In the age of social distancing, many religious leaders are choosing to help keep their congregations spiritually and physically healthy by livestreaming their weekly messages. And for those who know that Christ’s compassion was meant for all of creation, PETA’s Christian outreach division, LAMBS, is offering a kind and colorful Zoom background for free:
Download PETA’s Free Zoom Background
The backdrop is also a great option for regular livestream services for those who are unable to attend as well as for worship leaders, church musicians, Sunday school teachers, and anyone else joining Zoom meetings.
© iStock.com/Enjoylife2Advocate for Animals on Easter Sunday
If you’re attending a Zoom church service on Easter Sunday, encourage empathy for animals by downloading PETA’s Easter-themed Zoom backgrounds that feature the anti-speciesist messages below.
Download PETA’s Easter-Themed Zoom Backgrounds
To save and use the background:
- Right-click on the image
- Save the image to your desktop
- Open Zoom in a web browser and sign in
- Click “Settings” on the left-hand side of the screen
- In Settings, click on “In Meeting Advanced”
- Click on “Enable Virtual Backgrounds”
- Open a new Zoom meeting
- On the “Stop Video” icon, click the “^” arrow
- Click the “Choose Virtual Background” option
- Click the “+” button to upload an image
- Select the LAMBS background image and click “Open”
Love All Your Neighbors: Go Vegan
Just like practicing our faith, being vegan is essential. It’s the best and easiest way we can prevent billions of animals a year from suffering and dying in the meat, egg, and dairy industries; reverse the devastating effects of climate change; and end the obesity, diabetes, cancer, and heart disease epidemics plaguing our country.
Many theologians maintain that the Garden of Eden—God’s perfect creation—was vegan. Genesis 1:29–30 says the following:
Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.
Later in Genesis, we learn that God created humans in His image and according to His likeness, and He told us to steward the Earth and all of the animals on it. And what is God’s likeness? Again and again throughout the Bible, God shows us mercy that we do not deserve, grace that we have not earned, and love that we cannot fathom. We are made in that likeness and are charged with reflecting those qualities to the rest of creation. Being made in the image of God is a call to practice caretaking, compassion, and mercy.
In the middle of a pandemic caused by humans’ exploitation of animals for food, there is no better time to answer that call and extend our circle of compassion. Download PETA’s Zoom background for free here. And if you need a little help from God to make the switch to vegan living, check out Pastor Rick Warren’s The Daniel Plan: 40 Days to a Healthier Life.
