How do we know for sure that the Commandment "Thou shalt not kill" only applied to humans?

Question

Just curious.

Answer 1

Do you see this fine thing? Do you admire the humanity of it?

Because the real human beings, my son, they believe everything is alive. Not only man and animals. But also water, earth, stone. That is the way things are. But the white man, they believe EVERYTHING is dead. Stone, earth, animals. And people! Even their own people! If things keep trying to live, white man will rub them out. That is the difference.

Answer 2

Well it doesn't matter much, because humans don't obey it. We kill each other and we kill animals. And we know that animals kill each other in the food chain.
Ever try to tell an alligator, "Thou shall not kill a wildebeast."?
I think a real PERFECT Christian would be a vegetarian, because the word of God is VERY specific..."THOU SHALL NOT KILL." If it were any different , it would state, "Thou shalt not kill another fellow man."...but it's not.
Particulary those Chapter and Verse Christians
would who are somehow convinced that "God himself dictated every word." I think those Christians would take
vegetarianism seriously , instead of flipping to another chapter and verse to null and void that commandment.
So why did you ask the question? Apparently, no one seems to care.......

Answer 3

Because the ten commanments as given to Moses were addressed to humans as instructions to live by with other humans whilst honouring God. God didn't say thou shalt not steal from a chicken or covet a donkeys wife. They were rules for social living.

Answer 4

If dogs wrote the bible, they would write

"Thou shalt not kill anything alive
unless it is to survive,
with the exception of varmints like fleas
and other parasites that bite.
Amen!"

Answer 5

That should read "Thou shalt not MURDER".
There is a difference between killing and murdering.
Here's a bad example.
Someone comes up to with a knife me yelling "I'll cut your throat!!"
If he cuts my throat that's murder.
If I try to get the knife from his hand and in the fight he gets hurt and dies... Well that's an accident... If I take out a knife and fight and in the end he dies who's fault is that? Mine for killing him? Or his for trying to kill me? If I didn't kill him I would die. So either way someone would die, why not the one who want's someone to die?

If you would like to discuss this more thourghly my e-mail is
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Answer 6

Because if it applied to animals and plants our whole diet would consist of milk products, and we would soo die as a species. And if it applied to microorganisms, we would soon be wiped out by diseases, including rodent and parasite-bourne diseases.

Jesus followed the Commandments. He ate fish. He was also a Jew, and celebrated Passover, which absolutely requires eating a lamb, either from the sheep or the goats.

Answer 7

It isn't "Thou shall not kill", it's "You shall not murder".

Big difference.

In Jewish law, murder means that you take the life of another for no permissable reason.

Killing means you take the life of another for a permissable reason - such as the person was coming to kill you or your family first.

We are not allowed to go around murdering animals either.
There are entire sections of Jewish law devoted to the prevention of cruelty to animals. It is not permitted, nor is murdering them permitted.

We are allowed to kill them for food, but it MUST be done entirely according to Jewish law in which the animal feels absolutely no pain whatsoever, and of course when we eat it, we thank our Creator for providing it for the nourishment of our bodies. This makes its life and death for a holy purpose and thus its death was not wasted.

We also thank Creator for the same thing when eating fruits, vegetables, etc. which can also be thought of as being permissably killed when picked to eat.

Source: Judaism, Torah

Answer 8

I don't. That's why I'm a vegetarian. Many Christians don't even believe it applies to all humans. That's why they have no problem with executions or war.
Sloppy- Jesus ate fish- in the Bible? In the same Bible where God killed people? What is your point?

Answer 9

Well if you read the context of the command - namely the Law of Moses - there are plently of examples given of killing animals. So obviously it's not talking about animals.

Answer 10

In Genesis, when Adam and Eve hid from God, he drew the truth out of them about their eating of the forbidden fruit and their subsequent shame about their lack of covering for their bodies.

God Himself gave them animal skins with which they could cover themselves. God can not sin and does not cause man to sin. He provided this as an example to Adam and Eve of how to feed and clothe themselves.

Then, with Adam and Eve's children He approved the animal sacrifice of Abel, but rejected Cain's grain offering.

Leviticus details which animals we may eat, wear and sacrifice. These directions are reiterated throughout the Old Testament

Jesus freed us from animal sacrifice by his ultimate sacrifice of Himself. But we can still clothe and feed ourselves with them according to God's word.