The 5th Commandment of the Ten Commandments

[majesticrosary]

The fifth commandment of the ten commandments-- “Thou Shalt Not Kill”.

Can anyone please explain to me if this fifth commandment only applies to human being soul but not including any other creatures that God has created upon this earth? Because I have a vegetarian friend and she asks me about this fifth commandment…" if God said “Thou shalt not kill” then why do people kill animal and eat animal". I only know one thing is that animals don’t have soul like human beings do.

Thank you and God bless.

 

[Veritas41]

No, it only applies to human beings and the meaning is more specific --it is against the taking of innocent human life.

If you go back to Genesis 9:3 God says to Noah, “Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.”

verse 6, “Whoever sheds the blood of ma, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man”

Only man is made in the image of God, not animals

 

[dal11]

Vegtables are living things to, why does she kill them?

 

[rwoehmke]

Unfortunately we translate this as “Thou shalt not kill” when I think it would more accurately be translated as Thou shalt not murder. If the many Jews were rightous in God’s eyes how could they have been justified in sacrificing literally thousands of sheep, goats, and even oxen? Even the grain of wheat is planted and is “killed” bu humans to get a yield great enough to provide bread. Does she eat bread and vegetables? Well?

 

[Church_Militant]

The fifth commandment of the ten commandments-- “Thou Shalt Not Kill”.

Can anyone please explain to me if this fifth commandment only applies to human being soul but not including any other creatures that God has created upon this earth? Because I have a vegetarian friend and she asks me about this fifth commandment…" if God said “Thou shalt not kill” then why do people kill animal and eat animal". I only know one thing is that animals don’t have soul like human beings do.

Thank you and God bless.

You must’ve missed Mass earlier this week.
This was the reading from the Old Testament.

Thursday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1
Gn 9:1-13

God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them:
“Be fertile and multiply and fill the earth.
Dread fear of you shall come upon all the animals of the earth
and all the birds of the air,
upon all the creatures that move about on the ground
and all the fishes of the sea;
into your power they are delivered.
Every creature that is alive shall be yours to eat;
I give them all to you as I did the green plants.

Looks like it’s okay to eat the animals.

 

[pigtown]

I believe this just refers to the killing of human beings (this definitely includes the pre-born!). Many years ago I worked for a Bishop in the Old Catholic Episcopal Church and he refused to kill anything. Even if there was a fly in the office it could not be killed since it was one of God’s creatures.

 

[AnonymousPrayer]

may i say that the commandments are a whole bunch of rules and technicalities rolled together into ten simple categories…everything considered a sin falls in to one(if not more than one) commandment.

Not to be disrespectful but that I think is a fair way to explain it.

 

[Yerusalyim]

may i say that the commandments are a whole bunch of rules and technicalities rolled together into ten simple categories…everything considered a sin falls in to one(if not more than one) commandment.

Not to be disrespectful but that I think is a fair way to explain it.

You are, of course, aware that there are 613 Commandments, not just 10…correct?

 

[MarieVeronica]

I believe this just refers to the killing of human beings (this definitely includes the pre-born!). Many years ago I worked for a Bishop in the Old Catholic Episcopal Church and he refused to kill anything. Even if there was a fly in the office it could not be killed since it was one of God’s creatures.

This used to “bug” me greatly, too. (No pun intended… lol). But I spoke to several priests… who set me straight on this.

Does God want us to allow a potentially poisionous spider (Black Widows, Brown Recluse… etc.) which has wandered into our dwelling… and thereby endangers our lives? Or… is it ok for us to squish the intruder… and end the danger to anyone who might encounter it?

If a hornet builds a nest just outside your front door… and you’re in constant danger of being stung, coming and going. Do you just leave the nest there?

Ok, but I still DO catch flies alive whenever possible… and release them outdoors.

 

[StCsDavid]

I believe the Hebrew reads “thou shall not murder.” There can be many justifications for killing…i.e. the intsy wentsy spider that scares to heck out of my wife that I must hastily dispatch from existence…but there is no justification for murder of a fellow human being.

Now when one crosses the line between murder and a justified killing can be debated all day.