Man vs Nature

They say that animals cannot commit murder--that they do not kill out of jealousy or hatred or anger, but that's not true. Animals kill to eat, to avoid being eaten, to protect their families, and also to compete--for a position, for food, for a mate. Some animals simply do not get along together and dislike each other. Anyone who has ever owned more than a few dogs can make that observation. Cats kill more creatures for play than any other animal.

But it's not evil. It's nature--the survival of the fittest. When humans do it, it's evil. We are not so unlike our animal brethren. We are willing to kill for the same reasons as them, some good and some bad. But when we do it, it's evil. That's because we understand the ramifications of our actions. We're capable of reasoning and choosing a less severe action. We're conscious--and we have a conscience telling us right from wrong.

Despite that, we still do wrong. It's in our nature, just as it's in the nature of all living creatures. We can choose to stand up to that. We don't always do that, but we're not perfect. That's why we have guilt, shame, and remorse--so that next time around, we will choose rightly, and so that we can try to make amends for what we have done. Animals are no less divine than us, nor we than them; we simply have more evolved brains.