​Through the Eyes of a Gentle,
Medium-Size Whale
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if there is a god
i think he must be shaped something like a mountain
and something like a tree
and something like an ocean . . .
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i think he sees the universe through the eyes
of a big, brown bear
and through the eyes of a dove
and through the eyes of a gentle, medium-size whale . . .

J. David Scheyer 

* special thanks to Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat for sharing this poem in Spirituality and Practice.
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Surely God Sees the Universe
through the Eyes of  All Creatures


All images from Unsplash.com: Photos for Everyone: Creative Commons
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Process Theology and Animals: Eight Key Ideas
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  1. The universe is a communion of subjects not a collection of objects.  So says Thomas Berry and Process Theology.  The mind of the universe, God, is the living Subject in whose life all subjects live and move and have their being.  God sees the world through the eyes of other living beings as well as our own.  God is omni-perspectival. 
  2. Animals are subjects of their own lives and not simply objects for human use.  They have aims and purposes of their own.  They seek to live with satisfaction relative to the circumstances of their lives.  They have purposes and perspectives.  They deserve respect and care.
  3. The interior states of animals – feelings, aims, memories, anticipations, conscious and unconscious – are empathically felt by God and form part of the very life of God.  God is a fellow-sufferer who understands.​
  4. When we humans are in the presence of animals, we can see and feel their presence as subjects of their own lives.  We can feel them in a godly way.  It's not just that we find God in them; its also that, when we live with respect and care for them, they find God in us.  God is in the relationships, too.
  5. We need not understand their languages, but we can trust that their grunts and groans, screeches and growls, cackles and caws, quacks and croaks, brays and clucks add richness to the life of God, even as they add richness to our own.  God could not be fully God without the experiences of other animals.
  6. Dogs and cats and other animals can be beloved companions in our lives; our relations with them can be rich and meaningful for us and for them.  We need not love them more than other humans, but we need not love them less, either.​
  7. If there is a continuing journey after death, animals undertake those journeys, too.  Their lives are not limited to this life.  And those journeys end in something like 'heaven,' then there are animals in heaven, too.
  8. The call of God within our souls is a call to build beloved communities and ecological civilizations, it is a call to build societies for people, animals, and the earth.  It is not just the web of life, but the nodes in the web (individual lives) that deserve respect and care, wonder and awe.

The Animals in our Lives

Book Recommendation
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The animal lovers among us need our companions.  The dogs and cats, of course, and also the people who, like us, love dogs and cats and other creatures, and share their stories with us.  Together we become an informal community of people who sense that God is found in other animals and our relationships with them, and who find ourselves drawn to build communities that are good for people, other animals, and the earth.  They need not be "process theologians," of course.  They can be more traditional,  But they will sense that God shares in the perspectives of all creatures and sees the world through the eyes, among others, of gentle, medium size whales.  This book introduces us to this community, and it is well worth purchasing for the companionship it offers.  To purchase click here.
 'These 43 winsome, varied, and inspirational stories by 24 talented, animal-loving writers, recount experiences with dogs and cats, sheep and horses, backyard birds, woodland deer, and other surprising creatures. The encounters and adventures of people and animals include childhood memories, individual and family experiences, and wilderness adventures. They all celebrate the companionship we have with animals both domestic and wild, in good times and bad. As fellow creatures, we give animals attention and care, and they give us so much in return. If we listen and observe, they teach us about God and about ourselves. This inspirational volume will evoke laughter, tears, and the experience of awe. The animals in our lives have entertained us, helped us, taught us, played with us, mourned with us, even worked with us. They have helped us experience God’s presence in our lives."
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction by Catherine Lawton /11

OUR DOGS /15
Pal: My First Show Dog by Susan Bulanda /17
Shelly: Walking Through Empty Nest Syndrome by Catherine Lawton /20
A Dog-Nose Miracle by Janyne McConnaughey /31
Rocky II by John Buzzard /34
Finding Freedom, Experiencing Joy by Gayle M. Irwin /40
Grace: The Distractive Therapist by Beverly Coons /44
What’s in a Name? by Janyne McConnaughey /48
Bogar: A Dog In The Holocaust by Kathy Rubin /52
Aisha by Alice Scott-Ferguson /61
Scout: My Soul Mate by Susan Bulanda /66
Buster: The Problem PK by Beverly Coons and Catherine Lawton /70
A Wet-Nosed Therapist by Gayle M. Irwin /79
Bruna by Alice Scott-Ferguson /82
Maggie by Dennis and Kit Ellingson /84

OUR CATS /87
Better Than a Guard Dog by Jeanie Flierl /89
Bob, An Angel At My Doorstep by Nancy Swihart /93
Taking In Stray Cats by Dennis and Kit Ellingson /98
The Cat We Left Behind by Jacob Stern /100

OUR FARM ANIMALS /103
My “Hey, Sheep” by Nancy Swihart /105
Wyndham: The Gentle Giant by Beverly Coons /110
Dust Bowl Days by G.H. Cummings /113
What Charlene Taught Me by Millie Bay /120
Netta and the Sheep-Pony by Millie Bay /124
Run To Safety! by Marilyn Bay /127
Freckles: The Faithful Farm Dog by Marilyn Bay /130
A Peacock For Moving Day by Nancy Swihart /133
Prayer Meeting With the Cows by Nancy Swihart /138
A Country Pastor-Farmer’s Flock by Dennis and Kit Ellingson /141

OUR UNUSUAL PETS /145
Grace Sings on Cricket Wings by Carol O’Casey /147
Bo Bo, the Hedgehog by Susan Elaine Jenkins /152
Toads and Salamanders by Catherine Lawton /159
Dostoevsky the Iguana by Judith Galblum Pex /162
Honeybees by Catherine Lawton /168

OUR WILD ANIMAL ENCOUNTERS /171
Swimming With Dolphins by Judith Galblum Pex /173
Backyard Birds by Catherine Lawton /178
Beginner’s Luck by Larry Lawton /180
Encounters of Wonder by Mary Harwell Sayler /186
Animals in the Wildfire by Catherine Lawton /188
Reminder That God Is With Us by Sarah Suzanne Noble /191
Wild Observations by Susan Roberts /192
The Chase: It Happened On Londonberry Street by Catherine Lawton /195
It’s A Bear! by Catherine Lawton /197
Love That Will Not by Alice Scott-Ferguson /201


More Articles on Animals in Open Horizons
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​​​
  1. The New Science of Understanding Dog Behavior
  2. Birdwatching as a Way of Practicing Process Theology​
  3. ​​​​​​How Dolphin are You? Claiming Your Inner Dolphin
  4. Gunda's Perspective: The Subjectivity of other Animals in Open and Relational Theology​
  5. ​Hey, I Count, Too.  Making Space for Animals ​in a Relational Worldview
  6. To Perceive the Feelings of Other Animals: Process Theology, Anne Benvenuti, and Richard Rohr
  7. ​A Rabbit as My Guide: Lessons from Hunny Bun
  8. Prayer to the Giraffe God
  9. ​Maggie the Pseudo-Beagle: Barkley Thompson
  10. ​The Salvation of Elephants: Practicing a Planetary Ethic
  11. The Practice of Religion in Animals
  12. The New Science of Understanding Dog Behavior
  13. Turtles and Whales (and us)
  14. She is a Benefit to Herself
  15. Spiritual Bonds with Chickens
  16. The Horse as Priest
  17. Cats as Spiritual Teachers
  18. Becoming the Person my Dog thinks I am
  19. The Holiness of God: A Reflection by Bruce Epperly
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Open Horizons