---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's interesting to me that killing…"
description: "\"It's interesting to me that killing damages the image of God when it's done by a person, but it doesn't damage it when it's done by the state.\" — Josep..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/531/joseph-lowery-29405_damage_it-s-interesting-to-me-that-killing-dama_825287.png"
---

#  It's interesting to me that killing damages the image of…

![“It's interesting to me that killing damages the image of God when it's done by a person, but it doesn't damage it when it's done by the state.” quote by Joseph Lowery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/531/joseph-lowery-29405_damage_it-s-interesting-to-me-that-killing-dama_825287.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/531/joseph-lowery-29405_damage_it-s-interesting-to-me-that-killing-dama_825287.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/531/joseph-lowery-29405_damage_it-s-interesting-to-me-that-killing-dama_825287.png)

> “It's interesting to me that killing damages the image of God when it's done by a person, but it doesn't damage it when it's done by the state.”

[Joseph Lowery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-lowery/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Killing by individuals tarnishes God's image, while state killing is often normalized, revealing moral double standards.

**In simple terms:** Human killing by people feels immoral, but state killing is seen differently.

Key Takeaway

Question moral consistency in how we view violence.

Themes

morality religion politics

Mood

critical reflective

Type

ethical political

When to use this quote

- political discourse
- religious teaching
- media analysis

Key Concepts

double standards state violence ethical perception

Questions to Reflect On

- How do we reconcile religious teachings with state policies?
- What mechanisms allow state violence to be normalized?

A Different Perspective

State actions are often justified, obscuring ethical scrutiny.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Damage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/damage/) [Death penalty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death-penalty/) [Done](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/done/) [God image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god-image/) [God Person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god-person/) [Image God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/image-god/) [Interesting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interesting/) [Interesting Killing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interesting-killing-509504/) [Killing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/killing/) [Killing Damages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/killing-damages-509505/) [Persons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persons/) [States](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/states/)

## Related quotes

> [“God did not make this person as I would have made him. He did not give him to me as a brother for me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/god-did-not-make-this-person-as-i-would-have-made-him-he-did-not-give/)

[Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/)

> [“God is a person, and his universe reflects his personhood. The closer something is to the character of God, the more it reflects him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-e-miller/god-is-a-person-and-his-universe-reflects-his-personhood-the-closer/)

[Paul E. Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-e-miller/)

> [God is not a person at all. You cannot worship God. You can live in a godly way but you cannot worship God -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/god-is-not-a-person-at-all-you-cannot-worship-god-you-can-live-in-a/)

[Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/)

> [From all those created in the image of God there is something to be received, and to them something to be given.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-gunton/from-all-those-created-in-the-image-of-god-there-is-something-to-be/)

[Colin Gunton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-gunton/)

> [The reason we have this inner conviction that death is not the end - and that Heaven exists - is because we were created…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/the-reason-we-have-this-inner-conviction-that-death-is-not-the-end/)

[Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/)

> [Love is an image of God, and not a lifeless image, but the living essence of the divine nature which beams full of all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/love-is-an-image-of-god-and-not-a-lifeless-image-but-the-living/)

[Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/)

> [It's the fact that your body and your personality are not God. God is you. But you can't say you are God just as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goswami-kriyananda/it-s-the-fact-that-your-body-and-your-personality-are-not-god-god-is/)

[Goswami Kriyananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/goswami-kriyananda/)

> [Woman does not possess the image of God in herself but only when taken together with the male who is her head, so that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/woman-does-not-possess-the-image-of-god-in-herself-but-only-when/)

[Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/)

> [“It is true that all men are created in the image of God, but Christians are supposed to be conscious of that fact, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-schaeffer/it-is-true-that-all-men-are-created-in-the-image-of-god-but/)

[Edith Schaeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-schaeffer/)

> [I will say that the God concept is at the heart of 2001 but not any traditional, anthromorphic image of God. I don't believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-kubrick/i-will-say-that-the-god-concept-is-at-the-heart-of-2001-but-not-any/)

[Stanley Kubrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-kubrick/)

> [All men bear the image of God. They have value not because they are redeemed, but because they are God's creation in God's image.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-schaeffer/all-men-bear-the-image-of-god-they-have-value-not-because-they-are/)

[Francis Schaeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-schaeffer/)

> [If we were created in God’s image, then when God was a child he smushed fire ants with his fingertips and avoided tough questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buddy-wakefield/if-we-were-created-in-god-s-image-then-when-god-was-a-child-he/)

[Buddy Wakefield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buddy-wakefield/)

