heard of any complaints about the bloody images being broadcast to families during dinner hour.
We also have laws that require every cigarette packet to contain very graphic pictures of the illnesses caused by smoking- diseased lungs, cancer-ridden mouths, gangrenous feet etc. Apparently, the Government thinks that those pictures will help smokers quit.
Meanwhile the Aussie government has blocked certain websites from access by Aussie residents because they contain images of abortions. One such website is owned by a pro-lifer campaigning for Parliament- he’s had to move his server off-shore so people can see it.
Our current Prime Minister speaks up for whales, and requires graphic pictures on cigarette packets to dissuade smokers, but doesn’t want Aussies to know the truth of the demise of 100,000 of our tiniest residents every year.
It’s an election year here too- I am enthusiastically looking forward to the polls!
I don’t eat animals, and I vehemently oppose abortion of new, living human beings as in induced abortion, pharmaceutical abortions, etc,. of people during their embryonic stage of life, their fetal stage of life, and their neonatal stage of life.
Induced abortion is barbaric, crule, and inhumane.
Of course I oppose the abortion of people in other stages of their lives but in cases of self defense, legitimate defensive wars, and offensive wars that are carried out with defensive intentions are acceptable to me in order for a nation to protect her citizens. Offensive carried out as defense would include attacking a perpetrator and disabling him or her before allowing them to get a shot off, or to attack your wife and cihldren, or you. In war it would mean you blow up another nation’s weapons depots, military bases, ships, etc., when you see they are preparing an attack against you or one of your allies with the intention of eventually attacking your nation as well. Disabling attackers before they can attack is a sound strategy and acceptable to me. It is important to act before being attacked. Once you are injured it is difficult, if not impossible, to defend, which is why it is imoprtant to stop them before they proceed and succeed with an attack, whether referring to an inidvidual criminal assailant, or a foreign, hostile, malevolent nation.
Regarding whaling and the killing of whales, I cannot support whaling. I oppose whaling. I think the entire concept is barbaric.
Of course it would be nice if Pierce Brosnan and others would appear in pubilc announcements opposing abortion.
I don’t eat animals, and I vehemently oppose abortion of new, living human beings as in induced abortion, pharmaceutical abortions, etc,. of people during their embryonic stage of life, their fetal stage of life, and their neonatal stage of life.
Induced abortion is barbaric, crule, and inhumane.
Of course I oppose the abortion of people in other stages of their lives but in cases of self defense, legitimate defensive wars, and offensive wars that are carried out with defensive intentions are acceptable to me in order for a nation to protect her citizens. Offensive action carried out as defense would include attacking a perpetrator and disabling him or her before allowing them to get a shot off, or to attack your wife and children, or you. In war it would mean you blow up another nation’s weapons depots, military bases, ships, etc., when you see they are preparing an attack against you or one of your allies with the intention of eventually attacking your nation as well. Disabling attackers before they can attack is a sound strategy and acceptable to me. It is important to act before being attacked. Once you are injured it is difficult, if not impossible, to defend, which is why it is important to stop them before they proceed and succeed with an attack, whether referring to an inidvidual criminal assailant, or a foreign, hostile, malevolent nation or force.
Regarding whaling and the killing of whales, I cannot support whaling. I oppose whaling. I think the entire concept is barbaric.
Of course it would be nice if Pierce Brosnan and others would appear in pubilc announcements opposing abortion.
Why three (3) similar posts in a row?
The web pages informed me via a text box that I should try posting again later.
I did.
Now I discover that three posts DID appear.
I intended only one post, but discovered that three were actually sant.
“God commanded animal sacrifice in old testament times. He commanded the Israelites to take BABY SHEEP (lambs) and KILL THEM and sprinkle their blood on the altar.”
Erm…found this one online, too:
“For whosoever eateth the fat of the beast of which men offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord, even the soul that eateth it shall be cut off from his people. And ye shall eat no manner of blood, whether it be of fowl or of beast, in any of your dwellings.” — Leviticus 7:23-27
Green Peace has done a lot to protect whales.
I don’t always agree with some of their tactics but it’s nice to know someone cares enough about the earth to make a serious effort to make a positive difference. Their site has a lot of good information on environmental issues. Does anyone know if closing down that well was and or is an option for BP.
It sounds like whales aren’t kosher, for what that’s worth.
I don’t agree with killing animals needlessly. I don’t think animals–domestic or wild–should be killed for purposes other than food when alternatives exist. I don’t even like killing insects, but that I think is just my own weakness.
I definitely don’t like the idea of killing the great creatures of the sea. God specifically spoke to them in Genesis, before he even spoke to man. What is the significance of that? I don’t know. (Jesus did also speak to the wind and waves, for example.) But since we don’t need to kill them, let’s not. I also agree with pp that there’s no humane way to kill large whales.
ycw: “I don’t even like killing insects, but that I think is just my own weakness.”
I see it more as an inner strength.
I would rather enjoy killing deer ticks. If only they would go extinct.
Okay, don’t mind killing ticks at all. Or mosquitoes. But I send my husband after the wasps, and release the spiders outside.