I've said before it seems ridiculous to me to judge the ancients when our culture isn't any better. Just because we don't have creation magic doesn't mean we don't try to act like gods. Breeding is a good example.

As far as respecting and valuing life, the egg industry tosses male chicks into grinders because they're useless and millions of people support this. Humans value humans, companion animals to a lesser extent, and anything else is usually not given any thought.