I'm reluctant to contribute anything further to the debate about the Jay Akasie article about the General Convention in last week's Wall Street Journal, considering how easy it is to knock down his errors (see Scott Gunn's blog for a comprehensive list), but I can't stop myself from weighing in on the pet funerals question.
Let's be clear that the General Convention did not authorize pet funerals. It authorized a service of comfort for someone grieving at the loss of a pet. It's actually a lovely document, but compare it to the burial offices in the Book of Common Prayer and it's easy to spot that there is no equivalency here. This is a kind pastoral office, not a theological statement on the soul.
Still, would it be so wrong if it were? In one of tonight's Psalms for evening prayer, we come across this: "Your righteousness is like the strong mountains, your justice like the great deep; you save both man and beast, O Lord." (Ps. 36:6). I don't know about you, but this sounds like a virtual mandate for miniature caskets to me.
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