text: Given the wisdom and sensitivity that are available to us at this stage of history, the "higher forms of consciousness" by which we human beings can glorify God, and can "be ourselves fully," should reach to overcome the traditional anthropocentrism of biblical civilization and Christianity.
  
  At the Blessing of the Animals that took place at my church a couple of hours ago, I was appalled to hear a liturgy focused on the dignity of human beings, and gratitude to God for giving us animals to serve us. To my disbelief, there was something like this: "God saved the animals along with Noah and his family from the flood" -- never mind that God just allowed the great majority of animals, all of them naturally guiltless, to drown just so he could make his point -- , "and included the animals in the covenant he then made with Noah" -- what?!, he filled the animals with the fear of mankind, and instructed Noah to start eating them! The animals would be very glad to be left out of that deal.