God gave you dominion (but you wanted a Big Mac)...

Once again that Old Testament causes a ruckus. It says in there (Genesis 1:26) that God gave us dominion over the animals and the earth. Believe (in) it or not, that passage has enabled much of human progress over the millennia. Thing is, what kind of a crazy open word is "dominion" to use when talking about such major issues? Does dominion mean "these things are our possessions over which we have total command to do whatever we want" or does it mean "thoughtful stewardship"? Some of you clever types will say, "It means both," to which I say once you've chopped a cow into a hamburger, put it on your grill, topped it with Gorgonzolla, and devoured it with a crisp summer ale, you are propbably no longer eligible for the "thoughtful steward" moniker. Same goes for the earth. Animal rights people, environmentalists, and hard-nosed semanticists have been arguing over this word and its meanings for years. Oh God, You and Your "it's-up-to-you" routines... our free will must be endlessly entertaining.