Imagine a friend tells you that your baby is sick and might die. You will feel shocked and saddened and ask how you can help. You will promise to pray for her children and her family.
Will anything change if that friend replies, “Thank you, I hope Fluffy gets through this?” According to many, it shouldn't. With the birth rate at an all-time low and pet ownership at an all-time high, more Americans are not only talking about their furry friends, but treating them like their children.
In her recent article, atlantic The title is “Pets can really become part of the human family.” Katherine Wu claimed “…Referring to some pet owners as the 'parents' of their dogs and cats may be the best shorthand for these relationships.” He explained that the pet economy for services is growing. More Americans than ever are buying their animals “home-cooked meals, strollers, memory foam mattresses, and their own clothing.” They also pay for wellness centers, dog day care, “acupuncture, surgeries, chemotherapy, and even organ transplants.” The pet economy will total more than $136 billion in 2022, and by most estimates is likely to continue to grow.
according to According to a Pew Research study cited in the article, The majority of America's 200 million pet owners described their animals. More than half of respondents said that pets are “members of the family, just like humans.” Wu believes this means it's time to not only normalize stories about childhood pets, but also give owners the same benefits as their parents. For example, she argued that employers should offer paid time off and pet insurance to new pet owners in their employee benefits packages, and that rental properties should have fewer restrictions on pets.
The bottom line, Wu said, is that pet owners are entitled to “the same support system that helps care for a loved one.” After all, she continued: “(p)Psychologically, scientifically… [t]The bonds humans form with animals can feel as strong as the bonds we form with each other, even with our families and children. ”
And there it is. Mr. Wu's argument is that no matter what we do, feel what is that truth, Especially if those feelings are strong. But that assumption is wrong.
The truth, of course, is that pets are a blessing. They make great companions and enrich your life in many ways. As C.S. Lewis warned: Losing a beloved pet is incredibly painful. four loves.IIf you want a life without sadness, he writes, “don't give your heart to anyone, not even an animal.”
It is also crucially true that pets are not people. Animals are not created in the image of God and do not share the same value and dignity as humans. Officially, humans are just a family in the figurative sense, at least when we consider their full significance.
It was Christians like William Wilberforce who elevated the treatment of animals. However, the current tendency to treat animals as descendants is shaped more by the devaluing of humans, especially children, than by the proper valuation of animals. Another, more serious symptom of this cultural disease is the decline in birth rates across Western countries, a phenomenon inseparable from similarly low marriage rates. As a result, millions of people who want to become mothers and fathers are left without children to support. The pet experience provides a vaguely parental feeling without having to take on the life-changing and far more difficult responsibility of raising a human.
This is a change from past generations, where emotions were understood to either reflect reality or not. Today, we tend to judge reality by our emotions, not to mention technology and wealth. An unprecedented number of Americans now treat animals like image bearers, not because it's true; feel truth.
Although it's easy to scoff at things like “Childcare leave” Fur babies are not the real problem. As author Thaddeus Williams suggests, they are simply symbols of a culture filled with people dedicated to “following their hearts.” The Bible says that unless our hearts are renewed in Christ, they will keep us out of touch with reality. If we comply, the results will be inhuman.
On a positive note, the Pew survey that Wu pointed out in his article found that most respondents who referred to their animals as “family” said, “The well-being of pets is already given too much or too much importance in this country.” It was also found that some people think that Perhaps some of this stories about animals from childhood are not serious. If you were in a situation where you had to save your dog or your daughter from a burning building, I think most people would make the right choice.
Still, until we collectively worship emotions and let go of the illusion that reality is bent around them, pet parenting will cease to be the most absurd thing we see.
this breakpoint Co-authored with Shane Morris. For more resources to help you live like a Christian in this cultural moment, please visit: breakpoint.org.
