Holy Bats?

A follow-up to yesterday's rant about bats in our residential belfry... 

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Today, after the 8 a.m. Mass, as I was standing in the narthex saying goodbye to parishioners, one of my Bible Study regulars approached me and said:

"Read your blog last night, about the bats, and wondered if the Bible says anything about bats. Do you know?"

"Don't eat them," I replied. "I think that's the only bat reference in Scripture, but I'll check."

This happens far too often. My Bible Study participants -- and we now have 100 or more -- are always putting me to work. They assume I'm some sort of Scriptural scholar, which I certainly am not, and think I can just rattle off passage and verse.  In fact, the older I get, the harder it is to remember pretty much anything. I not only forget basic facts, as well as passages I once knew by heart, but I also forget that I even once might have known them.

Anyway, I was aware of several references to bats in the Torah, certainly in Leviticus, but also in Deuteronomy. I had a fuzzy recollection that both addressed the fact that bats were considered "unclean" and should not be eaten. 

When I got home, I decided to see if I were correct and checked out the relevant references. Here's what Leviticus has to say:

"Of the birds, these you shall loathe; they shall not be eaten, they are loathsome: the griffon vulture, the bearded vulture, the black vulture, the kite, the various species of falcons, the various species of crows, the eagle owl, the kestrel, the long-eared owl, the various species of hawks, the little owl, the cormorant, the screech owl, the barn owl, the horned owl, the osprey, the stork, the various species of herons, the hoopoe, and the bat" [Lev 11:13-19].

I found it interesting that the bat is listed last among the "birds." I'm sure Moses and Aaron realized the bat isn't a bird. After all, one look at a bat and you can see it's a mammal. But because it has wings and flies it probably seemed to fit this category better than any other.

Deuteronomy also addresses the fact that bats are unclean; indeed, the passage is almost a verbatim repetition of the passage from Leviticus:

"You may eat all clean birds. But you shall not eat any of the following: the griffon vulture, the bearded vulture, the black vulture, the various kites and falcons, all kinds of crows, the eagle owl, the kestrel, the long-eared owl, all species of hawks, the little owl, the screech owl, the barn owl, the horned owl, the osprey, the cormorant, the stork, any kind of heron, the hoopoe, and the bat" [Dt 14:11-18].

Once again, the bat is listed last, right after the hoopoe, whatever that is.

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Okay, I couldn't just let it ride. I had to check out the hoopoe. Here's a photo: 

...an odd-looking bird. Probably doesn't taste like chicken…maybe that’s why it's unclean.

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...back to bats. I thought these were the only two Scriptural bat references...but I was wrong. There's another, from Isaiah 2. I've probably read these words 100 times, but just never captured the bat reference in my aging brain. Here's the passage:

"Then human pride shall be abased, the arrogance of mortals brought low, and the Lord alone will be exalted on that day. The idols will vanish completely. People will go into caves in the rocks and into holes in the earth, at the terror of the Lord and the splendor of his majesty, as he rises to overawe the earth. On that day people shall throw to moles and bats their idols of silver and their idols of gold which they made for themselves to worship" [Is 2:17-20].

The words are a portion of Isaiah's prophecy describing the Lord's Day of Judgment." It is the day of God's glory and its effect on all people. Earlier in this same chapter we read those famous words:

"They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; one nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again" [Is 2:4].

The fact that bats, along with moles, will be recipients of now useless idols of silver and gold doesn't add much to their stature. But the reference fits the situation, since "people will go into caves...and into holes," exactly where one might encounter bats and moles. At least God has given them a well-defined purpose on His glorious Day of Judgment, and by fulfilling that purpose, they serve Him. Let's pray that you and I do the same.

I think I'm beginning to like these critters a little more...but I still want them out of my house.

Do Bats Get a Bum Rap?

I've been thinking a lot about bats lately, not baseball or cricket bats, but the kind of bats that fly in the night...you know, the scary kind. 

