Straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel ---- dogfighting
Many people claim to sharply oppose dog fighting and cock-fighting. Undeniably, dogfighting is an unjustifiable abuse of animals. But do these same people express apathy or approval for boxing, wrestling, and other violent human sports. Do they swallow this “camel” of evil?
Dog fighting is bloody, brutal and sometimes results in death to participating dogs. Cock fighting likewise is a brutal sport that is often the center of betting and gambling. Both events are enjoyed by groups of people who not only enjoy the senseless brutality, but enjoy the company, gambling, partying and other illicit activities that surround the brutality. Such fighting is senseless abusing of animals, and transgresses God’s command to humans about what humans should use animals for. Animals are for proper human necessities such as food, transportation, and other necessary uses, and are not for entertainment spectacles involving violence.
Now it would be ludicrously hypocritical if anyone condemned animal fighting and nevertheless approved of human fighting. Boxing is a popular sport involving diabolical violence, and consequently boxing fatalities occur every year. Serious and chronic neurological damage, detached retinas, sinus problems, and deformed ears are very common problems suffered by boxers. The goal in boxing is to land as many blows to the head and torso so that the opponent is “knocked out” (which often means he or she has suffered a concussion), or so that the opponent is knocked down and cannot get up within ten seconds, or does not answer the bell to begin a new round. A concussion is injury to the brain and can cause temporary disorientation, memory loss and unconsciousness. If anyone feels offended and sick in the heart when they view dog fighting, but do not feel offended and sick in the heart when they view boxing, wrestling and other violent human sports, they need to get their priorities straight.
There is nothing else to be said. If anyone needs a reason why they should oppose boxing, they have never understood love for your fellow neighbor, and have no idea about the commands of God.
God says, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” in Leviticus 19:18, Matthew 19:19 and Mark 12:31. This command implies that you first have proper love for yourself, and you apply this same love toward others who have not transgressed God’s Law in the ways that God says requires the penalty of death. Boxing and wrestling are certainly not expressions of love for either of the participants! There wouldn’t even be an “opponent” if people cared and loved one another as they properly should.
You may hear the argument excusing human fighting while condemning animal fighting, and it goes like this. “Well if humans ever fight, they choose to do so, but animals do not and cannot choose to do so.” Let’s really examine this argument. The fact that humans can choose and animals cannot shows that humans are above animals and have spiritual faculties that animals do not have. God has put humans in a category wherein they are responsible to obey His Laws, which in part say that humans should exercise love and care for one another. Animals are not in such a category and have no command from God to exercise love and care for other animals. Therefore when humans fight one another for the sport of it regardless of whether they choose or not, they break God’s law. When animals fight one another, (animals often fight one another sometimes to death as a way of life in the wild) they do not break God’s Law. God has clearly revealed to humans that the choice of fighting one another for the sport of it is a barbaric and evil choice. Christians should always remember that unlike animals, humans are under God's law and have the responsibility to practice righteousness in accordance to the laws of God. Therefore, this argument about “choosing” is a very lame argument to use to seek to excuse human fighting.
For those who justify human fights with the argument that humans choose to fight, consider also this fact. It is illegal to even ATTEND a dogfighting match. It is illegal to even be a SPECTATOR. But it is not illegal to attend a human fighting match or attend a spectacle. If people receive enjoyment, fun and entertainment watching a dogfight, they are considered hideous barbarians. If people receive enjoyment, fun and entertainment watching humans fight, they are considered ....well, normal and okay. This has nothing to do with choosing, because none of spectators are involved in the choice of fighting. Obviously, avid dogfighting critics are more interested in protecting animals than people and morality.
It is true that when boxers fight one another they do choose to fight. Their chose however doesn’t nullify the command of the God that they should instead love and express proper care for another. Rather, their chose to fight basically deprives them of any type of compassion or care normally deserving them if they suffered such abuse apart from choosing it. In other words, if a boxer is “knocked out” he or she received the proper penalty for being a fool in the first place, and for this reason boxing and wrestling should be stringently outlawed and tabooed by society, because it clearly allows participants to break God’s Law commanding care and love for their neighbor, and allows them to present their bodies to untenably foolish trauma. No, we are not ours, but instead we belong to God.
Dog fighting and cock fighting are bad. Boxing, wrestling, and even other sports which often turn violent are far far worse. So long as people see it okay or rather fun to fight and harm one another, it is paradoxically hard for me to see them truly opposing enjoyment for animals doing the same. If people truly loved and cared for one another, no induced dog fighting and cock fighting would occur in the first place. If one truly cared for his or her neighbor, they would consider it a disservice to even invite their neighbor or challenge their neighbor to a dog fight, and if they truly loved and cared for their neighbor gambling and betting which is usually behind dog and cock fighting would not be an impetus to stimulate the brutality. Proper love for God and proper love and care for your fellow neighbor encompasses all other forms of love and care people should have for all other things. In other words, the panacea to dog fighting and cock fighting and other forms of animal abuse is for people to properly love God and properly respect, care and love their worthy neighbor. It is definitely hypocritical to voice opposition against animal fighting while not voicing any opposition to boxing, wrestling and other violent human sports.
Spectators who cheer and enjoy boxing matches, wrestling, and even skirmishes between football players or hockey players, show that they are pathologically depraved and brutally minded against their fellow neighbor. There should be an international outcry and it should be an international crime against humanity for any country to allow humans to fight one another in any way for the sport of it. Human fighting is a senseless, indefensible abuse that egregiously breaks God’s Law and should never be the source of entertainment and employment. Professional boxers who have given money to charity are donating abominable filthy rags before God and their contributions are testimony to their heinous crime. The best way for any professional player in any violent sport to donate to society is for them to publicly condemn violent sports such as boxing and warn people about the moral attrition such violence causes in spectators. After humans stop fighting against themselves, then they may be more capable of dealing with humans who induce animals to fight. After all, for instance, Michael Vick allegedly was involved in dog fighting, perhaps epitomizing his passion for human fighting and competition which he made a professional career out of in the highly violent sport of football.
You will see the truth in Christ’s statement in Matthew 23:24, ‘You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!” when you analyze the thought train of Americans. They outlaw lesser crimes and legalize heinous ones. They outlaw animal fighting, and legalize and glamour human fighting. They outlaw hunting fawns (baby deer) but allow abortion. You name a serious evil…its legal. You name an annoyance and its treason.