Part of that which gets “left behind” during the rapture that many American Christians anticipate are: pets. This is because, according to the beliefs of some Christians, pets have no souls. So, naturally, they will remain earthbound while their owners are lifted heavenward. This could present, potentially, a bit of a dilemma: millions of pets with no one to care for them. It was thinking through this dilemma, apparently, that led animal-lover and atheist Bart Centre to found Eternal Earth-bound Pets, USA, an organization dedicated to rescuing pets—dogs, cats, birds, rabbits, and small caged mammals in 22 states, as well as horses, camels, llamas and donkeys in New Hampshire, Vermont, Idaho, and Montana—left behind by raptured pet-owners.
Though Centre insists that the organization is not a farce intended to mock Christian believers, the potentially marketable are apparently skeptical; only 200 to date have subscribed to the services offered their pets. Atheists, meanwhile, have been more responsive to the effort, with thousands requesting to become certified pet rescuers. “Do we think that our contracts will ever have to be executed?” Centre rhetorically queries. “No, we don’t. But it doesn’t make our offer any less valid or genuine.” See more here, here, here, and here.
Related Articles:
Can a Darwinian Be a Christian?
By Gregory W. Dawes , University of Otago
(Vol. 2, November 2007)
Religion Compass
Teaching & Learning Guide for: Religious Environmentalism in the West
By Steven Douglas, Forum On Religion & Ecology, Monash University
(Vol. 5, May 2010)
Religion Compass
Religion Compass 