Bob Dylan wrote a song called Man Gave Names to All the Animals. I first heard it sung by bluegrass mandolin player Tim Rice. (I like Bob Dylan’s songs, but only if somebody else sings them.) The song is witty and very tongue-in-cheek. Here’s a verse: “Saw an animal on the side of a hill…Eatin’ grass ‘till he had his fill…Saw the milk come out but he didn’t know how…‘Ahhh, I think I’ll call him a cow.’” I love the song; it’s so much fun. And it’s actually even Biblical, in its own way, ending with this ominous incomplete verse: “He saw an animal as smooth as glass…Slithering his way through the grass…Saw him disappear by a tree near a lake…” And the verse leaves you hanging, with that image of the Tempter in the Garden of Eden.
When I was a teenager I heard my pastor reference this Bible story of Adam naming the animals. He said, “Boy, Adam must have been smart! Have you seen those names? I can’t even pronounce some of them!” And I remember thinking, “Surely he doesn’t really think Adam gave animals their Latin genus and species names! Surely he’s making a joke!” But I wasn’t entirely sure. I still don’t know if he was joking or not.
Sometimes jokes are made about those who love animals. Certainly, people can be over-balanced in their attitude towards animals. The Bible is clear that, out of all God’s physical creatures, only human beings are made in the image of God. It’s a mistake to value animals on the same level as human beings.
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