A recent poll revealed that 50 percent of people, if faced with the decision, would save their pet before another human being. That may surprise some people, but I’m not one of them. I realize that this article may disturb those who consider the value of their animal’s life equal to or more than they value human life.  
I had many dogs in my lifetime and treated them well. Jeanne tells people that I used to give “Thumper,” a dog I picked up on the highway, Blue Bell ice cream. I have never abused an animal and believe you can tell a person by the way they treat their pets, but to put their life value equal to humans is ridiculous.
One young lady told me that her dog will definitely go straight to Heaven because he has a pure heart. Can you imagine Heaven, with streets of gold, having dogs and cats parading up and down doing their own thing? I think not, but if a person believes that, I can handle it. However, I’m sure Heaven is a place prepared for those who have accepted Jesus as their Lord and are considered the saints of God.
On Sunday I went to church in Baton Rouge, and the pastor’s sermon was about the conditions in America. He said that we have
too many churches with dead preachers, preaching a dead message to a dead congregation. I agree with that.  
Talking about churches, when I got home and reached for the newspaper, I read on the front page, “Pets in the pews. Pastor welcomes animals to church.” The article stated that a New Orleans pastor welcomes pets as part of the church family. Pastor William Terry of St. Anna’s Episcopal Church says he considers a couple with a 22-month son and their dog, “Maddie,” as a family of four. He said that this church recognizes the value of animals in our lives as more than simply a dog or a cat; pets add profound value to our lives. I believe that, but they are not human.
The article that took up almost a whole page had pictures of church members at the communion rail with their dogs. Another picture showed a man sitting in a pew with his dog at the pet-friendly church service.  
The article, written by Chris Bynum, was well done. I certainly believe that a dog can be a person’s best friend, but the bottom line is it is not a human. It’s an animal.  
A man once told me that he liked his dog because when he came home, the dog wagged his tail instead of his tongue, like most people do.
The churches in America will go to any length to attract people instead of giving them the only thing that changes lives – The Word of God.
If you have any questions or comments, please write to Get High on Life, P.O. Drawer U, Reserve, LA 70084, call 985-652-8477, or email hkeller@comcast.net.