Last night I killed a roach. Nothing else…just a roach. This is nothing strange or unusual for most people, because most people find roaches disgusting. I am one of those people. Roaches are not like kittens. When you see a roach, you don’t want to pick it up and pat its little thorax and say, “Oh what a cute little roachy you are!” When you see a roach, you probably want to kill the creepy bugger. That’s what I did. I killed it, and I felt a little bad afterwards for killing it.
I guess in the hierarchy of importance, animals are always put behind humans. If we run over a raccoon accidently, we don’t worry or feel too bad because it is just a raccoon. If we beat a dog because we have had a bad day, we don’t worry or feel too bad because it is just a dog. If we cut the fin off a shark and throw it back in the ocean, we don’t worry or feel too bad because it is just a shark. Some might say, “Who cares? They are JUST animals and not humans.” I guess in some people’s minds, they do not believe that animals feel pain; that they are incapable of displaying emotions; that they are soulless beings who have no hope in any way. But is this true? Are animals really soulless?
I do not see why we have to think animals are soulless. Granted, I do not have a thorough understanding of metaphysics and different concepts of souls, but I think it should not be considered unreasonable to believe in the possibility that animals have souls. However, I do not want to get into a discourse about metaphysics and souls, but I would rather take a more practical approach. In Matthew 6:26-27, Jesus states, “Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” In context, Jesus is letting his audience know that they should not store up things on earth, but should work towards storing up things in heaven. Therefore, they need not worry, because just as God provides for birds, he too shall provide for his children who are of more value. Though we are of more value to God, it does not mean that He does not value his other creations (i.e. animals) at all. I think at the least, this passage gives us a strong hint that God cares for his other creations, and that He values them in some way.
My fiancé was telling me a story about how she saw a dead raccoon on the side of the road at her apartment complex. The raccoon had been hit by a car apparently. She said there was a living raccoon next to the dead one, and it kept nudging at it as if to say, “Get up.” My fiancé was heartbroken at the sight of this and told me that, “All that poor raccoon was doing was trying to live and now it is dead.” Animals are like us in a sense, in that we are all trying to live. Bad things happen to animals, and bad things happen to humans. Animals deal with emotions such as joy, fear, sadness, and anger, just like humans. No animal wants to feel pain or die an undeserving death, and neither do humans. I may have no proof, as of right now, that there is sufficient evidence to believe that animals have a soul; however, I think Scripture paints a picture of a loving God who cares for all of His creations, humans and animals alike whether they have a soul or not.
To conclude, I think we should look at Genesis 1:26, which is where God tells man to rule over and take care of His creation. This was the first command given to man and one that we should still obey to this day. In light of this, we have no just reason to mistreat, abuse, or unnecessarily kill any creature…whether that creature is a kitten or a roach. After all, they, like us, are just trying to live.
Living In Grey 
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