Why my sudden interest in bats? Because we're housing them, right here in our wonderful retirement home in Central Florida. Some time ago, while walking our dog, Maddie, in the pre-dawn hours, I noticed quite a few bats flying near our home. "Bats! How interesting," I thought, naively. Sometime later I saw quite a few of these flying critters circling over our home and began to suspect something perhaps less innocent was taking place. Then, a few days ago, I found a dying bat on our front walk, quite close to the door. I put the poor creature out of his misery and called our pest-control company who informed me that, "Yes, we take care of bats." 

They sent one of their inspectors, a lovely young woman named Natalie, who climbed up into our attic. I remember her first comment, "Oh, yes, I can hear them."  Much of our attic is pretty much inaccessible unless you're determined to crawl around in darkness and heat. I'm not. Natalie was. She then inspected our roof and eaves for entry and exit points. Natalie must love her job because that roof inspection took place during a torrential downpour. She took photos in the attic and showed me the extent of the infestation. Let's just say we've been housing a lot of bats, rent-free. I should have asked for copies of the photos, but I really didn't want to see them again.

I also learned that bats apparently have constitutional (or at least, legal) rights. Here in Florida, we may not bother them during certain times of the year, presumably during mating and birthing seasons. Fortunately, that's behind us so the bat eviction will begin on October 3. Sadly, it's not an inexpensive process since it includes evicting the bats, closing off all entries and exits, and cleaning and sanitizing our attics. 

Anyway, this got me thinking about bats, something I'll admit I've rarely done before. I call bats scary because, well, they are. I consider bats, as I consider some of God's other creations, and find myself asking, "Why?" Why did He make sea snakes, or brown recluse spiders, or mosquitos, or rats, or a host of other similar creatures I've encountered over the years? I can't help but think the earth's eco-system could still survive well enough without these rather pesky wild things running, slithering, or swimming about. Of course, I'm likely wrong about this since God certainly knows what He's about, while I on the other hand have a near lifelong history of getting most things wrong. I'll accept, then, that bats are not the result of some sort of divine accident, since such a thing is impossible.

There's no need, therefore, to lecture me on the natural beneficence of bats. I too have watched those TV documentaries and realize bats do some good things. They pollinate plants, especially fruits, eat lots of insects (including mosquitos), eat other little nasty creatures, and do most of it in the dark while the rest of the flying world, except perhaps owls, sleep. They've even inspired many technological advances due to their rather remarkable echolocation capabilities. 

Yes, bats do some good things, but they're still scary. I think their scariness stems from their general makeup. 

First, they're creatures of the night, rarely an acceptable trait. Criminals do their best work at night, for the hours of darkness provide cover for nefarious deeds. And many predators, including those we fear, do their hunting at night. I suppose we project our human tendencies and pigeonhole most creatures of the night, assuming they're up to no good. After all, if you're making your way through a dark forest or jungle, and you realize you're being stalked by a large, hungry predator, it's little consolation to know that it's all part of nature's way. Being eaten is never good for the eatee. 

Bats also seem to deny natural selection, presenting us with a kind of freakish hybrid, a half-mammal, half-bird creature that shouldn't exist. Yes, I know, they're not half-bird but are simply mammals with wings. But I expect many people -- and I'll admit the thought has crossed my mind -- consider them nothing more than flying rats. After all, the very words, bat and rat, are way too similar. Coincidence? 

Of course, Bram Stoker did little to help the reputation of bats when he published his novel, Dracula, in 1897. Stoker, in his novel, coupled bats with vampires, in particular with Count Dracula of Transylvania. I suppose Stoker could have coupled vampires with any animal he chose, but, really, bats are absolutely perfect. Indeed, the vampire bat, a species that drinks the blood of other animals, actually exists. As you can see in the below photo, these truly are scary critters.

Anyway, by next month I trust bats will be behind me, far behind me, letting me focus on happier, less scary thoughts.