Whale Wars

[Dr. Shane]

Has anyone seen this series on Animal Planet?

Whale Wars:

Quote:

Whale Wars is a weekly American reality television series that premiered on November 7, 2008 on Animal Planet. The show follows Captain Paul Watson, founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, as he and his crew aboard the MV Steve Irwin attempt to deter Japanese ships that hunt minke and fin whales in the Southern Ocean in the name of research.

There have been many controversial activities associated with what Sea Sheperd refers to as Operation Migaloo. The crew of the Sea Shepherd vessel MV Steve Irwin, named after the deceased popular television host and conservationist, tried to physically stop Japan's whaling in the Antarctic, throwing ground Methocel (which absorbs water and becomes very slippery) and stink bombs filled with Butyric acid onto the decks of whaling ships. Japan said the acid in the bombs stings the eyes. Among other activities used by the MV Steve Irwin and their crew was the tactic of attempting to sabotage the propeller by dropping steel cable underneath the hull of the boat. This was attempted multiple times with little or no result.

Also, Paul Watson has claimed, "There has never been an injury or death caused to any person in Sea Shepherd's entire history. Our record in this regard is unblemished." Yet, in Episode 1, a Zodiac inflatable boat was flipped with people on board, leaving them in Antarctic waters for a period of time; and, in Episode 6, a crewmember was critically injured during an attempted boarding of a Japanese vessel. Critics claim that Watson is a master at manipulating the media to push his own agenda.

On January 15, 2008, two Sea Shepherd activists (Ben Potts and Giles Lane) volunteered on a mission to board the Japanese whaling ship Yushin Maru № 2 without permission to deliver a letter from Paul Watson, but were detained by its crew, which led to a two-day stand-off and received immediate attention from the international media. The incident was captured by two cameras — one on the Zodiac inflatable boat Delta, which sent the two members, accompanied by the other on a recon helicopter. The illegal boarding of the vessel and the crew members' days-long detention, in fact, strained relations between Australia and Japan.

Captain Watson was allegedly shot during the campaign; however, the bullet was stopped by the bulletproof vest he was wearing and a badge behind the vest.

On this evenings episode one of the crew members said she was willing to give her life to save a whale because the loss of a whale's life is a greater loss to the world's eco-system than the loss of a human life.

[Neil D]

Quote:

On this evenings episode one of the crew members said she was willing to give her life to save a whale because the loss of a whale's life is a greater loss to the world's eco-system than the loss of a human life.

So, Shane,....is she right in her assessment?

[Dr. Shane]

Well,,, I am not an eco scientist. Bravus may be better qualified than me to answer that. I do know however that Christ died for humans but not for whales. Christ also gave man dominion over all life on Earth. That is not to say we are not to take care of it, as Adam and Eve were commanded to dress and keep the garden. However our lives are valued more than that of the sparrow or the whale.

It is a good show though. Very interesting.

[Neil D]

To your understanding, are your favorite pets going to be resurrected in the new earth? If so, why?

[Dr. Shane]

I don't know if Christ will recreate pets for the saved to enjoy in heaven or not. However I know that God was the first to kill an animal. The reason He killed an animal was to make clothing for humans. His example tells us a lot about the value of a human compared to an animal.

[Neil D]

Really? You have never heard the story that God loves you so much that your favorite pet will be in heaven as well as you?

Anyone else heard that story? Or is that not common in Adventist myths?