> [The image of God always abides in the soul, whether this image be obsolete and clouded over as to amount to almost nothing; or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-aquinas/the-image-of-god-always-abides-in-the-soul-whether-this-image-be/)

[Thomas Aquinas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-aquinas/)

> [The world is a living image of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommaso-campanella/the-world-is-a-living-image-of-god/)

[Tommaso Campanella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommaso-campanella/)

> [I don't want my kids growing up with the image of God that I had -- Plato's white grandfatherly god -- because that god…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-p-young/i-don-t-want-my-kids-growing-up-with-the-image-of-god-that-i-had/)

[William P. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-p-young/)

## More by Joseph Lowery

> [Everything has changed and nothing has changed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-lowery/everything-has-changed-and-nothing-has-changed/)

[Joseph Lowery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-lowery/)

> [By reserving the penalty of death for black defendants, or for the poor, or for those convicted of killing white persons, we perpetrate the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-lowery/by-reserving-the-penalty-of-death-for-black-defendants-or-for-the/)

[Joseph Lowery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-lowery/)

> [I am in the valley of prayer on the issue of gay marriage, and I will err on the side of inclusiveness and not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-lowery/i-am-in-the-valley-of-prayer-on-the-issue-of-gay-marriage-and-i-will/)

[Joseph Lowery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-lowery/)

> [I'm neither Democrat nor Republican. I'm Methodist. I have grievances with both parties.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-lowery/i-m-neither-democrat-nor-republican-i-m-methodist-i-have-grievances/)

[Joseph Lowery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-lowery/)

> [GM is pursuing gasoline-savings solutions on many fronts on the way to our ultimate vision of hydrogen fuel cell-powered transportation. E85 ethanol burns cleaner…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-lowery/gm-is-pursuing-gasoline-savings-solutions-on-many-fronts-on-the-way/)

[Joseph Lowery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-lowery/)

> [We know there are no weapons of mass destruction. But there are weapons of misdirection. Millions without health insurance, poverty abounds. For war, billions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-lowery/we-know-there-are-no-weapons-of-mass-destruction-but-there-are/)

[Joseph Lowery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-lowery/)

> [We've got nearly 50 million people in America with no health insurance. That's a weapon of mass destruction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-lowery/we-ve-got-nearly-50-million-people-in-america-with-no-health/)

[Joseph Lowery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-lowery/)

> ['I'd like a hamburger and a coke, please.' 'Sir, we don't serve negroes here.' 'Ma'am, I don't eat negroes. I'd like a hamburger and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-lowery/i-d-like-a-hamburger-and-a-coke-please-sir-we-don-t-serve-negroes/)

[Joseph Lowery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-lowery/)

> [I don't absolve the Democrats of their lack of commitment to deal with poverty. But nowadays we're witnessing the widening of the gap. There's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-lowery/i-don-t-absolve-the-democrats-of-their-lack-of-commitment-to-deal/)

[Joseph Lowery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-lowery/)

> [If you don't know where you come from, then you want know when you'er being taken back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-lowery/if-you-don-t-know-where-you-come-from-then-you-want-know-when-you-er/)

[Joseph Lowery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-lowery/)

> [Rosa Parks was an unlikely person, but she became an instrument of the people's will in that community who were tired. They said she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-lowery/rosa-parks-was-an-unlikely-person-but-she-became-an-instrument-of-the/)

[Joseph Lowery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-lowery/)

> [I think the Montgomery bus boycott initiated an era of self-determination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-lowery/i-think-the-montgomery-bus-boycott-initiated-an-era-of-self/)

[Joseph Lowery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-lowery/)

> [“We ask you to help us work for that day when black will not be asked to get in back, when brown can stick…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-lowery/we-ask-you-to-help-us-work-for-that-day-when-black-will-not-be-asked/)

[Joseph Lowery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-lowery/)

> [It's ironic that the Bible belt is the killing belt - Texas, Florida, Alabama, Virginia, and so forth, Georgia. Chief executioners.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-lowery/it-s-ironic-that-the-bible-belt-is-the-killing-belt-texas-florida/)

[Joseph Lowery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-lowery/)

> [If you don't know where you come from, it's difficult to determine where you are.- It's even more difficult to plan where you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-lowery/if-you-don-t-know-where-you-come-from-it-s-difficult-to-determine/)

[Joseph Lowery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-lowery/)

[Explore all 18 Joseph Lowery quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-lowery/)

## More Damage quotes

> [A poet is wounded into speech, and he examines these wounds, meticulously, to discover how to heal them. The bad poet harangues at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-r-delany/a-poet-is-wounded-into-speech-and-he-examines-these-wounds/)

