October 28, 2026 While I realized I could’ve phrased it in a better, kinder way, I didn’t realize the statement would be, as the kids say, “a hot take.” A hot take, according to Google, is “a strongly worded, provocative and often unpopular opinion or commentary shared quickly – usually on social media or in the news – to spark a reaction.” I don’t remember what the original post was about, but the comment to which I replied said something along the lines of, “this is why I like animals more than people. Animals are better.” I thought my response was common sense. It didn’t occur to me that it could be controversial. My response – the apparent “hot take”: “It’s ok. We’re all wrong at times. Animals are awesome, and I love them, but people will always be more important and should be loved more.” Based on the replies people wrote under my comment, you’d think I had suggested canceling Christmas or forbidding people from owning pets. People seemed to think I was a monster (one person directly said so). I grew up on a farm and around hundreds of animals. I’ve almost always had at least one pet, and I’ve had a variety of types of pets (lots of fish, shrimp and snails, the lizard/gecko named “Fluffy,” and a multitude of hamsters, cats and dogs). I love animals! I always have and I’m pretty certain I always will! But God made people different. He gave us immortal souls, intellect, free will. He made us in his own image. While God calls us to care for His creation, including the animals, He also made us different than the rest, and He loved us enough to take on human form and live among us as one of us. I find it ironic and ultimately sad that many of the same people who fight so hard for the wellbeing of cats, dogs, ferrets and bunnies are completely ok with abortion and/or assisted suicide. “Animals can’t speak for themselves,” I see people post on social media. “We have to protect them.” Last I checked, unborn babies and many terminally ill people also can’t speak for themselves, either. Shouldn’t we be protecting them, too? It just makes no sense to me. But this Respect Life Month, I pray for the unborn, the infirm, the imprisoned, the addicted and all whose lives are in danger, but I also pray for our society and our world, and I pray that people will respect all life from conception to natural death. I don’t care if it’s a hot take, frankly. |
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