17 March | Youth
«You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.» Matthew 22:37
Brazilians love their pets. It is estimated that the country has the second largest population of dogs, cats and ornamental birds in the world. There are 141 million pets. There are now more dogs and cats than children in homes.
Attachment to domestic animals has even boosted the economy. Brazil is currently the second largest market for pet products in the world, with a 6.4% global share. This market represents 0.36% of the Brazilian GDP, ahead of the domestic utilities and industrial automation sectors. The sale of accessories, medicines and food has grown increasingly, as well as the demand for hotels and even luxury spas for pets.
At the beginning of modernity, the idea of family was exclusively human. Animals rarely entered the house, much less slept in bed with their owners. Contemporary urban society, however, has introduced the notion of 'multispecies families.' In this new configuration, the animals receive their own name, clothes, toys, have a profile on social networks, walk in shopping malls, see a psychologist, and receive frequent baths and grooming. According to a recent survey, 60% of Brazilians who have pets consider them as children.
Several theorists have warned that the humanization of animals could lead to the animalization of humans. Konrad Lorenz, for example, was against the idea of allowing love for animals to replace love for people and called such a preference 'ethically dangerous.'
According to the apostle Paul, true love “doesn’t behave itself inappropriately” (1 Cor 13:5, WEB). Has the love for pets surpassed the love that should be destined for God and others (Matt 22:36-40)? George Knight states that sin “is love focused on the wrong object. It is to love the object more than its Creator” (Sin and Salvation, p. 37). Are not many Christians failing when they maintain an inappropriate relationship with their animals, devoting excessive attention to them?
It is not a sin to love pets. It is a sin to love them more than God and your neighbor. Be careful not to reverse priorities. Invest your time, money and love appropriately.