[Samuel R. Delany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-r-delany/)

> [I think what bothers us about fighting sports isn't the damage to the athlete but the fact that you win by doing more harm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-gottschall/i-think-what-bothers-us-about-fighting-sports-isn-t-the-damage-to-the/)

[Jonathan Gottschall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-gottschall/)

> [I was told I had brain damage. I always knew it was an unfair label. Now I have a clearer understanding of what's wrong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-boyle/i-was-told-i-had-brain-damage-i-always-knew-it-was-an-unfair-label/)

[Susan Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-boyle/)

> [How strange that something so simple could have been instrumental in my decision to ruin one of my most relationships and friendships, and damage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/how-strange-that-something-so-simple-could-have-been-instrumental-in/)

[Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/)

> [The miracle drugs (neuroleptics) cause the worst plague of brain damage in medical history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-breggin/the-miracle-drugs-neuroleptics-cause-the-worst-plague-of-brain-damage/)

[Peter Breggin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-breggin/)

> [The socially redeeming aspect of golf lies in the vast number of lawyers and bankers and managers who play it, and when you think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrison-keillor/the-socially-redeeming-aspect-of-golf-lies-in-the-vast-number-of/)

[Garrison Keillor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrison-keillor/)

> [Gun control laws don't work. What is worse, they act perversely. While legitimate users of firearms encounter intense regulation, scrutiny and bureaucratic control, illicit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-d-polsby/gun-control-laws-don-t-work-what-is-worse-they-act-perversely-while/)

[Daniel D. Polsby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-d-polsby/)

> [The pace of global warming is accelerating and the scale of the impact is devastating. The time for action is limited - we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliot-spitzer/the-pace-of-global-warming-is-accelerating-and-the-scale-of-the/)

[Eliot Spitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliot-spitzer/)

> [My first job was a film called 'Storm Damage' for the BBC. I was 16 and working with really respected British actors. I didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-madekwe/my-first-job-was-a-film-called-storm-damage-for-the-bbc-i-was-16-and/)

[Ashley Madekwe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-madekwe/)

> [But people only die in proper duels, you know, with real wizards. The most you and Malfoy’ll be able to do is send sparks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-people-only-die-in-proper-duels-you-know-with-real-wizards-the/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [President Obama has never summarized the Obama Doctrine with such clarity, but here is what it would look like: 'I will undertake any military…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/president-obama-has-never-summarized-the-obama-doctrine-with-such/)

[Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/)

> [The superpowers often behave like two heavily armed blind men feeling their way around a room, each believing himself in mortal peril from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-superpowers-often-behave-like-two-heavily-armed-blind-men-feeling/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I couldn't stand being identified by my sexuality, I retaliated by insisting that people regard me for my intellectual worth. My intellect became a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leora-tanenbaum/i-couldn-t-stand-being-identified-by-my-sexuality-i-retaliated-by/)

[Leora Tanenbaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leora-tanenbaum/)

> [One simply cannot engage in barbarous action without becoming a barbarian, because one cannot defend human values by calculated and unprovoked violence without doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-william-fulbright/one-simply-cannot-engage-in-barbarous-action-without-becoming-a/)

[J. William Fulbright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-william-fulbright/)

> [This strongly asserted but ill-defined license to kill without accountability is not an entitlement which the United States or other states can have without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-alston/this-strongly-asserted-but-ill-defined-license-to-kill-without/)

[Philip Alston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-alston/)

[Browse all 1,271 Damage quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/damage/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "It's interesting to me that killing damages the image of God when it's done by a person, but it doesn't damage it when it's done by the state.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Joseph Lowery"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-lowery/it-s-interesting-to-me-that-killing-damages-the-image-of-god-when-it/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Damage"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-lowery/it-s-interesting-to-me-that-killing-damages-the-image-of-god-when-it/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/531/joseph-lowery-29405_damage_it-s-interesting-to-me-that-killing-dama_825287.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/531/joseph-lowery-29405_damage_it-s-interesting-to-me-that-killing-dama_825287.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/531/joseph-lowery-29405_damage_it-s-interesting-to-me-that-killing-dama_825287.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It's interesting to me that killing damages the image of God when it's done by a person, but it doesn't…” — Joseph Lowery",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Joseph Lowery",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-lowery/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "It's interesting to me that killing...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-lowery/it-s-interesting-to-me-that-killing-damages-the-image-of-god-when-it/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-lowery/it-s-interesting-to-me-that-killing-damages-the-image-of-god-when-it/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
