> I didn’t say that we bore the perfect image, the fall of mankind has profound impact on the inborn image of God we bear...
As for the religious argument for trivializing the killing of someone’s pet, I recall a passage in the New Testament that says, “And you shall love the Lord your God...[and]... love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.” [Mark 12:30,31] Is killing a pet that messes up a sandbox doing that?
I’d cover the sandbox rather than kill my pet, and I’d do that for my neighbor’s pet too. Now if there were a rabid cat in my yard, or a large dog that appeared to be about to attack a child, then I’d kill somebody’s pet — not for a nuisance that’s easily remedied, though (simply by covering the sandbox).
[By the way, I myself don’t claim to love my neighbor as myself. My ethical standards are much lower. I do try to avoid killing their pets, though — on purpose, anyway. I killed a cat with my car a few months ago, as I pulled into my driveway, and still feel bad about it. Negligent owner, yes, but that doesn’t keep me from feeling some guilt. If I’d been more careful with my driving, I might have avoided killing it.]
> As for the religious argument for trivializing the killing of someone’s pet
I didn’t trivialize the killing of someone’s pet; I argued against the trivialization of the word “murder”.
> I recall a passage in the New Testament that says, “And you shall love the Lord your God...[and]... love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.” [Mark 12:30,31] Is killing a pet that messes up a sandbox doing that?
Nope — but then, I wasn’t commenting on the killing at all.