O ye beloved of the Lord! The Kingdom of God is founded upon equity and
justice, and also upon mercy, compassion, and kindness to every living
soul. Strive ye then with all your heart to treat compassionately all
humankind--except for those who have some selfish, private motive, or some
disease of the soul. Kindness cannot be shown the tyrant, the deceiver, or
the thief, because, far from awakening them to the error of their ways, it
maketh them to continue in their perversity as before. No matter how much
kindliness ye may expend upon the liar, he will but lie the more, for he
believeth you to be deceived, while ye understand him but too well, and
only remain silent out of your extreme compassion.
Briefly, it is not only their fellow human beings that the beloved of God
must treat with mercy and compassion, rather must they show forth the
utmost loving-kindness to every living creature. For in all physical
respects, and where the animal spirit is concerned, the selfsame feelings
are shared by animal and man. Man hath not grasped this truth, however,
and he believeth that physical sensations are confined to human beings,
wherefore is he unjust to the animals, and cruel.
And yet in truth, what difference is there when it cometh to physical
sensations? The feelings are one and the same, whether ye inflict pain on
man or on beast. There is no difference here whatever. And indeed ye do
worse to harm an animal, for man hath a language, he can lodge a
complaint, he can cry out and moan; if injured he can have recourse to the
authorities and these will protect him from his aggressor. But the hapless
beast is mute, able neither to express its hurt nor take its case to the
authorities. If a man inflict a thousand ills upon a beast, it can neither
ward him off with speech nor hale him into court. Therefore is it
essential that ye show forth the utmost consideration to the animal, and
that ye be even kinder to him than to your fellow man.
Train your children from their earliest days to be infinitely tender and
loving to animals. If an animal be sick, let the children try to heal it,
if it be hungry, let them feed it, if thirsty, let them quench its thirst,
if weary, let them see that it rests.
Most human beings are sinners, but the beasts are innocent. Surely those
without sin should receive the most kindness and love--all except animals
which are harmful, such as bloodthirsty wolves, such as poisonous snakes,
and similar pernicious creatures, the reason being that kindness to these
is an injustice to human beings and to other animals as well. If, for
example, ye be tender-hearted toward a wolf, this is but tyranny to a
sheep, for a wolf will destroy a whole flock of sheep. A rabid dog, if
given the chance, can kill a thousand animals and men. Therefore,
compassion shown to wild and ravening beasts is cruelty to the peaceful
ones--and so the harmful must be dealt with. But to blessed animals the
utmost kindness must be shown, the more the better. Tenderness and
loving-kindness are basic principles of God's heavenly Kingdom. Ye should
most carefully bear this matter in mind.