Wow, I really like the contrasted view here. It is definitely thought provoking. One day, I may use it in a book or blog post. How shall I cite your thought? Link here?
Bear in mind you'd be linking to (apparently) the first place you became aware of a thought that literally dates back as far as sheperd | flock metaphors in any book of the bible.
Perhaps I was a bit unclear. I was not referencing the general idea of raising sheep, but the negative end result - slaughtering (i.e. malicious). The major Christian view of raising sheep is in the positive. It was unique experience for me to read this in the negative light here.
It's genuinely difficult for me to work out parts of your comment.
> The major Christian view of raising sheep is in the positive.
> but the negative end result - slaughtering
I'm in Australia, in a rural area surrounded by a lot of wheat and sheep farmers, many of them with christian backgrounds, many actual christians.
All regard raising sheep as a positive enterprise that brings in revenue through wool and meat - it always ends in slaughter (save when there's a drought | fire | etc. when there is unintended / uncontrolled death).
That's farming livestock for you, flocks always veer towards an end by slaughter.
Now, outside of any Christian | biblical viewpoint there has always been cynicism about religion, about charismatic self declared prophets leading lambs to the slaughter in holy wars.
It's not a parallel unique or original to the GP comment here on HN .. and indeed it's such a straightforward observation that shepards only invest effort in protecting flocks from wolves so that they themselves can harvest the flock instead of the wolves that I often wonder why christians even use such imagery.