Christian: Man's best friend (experience, atheist, pray, Commandment, God)

[Nick Soapdish]

This one is for pet lovers.



I have noticed some interesting parallels between our dog's relationship to us, and our relationship to God.

Dogs, when left to their natural behavior, will soil the carpet, chew up the furniture, snap at the neighbor's kid, and steal food off the table. Through the owner's relationship with their dog, the dog becomes domesticated and learns right from wrong.

Now, all dogs are bad dogs once in a while. The owner will forgive their pet as long as they know that the dog has accepted him into its heart as its owner. However, if the dog rebels constantly and refuses to acknowledge the owner as an authority, then most likely, that dog will eventually find itself separated from the owner.

Is this allegory meaningful, and if so, are there other parallels that can be drawn?

[CaptainXeroid]

I think it's meaningful, and I see a few other parallels:

A dog does not understand, nor often like, the boundaries that are set for their protection.

Dogs sometimes escape those boundaries and realize the grass on the other side wasn't really greener.

After wandering, a dog will often return home when it's time to be fed.

Sometimes, a kind stranger will care for a stray dog and help it get back home.

There are probably more.

Depend
On
God

[Nick Soapdish]

A dog might think that because he is not allowed to chew up the furniture that his owner just doesn't want him to have any fun or enjoy life, but that is obviously not the case.

[michel]

Originally Posted by atofel

This one is for pet lovers.



I have noticed some interesting parallels between our dog's relationship to us, and our relationship to God.

Dogs, when left to their natural behavior, will soil the carpet, chew up the furniture, snap at the neighbor's kid, and steal food off the table. Through the owner's relationship with their dog, the dog becomes domesticated and learns right from wrong.

Now, all dogs are bad dogs once in a while. The owner will forgive their pet as long as they know that the dog has accepted him into its heart as its owner. However, if the dog rebels constantly and refuses to acknowledge the owner as an authority, then most likely, that dog will eventually find itself separated from the owner.

Is this allegory meaningful, and if so, are there other parallels that can be drawn?

You have a very good point there; one that often occurs to me when I take my 'Jessie' for a walk. When we gert to the park, I take her off the lead about twenty feet away from the entrance, and tell her to 'wait'. Most days she will wait, but occasionally something (a cat, a squirrel) catches her eye, and she's off....

Now, I have been taught not to call angrilly after a dog who has disobeyed an order; so I just stand and wait until she condescends to come back to me. The same happens when we come out of the park, and she has to have her lead put back on. During the walk itself, I often call her; she comes to me, sits infront of me and waits for a treat. Sometimes she gets one, sometime she doesn't - that is apparently how to train a dog - it follows the 'Pavlovian theory'.

Often though, when she will not come to me at the exit to the path, and I try hard not to sound angry, I think that maybe I am the dog and that God is me.

[Katzpur]

It also strikes me as interesting that it seems our pets love us unconditionally and so does God.