In the very beginning when God Created the universe, there existed a very cordial human-animal relationship. They existed as one, not until man started seeing an animal like an inferior being. Could it be because they cannot speak for themselves? But you cannot fail to read feelings from an animal. They express themselves by crying, making sounds or showing agitation or happiness on their faces. This is because they are also sentient beings who have feelings and emotions.
Pillars of salt
The relationship must have gone sour during the Sodom and Gomorrah times. Everyone of us who went to Sunday school in our child hood must have heard of the Sodom and Gomorrah story. The occupants of these cities were literally punished by God for their wickedness which i believe included cruelty to the animals. Will people wait for the day they start turning to pillars of salt like Lot’s wife for punishing animals?
If you have religiously read the Bible, you will notice that through two angels, God had planned to save Lot and his family to avoid them from perishing when he destroyed Sodom. However, out of negligence, Lot on their way to the directed land, resulted to drunkeness, making his daughters take advantage of him and experimented incest with him. This in turn made God angry and punished them.
The story sounds like a Soap Opera but totally relates to our lives. God created animals for us to take care of and benefit from but we end up inflicting them with pain and abuse.
Superiority or responsibility?
So what exactly did God tell man to do when he created him? Did he give him the powers to exercise superiority, responsibility or dominion? If was to answer this in an exam room, i would say dominion and responsibility. Dominating means to rule over, simply because you have the power.
In this case, man has the power to speak, think and act for an animal. He also has the responsibility to take care of an animal because it is obvious that he can act responsible than an animal because of his thinking capacity.
Lets not confuse it
People should not confuse or rather misinterpret this dominion thing to cruelty. Dominion should be taking care, protecting and preventing any form of abuse.
Beating, causing pain and injury, fear and discomfort is not having dominion. But protection and maintaining good animal welfare is exercising good dominion. Watch out practising animal cruelty, lest you turn into a pillar of salt.
