|  | KINDNESS TO ANIMALS | 
	| 1 | Then, O ye friends of God!  Ye must not only have kind and 
merciful feelings for mankind, but ye should also exercise the utmost 
kindness towards every living creature.  The physical sensibilities 
and instincts are common to animal and man.  Man is, 
however, negligent of this reality and imagines that sensibility is 
peculiar to mankind, therefore he practices cruelty to the animal.  
In reality what difference is there in physical sensations!  Sensibility 
is the same whether you harm man or animal:  there is no 
difference.  Nay, rather, cruelty to the animal is more painful because 
man has a tongue and he sighs, complains and groans when 
he receives an injury and complains to the government and the 
government protects him from cruelty; but the poor animal 
cannot speak, it can neither show its suffering nor is it able to 
appeal to the government.  If it is harmed a thousand times by 
man it is not able to defend itself in words nor can it seek justice 
or retaliate.  Therefore one must be very considerate towards animals 
and show greater kindness to them than to man.  Educate 
the children in their infancy in such a way that they may become 
exceedingly kind and merciful to the animals.  If an animal is 
sick they should endeavor to cure it; if it is hungry, they should 
feed it; if it is thirsty, they should satisfy its thirst; if it is tired, 
they should give it rest. | 
	| 2 | Man is generally sinful and the animal is innocent; unquestionably 
one must be more kind and merciful to the innocent.  The 
harmful animals, such as the bloodthirsty wolf, the poisonous snake 
and other injurious animals are excepted, because mercy towards 
these is cruelty to man, and other animals.  For instance, if you 
show kindness to a wolf this becomes a tyranny to the sheep, for 
it may destroy an entire flock of sheep.  If you give the opportunity 
to a mad dog it may be the cause of the destruction of a 
thousand animals and men.  Therefore, sympathy to the ferocious 
animal is cruelty to the peaceful animal, so they should be done 
away with.  To the blessed animals, however, the utmost kindness 
should be exercised:  the more the better it will be. | 
	| 3 | This sympathy and kindness is one of the fundamental principles 
of the divine kingdom.  Ye should pay great attention to this 
question. |