For reasons known primarily to the PCC crowd, I’ve been reading and studying about a lot of different anmials these days. Some might argue that all God’s creatures are beautiful. Well, I’m willing to say they are amazing but not beautiful. Just today I heard about the Scotoplane – aka the Sea Pig.
Honestly, if I were a pig – I’d be offended.
Husband. Father. Senior Pastor of 
not even sure what to say about that…
From an Orthodox perpsective, one cannot properly “know” anything or anyone without viewing them through compassion. Consider this quote from St. Isaac the Syrian:
“What is a merciful heart? It is a heart on fire for the whole of creation, for humanity, for the birds, for the animals, for demons, and for all that exists. By the recollection of them the eyes of a merciful person pour forth tears in abundance. By the strong and vehement mercy that grips such a person’s heart, and by such great compassion, the heart is humbled and one cannot bear to hear or to see any injury or slight sorrow in any in creation. For this reason, such a person offers up tearful prayer continually even for irrational beasts, for the enemies of the truth, and for those who harm her or him, that they be protected and receive mercy. And in like manner such a person prays for the family of reptiles because of the great compassion that burns without measure in a heart that is in the likeness of God.”
No offense to St. Isaac (whose depth of understanding of God’s compassion is profound and whose writings I love), but I’m drawing the line at sea pigs!
it actually looks llike god just went screw it and put that on earth lol