Wild Religion

This is from the latest Big Cat Rescue news. What on earth is happening, even religion is going mad. Are our much loved animals not even safe from being used in the wrong way with religion.
Heres what the newsletter says and the link to the video.

CHURCH SERVICE USES A CAGED LION AS A SYMBOL FOR SATAN Take Action!

Shouldn't Religion Teach Compassion for Animals Instead?

Lately, Florida has been in the news as a hotbed for religious controversy. Now, Pastor Troy Gramling at Flamingo Road Church in Cooper City, Florida may be adding to it. Last week, he rolled out his series of Sunday sermons called "Wild."


His sermon featured a chained, adult male, 500 pound lion on the pulpit in a small transport cage. For the length of the sermon, the lion paced, moving and rocking the cage back and forth, as the pastor quoted scripture and referred to the lion as a symbol for the devil himself. Next week’s sermon promises to feature pythons representing original sin.

There were no barricades between the transport cage and the congregation. There was only a man sitting next to the cage, a man with some interesting views about wildlife. Jeremy Possman, of Predators Unlimited, supplied this lion for the “show.” He is an alligator wrestler who admits that business has pretty much dried up in that area. So, he has turned to photo ops and traveling exhibits with wild animals.

He was quoted in an AP story saying, "If you do get bit, a lot of times that just means more business, because they're going to come back to see if it's going to happen again." Obviously, NOT a person most people would choose to be responsible for the safety of an entire church congregation, possibly trapped in a room with a dangerous carnivore.

Even though Florida accounts for only 6% of the national population, it accounts for 12% of the 602 reported incidents of killings, maulings and escapes since 1990. Other states, that have passed bans on breeding dangerous exotics, have seen these numbers drop dramatically, some to zero.

Isn’t it time the USDA and FWC stepped up to insure public safety and animal welfare by not allowing animals to be bred, carted around and displayed this way? There are not enough inspectors to guarantee that even minimal standards of care are being met or that the public is properly safeguarded. Right now, exhibits like this in Florida are perfectly legal, but should they be?

Confirm your zip code and click on GO! to sign a pre-written letter to the church, the USDA, the FWC, and the local media to let them know you do not want wild, exotic animals used this way.

http://vimeo.com/14911169

littlewid-x-

Madness, absolute madness.

This reminds me of years ago hearing would snakes being used in services in the US. Cant remember what they were called. This kind of practice is not what I called religous!

SM

There's only one evil there. Using Gods creatures in this way. These Churches, and so called Ministers have nothing to do God, Relgion, or Christian value
WS

Have they gone mad? I am quite speechless that this sort of thing goes on. That is not religion but insanity.

Lai