Ride on! Ride on in majesty!
“Itís no good the Lambeth Conference saying that ëthe redemptive purpose of God in Jesus Christ extends to the whole of creationí, and then ignoring the fact that individual animals were made by God every bit as much as we were - and that the Incarnation is for them as much as it is for us. Over the centuries, people have fallen into an idolatry - the idea that God is predominantly or exclusively interested in the human species. But itís a mind-boggling, gob-smacking, breathtakingly absurd notion. Why did God create the wasp? Not for human need. How could dinosaurs have been there for people to exploit? I find it deeply reassuring that God has other concerns. Killing must be a last resort, not the first, yet our killing of other species has become habitual.”
– The Rev. Andrew Linzey
If you can acknowledge that humans are not the sole concern of God in this universe, you might appreciate the parallels between the words to Ride on! Ride on in Majesty!, and the visual aids on equus.org’s “Last Ride” pages, while contemplating the events of Holy Week. (Think of it as grist for a “Theological Reflection”.)