>But you gotta admit that this post on the CNN Belief blog is just plain ridiculous. Is it me or does this make a mockery of the sacred act that is prayer? It has some cuteness value for sure, but maybe that’s the problem. Something as spiritual and powerful as prayer is reduced to an ‘awww….isn’t that so cute?”It’s left to the realm of entertainment and warm fuzzies rather than the incredibly dignifying, almost divine privilege that God has given to his chief creation to make the spiritual a present reality. A dog taking a praying posture is no more prayer than my 9-month old son chewing an action figure toy is cannibalism.

Regardless of what you think about the spirituality and souls of animals (or lack thereof), what such a videospot does is to reduce the dignity of man in that prayer is an expression of what it means to be made in the image of God. We have the communicative, relational, and creative ability to talk with God, invoke His presence, and to believe God’s promised future, thus praying it into reality. No animal has that privilege or commission. Only we get to pray (there are some serious implications to this in that what does that make us if we don’t pray?) Animals don’t pray. They just get provided for.

Let’s remember that prayer is a sacred and dignifying act – reserved for image-bearers, and let’s express that dignity today by praying.