The earliest life forms scientists are currently aware of are microbes which left evidence of their presence in rocks about 3.7 billion years ago, according to the website of the National Museum of Natural History. Christ, which I’m using here as a synonym for God, not as an exclusive title for Jesus of Nazareth, was in them.

The first clusters of specialized, cooperating cells evolved about 800 million years ago. The same source states rocks as old as 700 million years feature preserved chemical compounds from sponges, but molecular evidence suggests these Poriferans developed earlier. Christ was in the multicellular organisms.Approximately 580 million years ago, during the Ediacaran Period, different kinds of biota emerged, according to the website of the National Museum of Natural History. These were seafloor organisms shaped like fronds, ribbons, and other things. There is fossil evidence of such biota throughout the world. Christ was in them.

The Cambrian Period, which lasted from 541-485 million years ago, saw the introduction of many new forms of life. The aforementioned source says these creatures developed hard body parts for burrowing and defined heads and tails for chasing prey. Christ was in predator and prey alike.

This antagonism was a reflection of a ‘fallen’ universe, not fully united in Christ. Resolving such conflicts, which have since grown infinitely greater and more complicated, is the work of building the ‘Kingdom of God.’ It is the vision of the ‘Peaceable Kingdom,’ in which the wolf lives with the lamb.

The first dinosaurs emerged after the Permian mass extinction, which occurred about 252 million years ago, according to Discover magazine. They lived until another mass die-off 66 million years ago. Scientists believe this was triggered by a six-mile-wide asteroid hitting Mexico. Christ was in these reptiles.

The oldest mammal ever identified was a small shrew-like creature, Brasilodon quadrangularis, that lived 225 million years ago, according to the CNN website. This means it lived alongside some of the earliest dinosaurs. Scientists verified the discovery using fossilized dental records. Christ was in these mammals.

The first primate species is debated. Smithsonian Magazine states it was likely a rat-sized creature that appeared about 65 million years ago. Some scientists name the Purgatorius as the initial member of our kind, while others list the Altiatlasius. They were discovered in Montana and Morrroco. Christ was in both.The oldest Homo sapiens fossils anthropologists have discovered are 315,000 years old, according to a separate Discover article. Our species may have emerged as much as half a million years ago. We are unique in our ability to inflict mass suffering and death on other creatures, while being capable of choosing otherwise. Christ is in us.

For most of our existence, we foraged and hunted, the proportion of each presumably depending on the local environment. National Geographic states humans began domesticating plants and animals about 12,000 years ago. Christ is in plants, but they don’t have desires or feel pain, so they are different than sentient creatures.

Today, human exploitation of our fellow animals has transformed into a vast network of fisheries and factory farms, which cover the earth. We kill more than a trillion aquatic and land animals every year for food. To put that in a bit of perspective, only 117 billion humans have ever lived, according to the Population Reference Bureau.Due to our privileged place of dominion over the planet, we have the responsibility to unite other creatures in Christ to the best of our ability. We don’t have the technology or knowledge of ecosystems to successfully intervene in violence between animals, but we can certainly eliminate our own violence toward them.

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I’m the author of a number of books of animal-rights history. As a journalist, I’ve written for The San Francisco Chronicle, The Lake Placid News, Slate, The Plattsburgh Press Republican, The Adirondack Daily Enterprise, and Splice Today, among many other publications. Visit it Blog Here