Feb
01
2012
Christian Groups Join Fight Against Cockfighting
The Story: Christian leaders are teaming with animal protection advocates to fight against cockfighting, calling the practice of watching and betting on roosters who fight to the death antithetical to biblical values, notes the Washington Post.
The Background: The Palmetto Family Council and the Southern Baptist Convention are joining forces in South Carolina to strengthen the state laws against the brutal practice. Although cockfighting is illegal in all 50 states, it remains only a misdemeanor in 11 states, including South Carolina.
The groups recently released a new video which cites scripture and Biblical principles to expose both the cruelty of cockfighting as well as the larger societal effects of the illegal blood sport.
Content warning: The video contains disturbing images of animal cruelty.
Why It Matters: As Dr. Oran Smith, the executive director of Palmetto Family, notes in the video, "Wanton cruelty toward animals is frankly unbiblical and un-Christian."
Dr. Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Convention's ethics and religious liberty commission, adds that "humans are called to "respect every living thing . . . Cockfighting is a pornography of violence. People who watch it are going to be brutalized by it."
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