Thou shall not kill!

Ashley Mathura said:

One of the Ten Commandants is, Thou shall not kill. Does this apply to animals as well? Should I feel guilty eating meat if animals are regarded as God's precious creations?

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It could only be applied by animals as much as animals would be able to apply it.
They are not able to consider or govern their own actions to the extent we are able to do so. Their "law" is essentially written in their instincts -they can not write it -or alter that which is written to any great degree -themselves.
Still -some animals do "choose" on a certain level to not kill under certain circumstances -such as when a predator cares for the young of a prey animal.

Thou shalt not kill actually does apply to how we ought to treat animals, overall -though, by judgment of God, the consumption of animals was allowed temporarily -as has sometimes been the killing of humans. The consumption of animals was allowed by general decree -and the killing of humans was allowed at times by specific instruction (such as when God guided the warfare of ancient Israel after ceasing to defend them without their having to war) -both only temporarily.

In Eden, they were vegetarians -if not "vegan". No animal flesh was consumed.
Only plants were given as "meat"/food.

After the flood, all things were allowed to be eaten -both plants and animal flesh.

Under the laws and judgments given through Moses, etc., only some animals were to be eaten -and some were not to be eaten.

Later, not only will humans no longer consume animal flesh, but the nature of animals will be changed so that even they no longer consume flesh.

"Thou shalt not kill" is the ideal state -but we were purposefully allowed to experience less-than-ideal states so that we would eventually understand, appreciate and accept the ideal state -and willingly apply the commandment to all things ourselves.

Isaiah11:6The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.
7And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
8And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den.
9They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.

Isaiah 65:24And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear. 25The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD.

osgart said:

So which is it, thou shall not kill, or thou shall do no murder? there is a huge difference.

kjv 1611 says thou shall not kill.

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The KJV is wrong - get over it.

9-10ths_Penguin said:

Same question for you: what's the purpose of giving a redundant rule? If the commandment just boils down to "prohibited killing is prohibited," then the commandment has told us nothing.

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Speak for yourself.

Thief said:

if it died under your hand......you killed it
if you took the time to plot and plan the event.....you murdered it

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Nonsense.

9-10ths_Penguin said:

Let's try a different approach: what do you think "you shall not murder" is trying to tell you?

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Think of it as G-d using a highlighter while taking ownership.

Ashley Mathura said:

One of the Ten Commandants is, Thou shall not kill. Does this apply to animals as well? Should I feel guilty eating meat if animals are regarded as God's precious creations?

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I don't feel emotions towards animals, but I do know all forms of killing is bad, especially with so many people in the world. A person may not die in a war, but over years can acquire many injuries, so lifestyle of the individual has an affect on society, especially in our world where so few people care.

Quintessence said:

Whenever one organism ends the life of another organism for reasons other than self-defense or food/resources, that's murder. Or, at the very least, senseless killing.

Our poor arachnid friends are especially familiar with this kind of senseless killing. Humans routinely murder these people simply for existing. Pardon... non-animists wouldn't even recognize spiders as persons. I wager the writers of the Bible weren't particularly animistic either, so they would not have intended basic dignity to extend to non-human persons.

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I kinda agree with your reasoning. On the other hand, I live in brown recluse territory. So if I'm not sure it's a brown recluse or not, I'm not taking any chances.

Mestemia said:

Please be so kind as to present an example of an illegal killing of an animal.

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You could of course try shooting the neighbourhood cats and dogs but I wouldn't recommend it. Invertebrates aside, going out and randomly killing off animals will generally get you into some kind of trouble.

Depending on where you live of course.

JustWondering said:

I kinda agree with your reasoning. On the other hand, I live in brown recluse territory. So if I'm not sure it's a brown recluse or not, I'm not taking any chances.

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While I appreciate your instinct for self-preservation, you might consider that arachnids might have that same instinct. I have yet to see an arachnid attack something unprovoked. In my experience, they're a passive-aggressive class.

SalixIncendium said:

While I appreciate your instinct for self-preservation, you might consider that arachnids might have that same instinct. I have yet to see an arachnid attack something unprovoked. In my experience, they're a passive-aggressive class.

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They like dark places, such as the inside of someone's shoe.

Nowhere Man said:

How could such a translation get through Gods screening process?

I thought these people were divinely inspired by God !

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My understanding is that the original authors were inspired. Translating done by others especially at a much later date, though useful is not.

Ashley Mathura said:

One of the Ten Commandants is, Thou shall not kill. Does this apply to animals as well? Should I feel guilty eating meat if animals are regarded as God's precious creations?

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Ashley Mathura,
The prohibition on killing did not include animals!!! That does not mean that we can, with impunity, be cruel to animals, Proverbs 12:10.
After the flood of Noah’s day, God gave animals as food for mankind, Genesis 9:3. The only stipulation God made at that time was; we are not to eat the blood of any animal, Genesis 9:4. Later on, in the Mosaic Law Covenant, God distinguished between clean and unclean animals. Until the time, at Jesus death, The Mosaic Law Covenant was in Force, especially for the Jews, who were in a Covenant relationship with God. On the night before Jesus’ death, when Jesus instituted The New Covenant, that ended The Mosaic Law Covenant. Under the New Covenant we can eat animals, and we still have the Law against eating blood of any kind, Luke 22:14-20, Acts 15:20:28,29.
The New Covenant, which Superceded The Mosaic Covenant was a much better Covenant, because it was based on the blood of Jesus, God’s son, instead of the blood of goats and bulls, and the New Covenant was written on hearts instead of stones, and was to be followed by Faith and not by Works, Hebrews 9:11-15, 8:6-13, Acts 13:37-39. Agape!!!

Rival said:

Am I the only person who is bothered by the title?

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Nope

Rival said:

Am I the only person who is bothered by the title? It should be Thou Shalt, not 'shall'; shall is second person plural, not second person singular. It's like saying 'I has'.

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Me too.
Probably autocorrect. Mine does it.
Tom

Musing Bassist said:

That's exactly the point. The commandment is clearly a moral one, not one that rests on any specific legal definition.

I really doubt anyone here seriously believes that murder is only what the state defines it as.

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By definition murder can only be what the state defines because murder is a legal term. Try getting someone arrested for murdering an animal. Can't happen. Why? No law on the books that describes the death of an animal as murder.

Jayhawker Soule said:

Nonsense.

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you don't understand the emotional difference

Grandliseur said:

Not sure it even is desired that I answer this. But, when we eat meat, liver, steak, there is always some amount of blood. This is not what God tells us not to eat. It would otherwise be impossible to eat meat; rather, it is a dedicated blood sausage or blood pudding that must be avoided, or cooked lumps of blood.

It is simply a matter of doing what we are told.

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and the Carpenter was seen on shore.....asking His followers as they fished....
Have you no meat?
Cast your net.

and the net was filled to breaking

fish as meat?
blood a problem?

BSM1 said:

By definition murder can only be what the state defines because murder is a legal term.

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This is only one meaning for the word, and I am not sure it's the most common.
Had the Shariac judges of Saudi Arabia continued on with their plan to flog Raif Badawi to death I would have considered that a heinous murder. I don't care how primitive the laws in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are, it is a killing I personally disapprove of strongly. Murder.
Tom

Cain killed Able with a rock
I don't think it was the first killing

and if meat is not a menu item
Abel kept sheep?........

and God gave Adam and Eve clothing made of skins