I was reading a magazine today at the office and I came across an article entitled "Pet Worship". A pastor (female) of a Congregational church in Massachusetts has created a service for people to bring their dogs to the service........

Her justification..... Psalm 148:10

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Joseph F Scibbe
Chaplain Assistant
Chapel of Wings Ft Rucker Al
Ephesians 1:4-7, 1 Thessalonians 2:8, Romans 12:1-2
Titus 2:2 - But you, teach what accords with sound doctrine.

http://twitter.com/just_joe_scibbe

Lutheran, Episcopal, and Roman Catholic churches have been doing this kind of thing for decades (if not centuries)...

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Todd K. Pedlar
member, First Congregational Church, (CCCC) Cresco, IA
http://inprincipiodeus.solideogloria.com
http://puritanwisdom.blogspot.com

"As God did not at first choose you because you were high, He will not now forsake you because you are low."
John Flavel in Keeping the Heart



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Off Topic:Several people at my church bring their dogs to worship. This is what you get when you live in Montana. Why would you need a special service to do this?

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Kathleen M
nondenominational
Montana

I had a first this past week. I petted a very large Golden Retriever during my sermon. He had opened the bedroom door and wandered in to the room where we where having service. He sauntered up to me, sat down right in front of me between my legs, I was sitting, and plopped his head on my knee.

Also, I'm really glad that transubstantiation is not what takes place during communion. One of the fellows tipped the plate holding the bread as it went around the room and a couple of pieces fell to the floor. They were cleaned in a jiffy by the dog. One of those interesting day you don't get unless you are meeting in a house.

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We shall not adjust our Bible to the age; but before we have done with it, by God's grace, we shall adjust the age to the Bible. - Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Lawrence Underwood, Jr.
Pastor - Providence Family Fellowship / Mobile, Alabama
1644/46 LBC
My Blog - Imprimis

I remember in Grand Rapids on Saint Francis day people could bring their pets in to be blessed at the local high church haunts.

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Pastor Nathan Eshelman, Los Angeles, CA
Reformed Presbyterian Church
PRESBYTERIAN THOUGHTS
Los Angeles Reformed Presbyterian Church
RPCLA Sermons Online
Puritan Reformed Seminary

Dogs had felt needs too.

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Josh Hicks, Chloë's Dad
Christ Covenant Reformed Presbyterian Church, RPCGA
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It is God that multiplies our sorrows.... God, as a righteous Judge, does it, which ought to silence us under all our sorrows; as many as they are, we have deserved them all, and more: nay, God, as a tender Father, does it for our necessary correction, that we may be humbled for sin, and weaned from the world by all our sorrows; and the good we get by them, with the comfort we have under them, will abundantly balance our sorrows, how greatly soever they are multiplied. - Matthew Henry

but why do they need to go to church? All dogs go to heaven, you know.

At my mothers United Methodist church, they had a time for baptizing dogs and cats.

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JD Ketterman
Member of Grace OPC, Vienna VA

This is a joke, right.

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John Lanier
Elder in Training
Reformed Baptist Church
Topeka, KS

I am going to assume that the aforementioned dogs are not for the seeing impaired. Would this be correct?

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Chris Bryant
Attending Redeemer Presbyterian Church (PCA), McKinney, TX
Member of Christ Presbyterian Church (PCA), Tulsa, OK
M.A.R., WTS/Redeemer Seminary, Dallas, TX (in progress)

Oh no they *di-int*.

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Rich Brown
Deacon/Webmaster
Aisquith PCA
Parkville, MD

Nope. This is no joke.

My dog sits and listens to my iPod (WHI, R.C. Sproul, Mohler, Covenant Radio, Gary Demar, GPTS seminars, Covenant Seminary classes, etc.) while I exercise.

He is weak on OT (probably a problem with Ps 22:20; Prov 26:11; Ecc 9:4), but excels at DOGmatics.

No he has not been baptized, but he does a lot of sprinkling in our back yard.

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Dennis E. McFadden, Ex Mainline Baptist (in Remission)
Atherton Baptist Homes, CEO
First Baptist Church of Alhambra, Member, Transformation Ministries (CA)

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I suppose he also gets offended whenever he hears about the Israelites being commanded to destroy the Canine-ites...

I preached at a church once where a guy brought a (dressed) inflatable doll to the service.

I'm not kidding.

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Tim Phillips
Pastor, Midlane Park Presbyterian Church (ARP)
Louisville, KY
Husband of Scottish Lass
My Blog: Gairney Bridge
My Facebook/My Avatar

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"Wherever the gospel is preached, it is as if God Himself came into the midst of us." ~ John Calvin

While we're on silly things, our church in NY had a guy show up in a cow suit (complete with udder)...

That's udderly ridiculous.

Hmmm, if it had been the pastor, I might have asked if he were preaching on the return of the ark in 1 Samuel, since those cows were used. I'm sure someone would claim this isn't a violation of the RPW.

Was he a red heifer?

This thread should be a sticky!

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John Weathersby
Calvary Chapel
New Mexico

"For I decided to know nothing among you except
Jesus Christ and him crucified (1 Cor 2:2)".

Why the heck would someone come into church with an inflatable doll?

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Steven Nemes
Phoenix, AZ

Good philosophy must exist, if for no other reason, because bad philosophy must be answered - C.S. Lewis

I wonder if the dogs go up front and act like people at the Toronto airport (formerly Vineyard) group???

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Rich Koster
1689'er
Browns Mills NJ USA
Often Goofy Reformed Eccentric
Romans 7:14-25

This was definitely not a red heifer, but a good old fashioned black and white Holstein.

Didn't you Sam and Sedgewick there once?

-----Added 7/28/2009 at 04:11:59 EST-----

It wasn't this guy? Was it?

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Steven J. Carr (Sven)
http://beholdingthebeauty.blogspot.com/
Eagan, MN
PCA
"Weak is the effort of my heart / And cold my warmest thought / But when I see thee as thou art / I'll praise thee as I ought."--John Newton
Trophy Wife/Arm Candy: Crystal Ann Children: Steven Jr. and Hannah Grace

rat brains!

I think my dog might be Episcopalian.

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Nathan Tyler
Reformed Baptist
University of Toronto (Student: Hons. B.A. in Philosophy)
Ontario, Canada

1689'er

http://nathantyler.wordpress.com

OT: I get a kick over the dispensational fascination with red heifers. I remember reading a 'news' article a couple of years ago. Seem like the never seen red heifer was born in Israel. According to the article red heifers are never born and this was a sign that the new Temple was imminent. Obviously the very intelligent and knowledgeable writer has never been on a farm. Red heifers are born all the time, especially from Santa Gertrudis cows. Even Herefords drop all red calves.

In all seriousness, I believe he had mental problems. He was in his 20s, and his mother brought him to church. Beyond that, I don't know.

But I will say that if you can preach a sermon with an inflatable doll in the congregation, you can preach without fear just about anywhere.

I don't care about the dogs, but I'd love to see some video of a preacher baptizing a cat.

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Edward
Deacon
PCA
Texas

Probably not. But, maybe he was dressing up as the "cows of Bashan who are on the mountain of Samaria, Who oppress the poor, who crush the needy."