One of the great characters in the movie Christmas Vacation (not for the kids) is the elderly and absent minded Aunt who comes to visit the Griswolds on Christmas Eve. Clark's confused aunt arrives at the reunion bearing gifts, but instead of bringing gold, frankincense, and myrrh she's wrapped a jello mold in one box and her cat in another.
The cat, another agent in the plot to ruin Clark's perfectly planned Christmas, gets a hold of the Christmas tree lights and starts chewing on the plugged in cord. Since cat saliva is a conductor of electricity the critter goes up in a cloud of smoke and the evidence is burned into the carpet, garnished with toasted cat fur. Clark's cousin Eddie sums up the tragedy when, with a smirk on his face, he says 'that's one fried pussycat'.
During the closing credits of Christmas Vacation you don't see the disclaimer 'no cats were harmed in the filming of this movie'. I attribute this to the fact that Christmas Vacation is an older move, filmed prior to the advent of today's animal sensitivity.
The smoking carpet reminds me of a conversation that I had several years ago with a junior high student. She was expressing anger at the use of lab animals for testing during the development of prescription drugs. It amazes me how many folks I meet who are 'softies' for animals, speak passionately about their protection, and yet never express any concern about the thousands of abortions that are performed in this country every year.
The Bible says that mankind is special. We are 'created in the image of God' and are given dominion and stewardship over God's creation. The great variety of animals created by God are a testament to His majesty and sense of humor. But it is humans that God has pursued a relationship with, since the beginning of time. Secular intellectuals try to diminish human significance, but the Bible lifts mankind up.
In a prayer written by David, recorded in the Bible, David reflects on the bounty of God's thoughts about us. David says: 'How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand. When I awake, I am still with You.' The hound of heaven loves us, and because we are human, and created in His image, he has a strong love commitment to us. That is why He invites us to into a relationship with Him, so that we can live with Him forever.
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