Within ancient Jewish culture, your name wasn’t simply what you were called; rather it spoke of your very essence. To ask someone’s name was to ask ‘who are you?’ Therefore the giving of a new name was to bestow someone with a new identity.
… and he brought Simon to Jesus. When Jesus saw him, He said, “You are Simon, son of John. You will be called Cephas” [which means “Peter”]. –John 1:42
Yet it is not just humans who are given names! After God named Adam (Genesis 2:19), God instructed Adam to name the animals and to be loving and responsible for them.
And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field… –Genesis 2:20
Yet by what names do we call them today? Has not our culture’s general apathy towards animals christened them as product, experiment, sport or ingredient? Have we not in turn named ourselves as consumers, masters or despots?
Rethinking how society regards non-human life is of prime importance if animal misuse is to be named for what it is and tackled accordingly.
Therefore, to encourage animals to be positively named and raise awareness for the 2017 Creature Conference (details coming soon), we are now receiving entries to our Named in Love competition.
How to Enter
Simply take a photo of an animal whom you name in love! This could be a selfie with your pet, a bird in the garden, a squirrel who pinched your lunch, the dog who ate your work or perhaps something more serious and thought provoking. A wonderful opportunity to be creative and have fun! Check out this great entry from Dr Andy Alexis-Baker as an example:
Email your photos to info@sarx.org.uk or tweet them to us @sarx_uk
Do also share on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram accounts with the hashtag #NamedInLove
Closing date 30th September 2016.
The winner will receive a hamper of goodies!
