Why Animal Ministry is More Important Than Ever
If you wanted to know a little more about the growing importance of Animal Ministry Courses, you came to the right place. We live in an ever-changing world, where we are active spectators to the progress of technology in our Digital Age which is changing our society one kilobyte at a time. At the same time, we are also witnessing the quick transformation of our environment and an accelerated pace of mass extinction to many animal species we share this planet with.
All education should be directed toward the refinement of the individual's sensibilities in relation not only to one's fellow humans everywhere but to all living things whatsoever.
~Ashley Montagu
It is unfortunate that while the technology progresses, the globalized world does not translate into a more ethical society, where the lessening of suffering should have been actively pursued and morally prioritized.
Maybe the idea of Animal and Ecological Ministry could have been a source of disbelief and disregard a couple of decades ago. Still, in our current society, the relationship with animals has shifted dramatically, not only at the personal level but also at the global level. This ministry is a doorway to a more significant understanding of the interconnection and interdependency of life and the quest for more meaningful, mindful, and ethical relationships with all the sentient beings.
Animal Ministry and Chaplains
Many religions have precepts and recommendations on how to deal with our animal companions. The Bible is filled with references about the service and love for our animal brothers. The Bible tells us, "A righteous man care for the needs of animals" (Proverbs 12:10).
Our Animal Chaplain curriculum is a comprehensive education outreach that encompasses Human Living and Ethics of Life. In many religious traditions, we are taught that our spirituality is closely knitted and, in many cases, intersecting the spiritual world of our animals.
We believe that the Animal Chaplain must facilitate the integration and bond between all the sentient beings. As sentient as Human beings and non-human beings.
Why Ethics for Non-Humans Matter
"By ethical conduct toward all creatures, we enter into a spiritual relationship with the universe."
~Albert Schweitzer
We believe that education and understanding are essential to building a compassionate, integral, holistic society of the future. We envision a future society where the interdependency between all beings on the web of life is important and acknowledged. These Relations are essential, as they are vital for the survival of the planet as a living organism.
The interfaith outreach of Animal Chaplains can provide essential services to communities on many levels. Not only at the level of counseling, or support during life passages, such as grief and bereavement. But Can also provide support, prayer for animals, animal blessings, consecrations, anointing of the sick, and end-of-life proceedings. The Animal Ministry contains all of them inclusive in nature and encompassing as all matters of the heart.
An Animal Chaplain's work is paramount when dealing with community services, churches, animal shelters, animal rescues. It also has an invaluable worth on veterinarian practices, congregations, Non-Profit Animal Rights organizations, and fundraising events.
The Universe is circles within circles, and everything is one circle, and all the circles are connected to each other. Each family is a circle, and those family circles connect together and make a community, and the community makes its circle where it lives on the Earth. It (the community) cares for that part (of the Earth) but cares for it as a circle - which is to say in a cooperative and egalitarian way, where everybody is cared for, and everybody is respected.
Black Elk
Animals are much more than our planetary companions. They are also our teachers of unconditional love, interdependency, and compassionate living. Animal Ministry can be a practice inside hospitals, prisons, nursing homes, and rehabilitation centers.
It is a practice that can bring animals' curative characteristics to those that need unconditional healing. We believe that Animal Ministry can provide, through spiritual education, guidance, a sense of awareness. This Awareness is the catalysts of integration of interspecies relationships deepening our human experience within our world.
How to Become an Animal Chaplain?
There are many paths to becoming an Animal Chaplain. You can start your Animal Ministry very easily, especially if you are already an ordained minister. Suppose you are an animal activist or somewhat involved with animal care in your community or congregation. In that case, you may want to take the coursework to become an Animal Ministry Leader. We invite you to visit our Animal and Ecological Ministry curriculum at our Cathedral of the Soul website.
"The assumption that animals are without rights, and the illusion that our treatment of them has no moral significance, is a positively outrageous example of Western crudity and barbarity. Universal compassion is the only guarantee of morality."
~Arthur Schopenhauer
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