Answer
The term furry has shown up recently in our culture and refers to someone with a strong interest in humanoid animals. A humanoid is a non-human entity with human form or characteristics, such as the ability to talk, the wearing of clothes, the expression of emotion, and more. Furries, then, are people who identify with animals as a way of relating to the environment around them.
Those involved in furry fandom have different ways of expressing their interest in anthropomorphic animals. Some create artwork or design a digital furry avatar to represent them online or in gaming. Some furries dress up in oversized animal suits called “fursuits” and then act as their animal character, usually within a community of other furries. Others will be more minimalistic, wearing cat ears or a tail, for example. A furry will even talk about having a “fursona”—an animal character’s persona or personality. The practice is similar to cosplay, in which a person dresses up as a non-animal character (such as a superhero or fantasy character) and then roleplays that character with other people.
Most furries are quick to differentiate themselves from a subgroup of the fandom called the “therians.” A therian is someone who identifies as an animal and believes that to be the core of his or her identity. A therian who takes on a fox persona, for example, will think of himself as a literal fox—a fox trapped in a human body. Most furries simply identify with animals and use their created animal characters to represent their human identity. Some distance themselves further from the furry fandom altogether by calling themselves “furry animal artists“ rather than “furries.“
According to some statistics, over 75 percent of furries are 25 years of age or younger (www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/lifestyle-buzz/a-guide-to-furries-and-furry-fandom-the-celebration-of-anthropomorphized-animals/ar-AA1hW8j5, accessed 9/3/24). As for sexuality, over half of furries identify themselves (in their non-animal persona) as something other than exclusively heterosexual (https://furscience.com/research-findings/appendix-1-previous-research/international-summer-2011, accessed 9/3/24).
As with many other topics related to one’s identity, the issue of furry fandom can be confusing and difficult to pin down. While there is nothing wrong with liking a particular character, dressing up in a costume, or engaging in the performing arts, immersion in furry culture, as commonly expressed, is not in line with God’s creative purposes for humanity.
The Bible does not use the term furry, but it does clearly teach us about identity and how we are to relate to other people.
The Bible teaches that the core of one’s identity is as a human male or female, created in God’s image and after His likeness (Genesis 1:26–27). “About one in three furries feel less than 100 percent human“ (msn.com, op cit.), and that is a problem. Rather than seek to escape reality, we should embrace truth. Our identity is not to be found in furry fandom or animal fantasies, but in Christ (Galatians 2:20). Our sense of belonging should come from the fellowship of the Spirit within the church, not from furry conventions or “conFURances“ (Romans 12:5).
A Christian, then, should view furries as people who need the love and grace of God. Furries are not animals but humans made in God’s image. A Christian should point furries to the grace of Jesus just as they would with anyone else lost in sin or confused by this world’s ideas.
Christians should be bold in speaking truth about what is right and wrong, appropriate and inappropriate. But Christians are also to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15) and set love as the motivating factor in all that we do in interacting with others (1 Corinthians 16:14).
