Sunday: The Lobster Liberation Movement!
Years ago an environmentalist entered a seafood restaurant. There before him, sitting in a large tank, were half a dozen Maine lobsters that probably wouldn’t last the night. A customer would pick the one out that he or she wanted to eat, and before long the lobster would be sitting on someone’s plate next to, perhaps, a potato smothered in cheese.1
Moving stealthily, the environmentalist, holding a bag, reached into the tank, grabbed the first lobster he could get his hands on, threw it into the bag, and ran. He then put the lobster in a tank in his car and drove to the shore. There, a helicopter took him over the ocean, and he then returned the lobster to the water. A lobster liberator strikes again!
The man was not alone in his concern. You can visit a Web site titled “Lobster Liberation” that talks about saving lobsters from getting eaten by humans. It even has a section called “Tips for Releasing Lobsters,” telling you what to do once you rescue lobsters from the restaurant.
Another time, an American actress dedicated an entire episode of her sitcom to smuggling lobsters out of restaurants and releasing them in the ocean.
Caring about the environment is one thing, but stealing a lobster out of a restaurant and taking it, by helicopter, back to the ocean does seem a bit extreme, does it not?
All of which leads to the question: what about Christians, indeed, Seventh-day Adventist Christians, and the environment? Putting aside the strangeness of the lobster liberators, how should we relate to environmental concerns? After all, isn’t Jesus coming soon? Isn’t our whole message predicated on the notion that this world is coming to an end, that this earth is corrupted and not going to last? Given our understanding of the Second Coming, how concerned need we really be about the earth itself?
Read 2 Peter 3:10–14, Isaiah 51:6, 65:17, and Revelation 21:1. What does the Bible clearly teach about the ultimate fate of the earth? How should this teaching impact the way we look at the environment? Or should it at all?
The Bible is more than unequivocal: this world, this earth, will not last. It is destined to be destroyed, and by God, who promises to make it over, to re-create it, to make a “new heaven and a new earth.” Though that’s hardly an excuse (as we’ll see this week) to abuse or exploit the environment, it should at the same time help protect us from making a god, as many have done, out of the earth and of the environment. While we can laugh at the extremists, we need to be careful not to get caught up in those extremes ourselves.
Read Romans 1:25. What important message should we take in regard to how we show our concern and care for the creation?
This topic is dear to my heart. I worked for the Humane Society at one time, and was appalled at the atrocities of mankind towards some of God’s creatures. I won’t share with you any horrible details. It stirred within me an anger that still tends to pop up now and then when I hear of mistreatment and abuse of our Lords creation. The key is to lead by example, teach all who will listen on proper care of animals and the environment we all share.
Sadly,I cannot force others to be kind, I don’t have that kind of power.
Be a light in our community by example, and take time to reason and teach others. Have a blessed week, Kim
Yes, it is a shame how these practises are happening. I’ve seen documentaries on Public Access TV shows about this, and I was surprised! Even though as SDA’s we don’t eat pork, you wonder, “Why do they mistreat the pigs like that?” Yeah, they’re unclean, but God made them, and they have a purpose in creation.
I think you’d appreciate a Senior Citizen lady that has a program on QPTV, “Glendora”–she’s not an SDA but she embraces the message and occasionally attends services. She has become vegan, and has also converted her cats. You’ll even find her breaking out into an original song of hers about treating the animals right. She has a website- achatwithglendora.com. She is also on youtube. Take care, and don’t let people with fear scare you into being a do-nothing is my advice for all.
oh.. What a wonderful lesson, I hope Ghanians will adhere to this message. Lands are being destroyed by the glamsay operator without any refurblishment.