Michael Vick and Dogfighting

Dr. Michael L. Ford

30 July 2007

            Not many Americans realize it but animal fighting sports are popular in many countries around the world. Of course the majority of these are either a mixture of Roman Catholicism and paganism or Islam and other depraved religious systems. This means a great many people do not understand what so many Americans see as a big deal. Respect for life, all life, is a part of conservative Protestant and Orthodox Jewish thought. But how others look at things should never be the determiner of whether we stand for what is right or not.

            What bothers me is some people conservative Christians find themselves standing beside when it comes to Michael Vick. These people find killing unborn human acceptable even though they are aghast when it comes to the killing of animals. But this will not keep me from condemning dogfighting and saying it is time that professional sports organizations realize players, that represent them, have a responsibility for more than just winning games. The problem is greater than just a matter of one person going wrong. There is a corruption pervading professional sports just as there is a perversion of the general thought processes of humanity.

            I have known people involved in dog and cock fighting both as a counselor and as an individual. There has never been a single one of them that did not have other problems related to how they saw themselves. I also know the power of Christ is sufficient to change lives. One pedophile that also raised cocks for fighting, after he was converted, became a preacher of the Gospel. Christ is able to save to the uttermost. The Michael Vicks of this world need the salvation of Christ in their lives.

            On several occasions I have killed dogs, when they raided my chicken coop or attacked cows in the pasture. For some that is terrible. But those who let the animals run are at fault. But in dog-fighting the predator is the person fighting them. A friend sent me an e-mail asking what do unborn babies and polar bears have in common? The only predator they have to worry about is human. But humans are supposed to be the stewards of life aren’t they?