Is It Okay to Kill?
by Many people have been fighting against wars, but are they truly wrong? Here is my stand.
Another question that may arise is “If it is right to kill people is there such thing as a righteous war?” According to Vincent Ferraro’s article “Just War Principles” a just or righteous war is a war that is waged as a final resort, as Romans 12:16 says “Live in harmony with one another.” When all attempts at diplomacy fail, and the only way to ensure safety to others is war. Also, a just war can only be waged by a legitimate authority of a nation, not a rebel group posing as authority. 1 Samuel shows God commanded Saul to make war against the Amalekites. God is the supreme authority and the authority of the Israelites. A just war can only be fought with the right intentions such as to defend one’s self and allies, as previously discussed, and to establish peace. An example of a war that brought peace was World War II that also stopped the genocide occurring during that era. Even if it has a good cause, a just war can only be fought if there is a great possibility the war may be won. The violence in a just war must be equally proportional to the injury suffered, and cannot contain needless violence, such as killing innocents, unarmed hostiles, and enemies that have surrendered. Finally, the weapons used in a just war must discern between a hostile and a civilian. It is not permissible to kill an innocent civilian, but is justified if they are unavoidable victims of an attack on directly on a military target.
“Is it right to kill another human being?” Yes, but only in certain circumstances such as in being in accordance to the law or self defense. So do not through down your guns, but keep them for when you will need them, when the time is right.
Works Cited
Flatt, William. “The Bible Affirms our Right to Self Defense.” Command Briefs, August
2002.” Indiana Militia Corps. May 1, 2009.
Bible_Affirms_Self_Defense.html>
Ferraro, Vincent. “Just War Principles.” Resources of the Study of International Relations
and Foreign Policy. May 1, 2009.
justwar.htm>
Various Authors. The Holy Bible.
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Post CommentCandice
On May 13, 2009 at 11:30 pm
Hard topic to write about…don’t know if I could do it.
A woman I work with has a poster hanging on the wall behind our desks that she made. It says, “Loving our enemies strongly implies not killing them.”
It makes me laugh, but it’s a serious topic. As usual, I applaud you on your literary triumph!