Giving Thanks

[Mr.Vic]

Brother Ken and like wise others.           Woodchucker is right. One must walk his path with his own heart and respect all others of their path. But one must never expect them to believe or follow his steps nor you theirs.        I laugh because there is nothing New age about giving thanks for a living life and the role it plays in the circle of all life.

[TENBEARS]

yes i say a little silent prayer to myself for the kill ,then say another for my father who tought me so well,and who i still get to walk the woods with.  

[NightHawk]

Ken,

 I probably have a greater percent of Native blood in me than you. My grandfather was full blood cheerokee off of the res in NC, but the only blood that matters is the blood that was shed by my savior.    . God made man in his image and breathed life into him, creating mans soul. REVERING and PRAYING to an animal IS New Age mystism. Respecting an animal is different. We should respect and be good stewards of the animals for God put them under our care

 You folks have definatly been watching to many disney movies. Your also coming very close to echoing the animal rights groups propaganda.  

[JEFF B]

i to thank the deer or goat for giving its life so that i can  feed my family.    i also thank the spirit of the wolf for guiding my arrow to the sweet spot and letting me go unseen

[**DONOTDELETE**]

i have to go along with Greyfox & mm ....i thank the lord for the opportunity to become one with his creations....That is my church out there in the woods.....i have issues regarding arguing about different interpretations of the good book.
i prefer more one on one time with the lord in the mountains myself..I only wish i could hunt EVERY Sunday........I also think talking to the lord makes a lot more sense than thanking a dead animal.....respecting the animal is a different subject....

[barebow]

I agree with NightHawk's statement,  

 Animals have no soul . There's no place in Gods word that says an animal has a soul  . God made man in his image and breathed life into him, creating mans soul. REVERING and PRAYING to an animal IS New Age mystism. Respecting an animal is different. We should respect and be good stewards of the animals for God put them under our care

I am respectful of animals and feel somewhat remorseful and yet happy at the same time when taking their life, but that's a part of hunting. I believe God is the Creator and the Great Provider and all we have is because He allows it. I thank God in the name of Jesus Christ everyday for being alive and for every opportunity to hunt; and for animals that He has given me.

[Killdeer]

Well, this thread started out innocently enough, asking what we gave thanks for. I love giving thanks. It is, normally, my only prayer, so wide-eyed, I responded.

It is turning into a discussion of the various theological differences regarding animal souls, interpretations of religious ideologies, and now pedigrees, and who is right and who is wrong.

I just learned something.
Killdeer~off!  

[adkmountainken]

if your just going by the WOrDS written in the little black book of truth ( in your eyes ) then i would say you are correct. myself i need to see and feel things untill i believe in them. i have saw and learned things from animals, i have looked in teir eyes. i am not of native blood but i am of native heart and soul. i am God fearing but he appers in many ways and forms, shown in your little black book of truth. i guess you have performed autopsies and disected the animal heart and brain? why in the world would you want to try and tell someone what they believe in is wrong? i for one believe in myself and the things i have witnessed that i know to be true. this is the last comment from me on this post as it is disrespectful to the original thread starter, this will surly get pulled if it continues.
  Ken believer of animal heart, soul and teachings Mowrey
look in the eyes of my Dog's, Norman & Gertrude, you think they have no soul???????
 

[ber643]

IMO it wouldn't hurt anyone to read Mr.Vics post again - and before the thread is maybe pulled, may I simply add, from my prespective:


   

[Izzy]

I give thanks to the spirits of dead soldiers who died for my freedom and right to be there.And God for giving me life.And the spirit if my father for planting the love of the outdoors in me.

[STOBBER]

What SteveMcD said pretty much sums it up. Not just the hunt...but all i do starts with a prayer of thanks.....in him(God) i live and breath and have my very existance. ALL things were created by him and deserve to be treated with respect, i am always humbled by the death of any creature . It's hard to explain what it's like to be excited and abased all at the same time. Only a hunter knows this ! I wouldnt in any way discount someones belief ,  but for me personally thanks go to God for he is the Creator of all living things, he provided the bounty of the fields and forrest for us to survive, he provided his only son Jesus to atone for all our sins........how can i not be thankful!!??   Tim Mooring

[bowdude]

Like the Lord says we can do NOTHING without him.  I am thankful for him giving me the ability and knowledge and health for the hunt.  With not so much as a sparrow falling without his knowledge, I thank him for the gift.

