I do ackowledge that it ‘seems suspicious’ when people ‘find Jesus’ in times such as these that Michael Vick is experiencing, but I just believe that the voice of God remains constant. If you truly believe in God, you will find that God can not get any stronger – nor can God’s voice . . . it’s just that it is in our darkest hour that we are more willing to listen to what God has to say.

Hungry people will eat squash – even if they abhor the taste of squash; people with an appetite tend to wait for the foods they enjoy the most – This incident created a hunger (as opposed to an appetite) in Michael Vick.

If there is anything good about the Michael Vick story, it is that there is an emerging increased awareness about animal cruelty and animal fighting. There is so much anger about this issue. If we channel it into a positive direction, hopefully, something good can come of it. However…

I watched Vick’s public apology with my little son who USED TO wear Michael Vick jerseys to school. It is disturbing to think a certain percentage of the population is honestly going to be swayed by Michael Vick’s “enlightenment” carefully crafted by his overpaid attorneys. Call me a cynic, but I don’t believe a man who has been allegedly torturing animals since childhood coincidentally has a religious epiphany as a result of getting caught and losing his job. I hope I am wrong.

I think it is a sad commentary that we, as a culture, are using the Vick story to compare “What’s worse?” “What’s worse”, we ask, “carelessly fathering illegitimate children, or dogfighting?”. “Dogfighting or gambling?” “Dogfighting or rape?” “Dogfighting or racism?” “Dogfighting or hateful nationalism?” “Dogfighting or (fill in the blank)….?” The comparisons to dogfighting have been endless.

Dogfighting is one more piece of evidence our country is in need of a spiritual transformation (please note I said spiritual and not necessarily religious). Animals are sentient beings – they feel pain, and they suffer, just like we do. They are not more important, or less important than human beings, but like human beings, they are important, too.

Dogfighting pits one dog against another until one of them dies. The survivor gets his flesh torn off, ears ripped off, eyes pulled out, etc., and the reward for being “a winner” is to writhe in pain until the next fight. Enough said. The pictures make my flesh crawl. The losers are tortured, beaten, starved, electrocuted or drowned. For what? Because these poor creatures were unlucky enough to be born a dog!

Every major faith teaches its followers to be responsible stewards of animals and the Earth. Please help us get the word out that caring for animals, just like caring for people, is an important part of just being a decent person and citizen. If we make this a priority, there will be no more dogfighting horror stories, and no more pointless comparisons of evils. Let us all rise, together, to be better people than we are today, shall we?

Chaplain Nancy Cronk
Founder, http://www.AnimalChaplains.com

I’ve heard defenses for Vick on the lines of his crime being similar to dear or rabbit hunting. I dont see the similarities. Oftentimes there is a need to limit and controll the population of certain animals. Needless harm done to animals is just wrong. Yes we eat steak and wear leather but our technology, hopefully, allows us to limit the pain and suffering caused to animals. If not than it certainly should.
Vick strikes me as just another over indulged athlete with no common sense.

To quote a famous comedian, “They should’ve never gave you niggas money!”

If I were to hang my neighbors cat, I think it shows problems far more serious than “an immature act”. And were I to kill say 6-8 animals by electrocution, hanging, drowning, etc. I think I might need to veiw it as more than “making bad decisions”. And to continue in my actions for six years ar more…

As to taking resposibility – Mr. Vick lied repeatedly. It appears he only took responsibility when there was no other viable option.

Another blog pointed out he spoke of himself in the third person at least three times in his apology. My first reaction was speaking of oneself in the third person removes the individual from their statement.

Mr. Vick did sound sincere in his statement, but he is still clearly not cognizant of why the public has reacted so strongly. To kill and torture an innocent animal for fun is beyond most of our understanding (thank goodness).

I think his truest statement was “I will redeem myself. I have to.” I do hope Mr. Vick finds redemption, and it is certainly possible… time will tell.