What sort of morons are 'oxymorons'? They're figures of speech in which words with an opposite meaning are used together - wise fool, making haste slowly, etc. The Port Arthur tragedy got headlines around the world; as did our PM's swift response in reining in the gun lobby.

Now these 'sporting shooters' (I'm not referring to farmers and others who shoot to survive) are beginning to mobilize. They range in opinion from the dangerous redneck far-right to those who keep a gun for 'protection', and others who shoot for sport. It's the latter group I'm concerned with here.

I guess there are some good reasons why men (they're mostly males) should inflict pain/death on animals for fun, but I haven't heard them yet. And, speaking as a Christian, I find any sport where people set out to maim or kill a violation of the 'Creation mandate.' The Creator, says Genesis 1-3, has given humans responsibility to be good stewards of creation. All creation praises God (Psalm 148:9-10). God watches over the doe as it gives birth to the fawn, and God-as-sustainer provides food for the young ravens (Job 39:1, 38:41). Jesus said his Father cares for sparrows...

Sure, Christians have had different views here. Generally, Catholic countries are less humane than Protestant nations. In a conference to discuss ending the practice of transporting animals for 22 hours without a break for water or food (October 1994) Spain, Portugal and Italy resisted moves to treat animals more humanely. Britain and Germany voted on the opposite side. In Spain the Catholic hierarchy supports bull-fighting, in Canada fur trapping and seal hunting, in Norway whaling, and in Ireland many clergy enjoy hare coursing. Rome and Canterbury are more divided on issues of animal welfare than artificial contraception.

The saints disagree too. St Francis is well known for befriending animals.

But St. Thomas Aquinas wrote 'It is not wrong for man to make use of [animals], either by killing or in any way whatever.' Unfortunately Aquinas has carried more weight in Catholic officialdom. Catholic theology bears a heavy responsibility for much of the cruelty to animals in the Western world.

Was it Voltaire who wrote, 'Those who believe in absurdities will commit atrocities'? Calvin said we owe animals justice. Quaker George Fox encouraged his followers to 'do good' to them. John Wesley believed in animals' immortality.

It's ironic (moronic?) that our gung-ho culture should pay over $300 million

(U.S.) to watch 'Jurassic Park': a movie about large, fast, and better-armed animals hunting humans. Shades of 'Hollywood versus America'! On the other hand there's 'Babe' - a pig that can act but refuses to be a ham... :-)

Talk about a schizophrenic culture: we care about our pet dog or cat or horse, then eat turkey for Christmas. The killing of turkeys is often

brutal: these heavy birds are fully conscious when hung upside down by their legs on the conveyer belt before their throats are cut.

Now some argue that as animals are not spiritual/moral - or thoughtful - beings 'made in the image of God' then they are simply commodities to be exploited. But the relevant question is not 'can animals think?' but 'can animals suffer?' If they can, inflicting pain on them creates enormous moral problems.

The recent book by Jeffrey Masson & Susan McCarthy, 'When Elephants Weep', will make you weep, if you have any compassion. Animals, these authors point out, have emotional lives at least as complex as our own. Of course you don't have to be 'Christian' to be an animal liberationist. The world's expert there is a humanist - Professor Peter Singer, who edited 'The Great Ape Project'. He argues that apes have the intelligence of a two-year-old child and have three basic rights - life, liberty and prohibition of torture. So let the silent majority on this issue become more vocal.

Shooters are not sportsmen, they're vandals.

Rowland Croucher