[snag]

In Genesis 9 when the God had the great flood subside He told Noah and his family that "all the animals of the earth, all the birds of the sky, and the small animals that scurry along the ground, and all the fish in the sea will look on you with fear and terror. I have placed them in your power. I have given them to you for food, just as I have given you grain and vegetables."
I give thanks for God look out for me and blessing me, a sinner, with the nourishment from His creation.

We are to have dominion over the earth and all it's creatures. To me that means to take care of them. If we weren't hunting them they would become over populated and diseased. I kill with respect of a life created by God, put here to feed and nourish me and my family.

[AnointedArcher]

I thank the good Lord I actually hit what I was aming for and nobody got hurt!    

[bowdude]

I hope the thread does not get pulled as this is a part of traditional hunting as it is all hunting, but we must respect each other.  As to the base line of the thread, it did not refer to a specific religion, we Christians just jumped on the Christian line.  In that respect I believe NightHawk was right on.  If you try to give a soul to creatures, where would you stop, if you stopped?  This is leading down the path of one of the oldest Christian sins, creature / nature worship.  If creatures have a soul, do you feel bad for killing mice, mosquitoes?  If not, why not, if you believe that way.

[snag]

Thank you Nighthawk for that clarification. He says in His commandments not to have any other god but Him. You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea.

God created animals for us to eat and care for. Who should we give thanks to?  God..."He so loved the world He gave His one and only Son, so that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life."  That is a love worthy of thanks and praise. It is beyound what we as mere humans can fully understand.

[woodchucker]

As I said....."For they are a breed apart and make no sense"

[woodchucker]

Originally posted by NightHawk:
[QB] Ken,

 I probably have a greater percent of Native blood in me than you. My grandfather was full blood cheerokee off of the res in NC,
 

Night Hawk, I KNOW you don't have more Native blood than ME!!!!! Us "Indians" have a running joke about guys like you at the PowWows every year. It goes something like this.....

How many "Indians" did you meet today?????

Oh about 20 (30,40,50.....)

How many Cherokee?????

ALL OF THEM!!!!!

BTW.....If your going to throw around your "Native" blood.....At least learn how to spell it correctly!!!!!

[NightHawk]

....tell a native animals do not have a soul and your in for a looong ride.....

  That statement is why I brought up my heritage. It's simply not a true statement, you can't lump everyone togather.

 Woodchuck, it's good that your proud of your heritage, it's a shame that you make fun of others   :(   My grandfather was an inspiration to me. He fought in WWII (in the navy as a SP). After the war, he made a life for himself and his family as a diesel mechanic working for exon. He worked for everything he had. Even though he was qualified, he didn't take goverment payments for being an Indian. He didn't have a victims mentality. The man worked hard and supported his family. He also fought for your freedoms, and rights.

  I apologize if I have stepped on toes, usally not my way. However, the trend of reverring animals and assigning them souls(brothers/sisters) plays into the animal rights groups thinking. PETA says a rat is = to a dog is = to a pig is = to a boy. In other words, PETA (and  groups like them) assigns animals a soul and humanizes them.(much like a Disney cartoon )

  This is a complicated and emotional topic, but it's also a topic that needs to be discussed. I have meant no disrespect to anyone or thier beliefs. I seek only to clarify and convey what I believe in and  point out the harm that reverring and assigning animals souls can have to our sport. If we kill another soul, have we not committed murder??

 Any hoo, this has been a good and thought provoking discussion and I hope the mods see fit to leave the thread, because it is something that we need to think about

[mmgrode]

It is interesting to see how threads go(and don't go). I think there definitely is a danger in assigning animals the same value as human life not only on religious grounds but ethical also. I suppose it is almost a contradiction to do so. By hunting you are obviously giving yourself the right and control of taking or not taking that life, therefore you become more important than that animal. You rule over it. Now this is not to say that this animal should not be respected for what it is, a subordinate creature created by God to be respected and used for it's intended purpose, to give us sustenance. Animals do not have souls, only humans do.