TheBishop
Senior Member
All this talk about Hitler, and traits of a christian has really got me thinking. In Mr. Bullets thread "What makes you a christian" I formed a chain of questioning that was weakly answered at best, and totally ignored by most of the hard core "christians" that visit this sub-forum. Its ok, they were tough questions that have no real biblical answer, and thus, as some put it, to be avoided by those of faith. In this thread I will expand on those questions. They are extremely important becuase they deal with one of the most revered commandments, the 6th "Thou Shall Not Kill."
The reasoning of their importance is to attempt to qualify when this commandment may be ignored. We know every type of person is guily, wether it be athiest, christian, or jew. Death has been dealt by all types, and the "evilness" of killing has always been determined by the victor, who is always the author of history. We owe it to ourselves to seek more than that. As a country at war, sending men and women to kill and be killed it is exremely important that our reasoning be sound doing so. Or else we are as guilty as those who sat back and watched as millions of jew were incinerated.
So let us begin.
My first act in the prosses was to look at the actual commandment in the bible. There I found the answer I was actually expecting. It says plainly though shall not kill. Period. It does not list exceptions, that I could find, if someone more versed in way of the book could do so, please oblige.
Being a person that places no faith in the book, I would feel that self defense be acceptable. But to a christian I don't think it could be so easy a distinction. There are two other "biblical codes" that self defense would violate aswell as the 6c. Turn the other cheek, and do unto others. In matthew it says something along the line of violating the 6c places you in danger of being judged.
So to a christian my question would be why violate 3 biblical codes, one of which would place you in judgement, for the preservation of your earthly mortal life, risking your non-earthly eternal life?
I'll let you guys of the book answer that one.
Centerpin was kind enough as to offer me another excuse for taking a life. National Defense. Which not only still violates what was told above but, in itself, is a broad term. What is national defense? Is it the presevation of our economic interest? The preservation of our borders? The preservation of our national Identity? Which nations are justified? Communist? Capitalist? Socialist? The bible makes no distinction. Can we really justify killing by just saying national defense? I don't think its quite that easy.
Can killing be justified or only rationalized?
In my opinion self defense can be the only justification to kill on the individual level. As a liberatatian isolationist I can only use the defense of our actual liberty and freedom, as a cuase for war. Which in our history of conflict has alway been the excuse but not the actual reasoning.
The reasoning of their importance is to attempt to qualify when this commandment may be ignored. We know every type of person is guily, wether it be athiest, christian, or jew. Death has been dealt by all types, and the "evilness" of killing has always been determined by the victor, who is always the author of history. We owe it to ourselves to seek more than that. As a country at war, sending men and women to kill and be killed it is exremely important that our reasoning be sound doing so. Or else we are as guilty as those who sat back and watched as millions of jew were incinerated.
So let us begin.
My first act in the prosses was to look at the actual commandment in the bible. There I found the answer I was actually expecting. It says plainly though shall not kill. Period. It does not list exceptions, that I could find, if someone more versed in way of the book could do so, please oblige.
Being a person that places no faith in the book, I would feel that self defense be acceptable. But to a christian I don't think it could be so easy a distinction. There are two other "biblical codes" that self defense would violate aswell as the 6c. Turn the other cheek, and do unto others. In matthew it says something along the line of violating the 6c places you in danger of being judged.
So to a christian my question would be why violate 3 biblical codes, one of which would place you in judgement, for the preservation of your earthly mortal life, risking your non-earthly eternal life?
I'll let you guys of the book answer that one.
Centerpin was kind enough as to offer me another excuse for taking a life. National Defense. Which not only still violates what was told above but, in itself, is a broad term. What is national defense? Is it the presevation of our economic interest? The preservation of our borders? The preservation of our national Identity? Which nations are justified? Communist? Capitalist? Socialist? The bible makes no distinction. Can we really justify killing by just saying national defense? I don't think its quite that easy.
Can killing be justified or only rationalized?
In my opinion self defense can be the only justification to kill on the individual level. As a liberatatian isolationist I can only use the defense of our actual liberty and freedom, as a cuase for war. Which in our history of conflict has alway been the excuse but not the actual reasoning.
