Read this and let me know what you think?

Question

Today and yesterday on a local radio station, they were playing a tape of a call into a Texas radio station. (I think it was a Christian station.)

This little boy called in very disturbed about an old cow on his farm or whatever. He sounded no older than 9 or 10. He was talking about the cow had broken her back and he put her down himself and was sort of crying and obviously disturbed about this whole situation. (Where was his mama??) Then he went on to talk about the cow dying was the same as God giving up Jesus to die for us. The radio guy was like, yes, that's true, absolutely true.

Am I a cold heartless you know what or am I the only person who thinks that makes no sense whatsoever?? Obviously, I feel for the boy and hope someone helped him with the loss of the cow, the death of which seemed to really hurt him. Plus, he is probably way too young to have put an animal down!!

But from a religious standpoint, how does what he was saying make sense?

Sophia - I totally get your point and I would NEVER say anything to further hurt the kid. I'm not saying the dj should have bashed him or anything like that. It got me to thinking and I wanted to discuss it with the grown-ups, you know what I mean?

Again I'm not saying the radio host should have done anything different. Certainly saying something to shoot the kid down would have been bad. I'm just trying to make sense of what the boy was saying, is all.

Answer 1

From a religious standpoint it does not make any sense. The fact that a person would compare a dying cow to Jesus to a child is ridiculous.

Answer 2

I don't think it is a valid expectation for such a young person to be ready for a grown up faith, or for the adult interacting with them to stop and correct their theology while thy're in pain. There's a time to hurt and a time to get your faith straight. When grief sets in and people start grasping, sometimes it's best to let them grab onto anything that floats.

And I can see a childish metaphor there. The animal was broken and suffering and the child loved it - but he killed it for the good of the cow and for the others who are affected by the cow. Perhaps the cow even in death will give of its body to sustain the family. There is no perfect metaphor here, but the boy found a point fo connection with the way Christians have typically viewed God's experience over Jesus (to the extent thinking about a deity like a normal human makes any sense at all).

If I had been present, I might've stuck with that and used it to let the boy express his own experience. What did he feel that makes it seem like the sacrifice of Christ? That can be important stuff.

Answer 3

Bear in mind the context of what you are saying.
We exist in a VERY sheltered society. The most sheltered in history. We are so opposed to death and sacrifice that we go to great lengths to hide from our human frailty. Take for example Nursing Homes. Studies have shown that while keeping mom and dad at home instead of a home costs a lot more money, their life expectancy and satisfaction is significantly higher. Yet we ship them off like cattle because its depressing (My mother and step-father worked in that industry for about a decade. Its getting worse!!)
Now other cultures have several generations living under the same roof and deal with death on a much more familiar front than we do. So they have a different approach and respect for it than us.
I don't think you are being a " a cold heartless you know what," as you are just operating within the confines of our instant gratification, live fast-die young, culture. But not everyone here espouses such virtues.
Within the religious context that the situation was made, I think it does make sense. The boy was heart-broken about the death of the animal. That pain is something that we need to instill. He will not pick up a PS3 controller, play Grand Theft Auto and think killing is as easy as it looks. The pain of loss will be there and it stands to argue that it will govern how he views life and other people.
Hard lessons should never be avoided simply because they are hard or because we don't understand them. I have heard of similar stories from friends who were raised Agnostic, which yielded the same results as this young boy. Its a reality that is not exclusive to a religion...as it is just part of life.
I say nothing said or done was inappropriate.

Answer 4

Sounds like a latchkey situation where there was no adult around to help the child. Having to put the animal down by himself, especially if the cow had been on the farm for many years, probably felt like having to shoot a family member. Thank God for his feelings! If he had been able to simply shoot the animal without being terribly upset about it-that would ultimately have been far worse for him.
I have no idea what the DJ was saying, he was probably dumbfounded by the whole thing and trying to comfort the poor kid.
As a young adult I had to have a family pet put down due to a stroke which left him paralyzed. My parent's were out-of-state and unreachable, and having the dog euthanized was very traumatic. I can only imagine how tough it would be on a child who had to do this by himself, rather than have a vet do it. Poor kid. God be with him.

Answer 5

Before Jesus died on the cross Jews would sacrifice animals for their sins. These animals were to be unblemished and the best of the herd. The child may have just learned about this type of sacrifice and how these sacrifices are no longer necessary because of the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross. The cow was special to him and reminded him of Jesus dying for him. I'm sure his parents comforted him and he'll be o.k.

Answer 6

Well, the cow was resurrected in the form of steaks, which provide the food that feeds us.

Nah, it has no real relevance at all.


OTOH, even I would not have the heart to tell that kid that he was talking rubbish, especially while on the airwaves.

I may be a cold heated atheist, but that does not mean that I kick puppies for fun.

Answer 7

Assuming this is a true story, the radio host was most likely providing some comfort to the boy. The boy was trying to rationalize the event from his standpoint, drawing on references he was familiar with. But then again, we kill animals to provide food for our physical survival. Jesus died on the cross as a sacrifice for our sins to provide for our spiritual survival.

Answer 8

He was a 9 year old boy filled with compassion that knows the Bible. Do you really expect what he says to make that much sense.

He is obviously very mature for his age to know how to care for livestock. When he gets older, he will be able to express himself in a way that you understand.

Answer 9

Those are dramatized, scripted stories, produced specifically for Christian radio stations to teach some specific religious idea or another. All the voices are actors

Answer 10

The young man ws is deep pain emotionally so in his mind of which there was some religious training equated it to the crucifixion. If he need the comfort of this there is nothing wrong with his reasoning. Whatever does the job is quite ok.