Question for christians?

Question

If murder is a sin can christians support war?

Can they support the death penalty?

Why?

I have heard that murder is justifiable if it is in self defense but most of the people who die in war are innocent bystanders or people just doing their job aren't they?

If someone broke in my house and tried to kill my family it would be ok for me to kill them but not for me to go to their house and kill their families trying to get to them, correct?

Answer 1

You are confusing killing with murder.  If someone is trying to murder you, and you kill them to prevent them from doing so, it is not murder.  It is just killing in self-defense.

If you are part of an army, and the other people are part of an army, it is your job to kill them.  It is not murder.  If you are part of an army, and you accidentally kill an innocent bystander, this is a tragedy, and it is killing, and there will be great grief, but it is not murder.

If you see someone trying to murder someone else, and you have to kill them to prevent a murder, you have not committed murder.

If someone murders someone else, and you kill them (or the state does) to punish them and prevent them from doing further harm, it is not murder.

Everybody dies.  If you really think about it - death isn't necessarily the worst thing that will ever happen to anyone because after all, it happens to everyone.  It is awful for those of us who loved that person and are left behind.  But it isn't really, necessarily, the worst thing.  Life begins, it is, and then it ends.

American Heritage dictionary says that murder is "The unlawful killing of one human by another, especially with premeditated malice."

http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dic...

It differentiates between a killing and murder.

Christians can support war particularly when it must occur in order to right a wrong.  Should we not have gone to war against Germany to end the persecution and genocide of Jews and others in WWII?

Christians can support the death penalty, as it is commanded by God to remove from society people who are a danger to it.  Can you really imagine just letting serial murderers live to murder again?  They have repeatedly taken life, so if you do not kill them, are you not then partially reponsible for their future acts?

God has given you a life to enact His purpose within you.  Can you imagine not protecting that gift from harm?  Or that same gift given to others from the same harm?

Yes, if someone breaks into your house and tries to kill you or your family, you are not only justified, but required to do your best to prevent it.  But going after their family isn't self-defense any longer - then you've wandered into revenge territory.

This was an excellent question - what a great deal of food for thought, and it is certainly easy to see where a person could get pretty easily confused in the heat of anger, or battle, or passion between right and wrong.

Answer 2

We should only go to war in self defense or to save other innocent people from harm.  Any other reason is murder, not by the solder commanded to do it, but by the people in charge.

Answer 3

Unfortunately the good die with the evil in war times. However war is sometimes a necessity, especially when your enemy first attacks you.

  Murder on the other hand is a crime punishable by death not only in our human laws but also by God's word below. God know there would be killings both accidentally and deliberately and addressed that in the scripture below.

Numbers 35: 16-25 (NLT)   16 “But if someone strikes and kills another person with a piece of iron, it is murder, and the murderer must be executed. 17 Or if someone with a stone in his hand strikes and kills another person, it is murder, and the murderer must be put to death. 18 Or if someone strikes and kills another person with a wooden object, it is murder, and the murderer must be put to death. 19 The victim’s nearest relative is responsible for putting the murderer to death. When they meet, the avenger must put the murderer to death. 20 So if someone hates another person and pushes him or throws a dangerous object at him and he dies, it is murder. 21 Or if someone hates another person and hits him with a fist and he dies, it is murder. In such cases, the avenger must put the murderer to death when they meet.

22 “But suppose someone pushes another person without having shown previous hostility, or throws something that unintentionally hits another person, 23 or accidentally drops a huge stone on someone, though they were not enemies, and the person dies. 24 If this should happen, the community must follow these regulations in making a judgment between the slayer and the avenger, the victim’s nearest relative: 25 The community must protect the slayer from the avenger and must escort the slayer back to live in the city of refuge.

Note!  The slayer is the killer and the avenger is the victims family.

Answer 4

Your question is actually a complicated one.  Not all Christians agree on the issue of war and the death penalty.  Many groups like the Friends or Menonites do not believe in war and therefore are not obligated to enroll in the military.

For Roman Catholics we believe in defending ourselves.  If this means war or resulting death, then it is jusified in the protecting of ourselves.  Anything beyond self-protection and protection of others is concidered murder.  Generally speaking, Catholics do not believe in the death penalty.

I hope that answers your question.

Answer 5

Even GOD had warriors ..................war is essential to life and the other part of your question is death for death for i work for  the Justice System in Texas

Answer 6

Right on!

You are correct!

your thinking facilities are on the right track.

Answer 7

Regarding the death penalty - like most topics, you can find Biblical support for either side if you look hard enough.

Shakespeare once wrote, “the devil can cite Scripture for his purpose.”

That said, it is true that there are many Bible passages (especially in the OT) that support capital punishment, often for relatively mild offenses:

- Adultery (Leviticus 20:10)

- Blasphemy (Leviticus 24:16)

- Breaking the Sabbath (Exodus 31:14 & 15)

- Disobedient children (Exodus 21:15 & 17; Leviticus 20:9)

- Homosexuality (Leviticus 20:13)

- Not being a virgin on your wedding night (but only if you're a woman - Deuteronomy 22:20-21)

Some people cite Romans 13:1-7, which states that all governments are sanctioned by God, and if the government dictates something (like capital punishment), then it is God’s will.  How do modern Christians reconcile this with governments like Hitler’s Germany, or Stalin’s Russia, or Pol Pot’s Cambodia, or any of the hundreds of others that were responsible for horrible atrocities throughout history?  Governments are run by people, who are – inherently – imperfect.  This is why the U.S. has a system of checks and balances, and why our laws are constantly changing (remember, there was a time when slavery was legal, when women couldn’t vote, when there were no child labor laws, etc.).  This argument simply does not fly.

But the New Testament is primarily ANTI-death penalty. For example, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus praises mercy (Matthew 5:7) and rejects “an eye for an eye” (Matthew 5:38-39). James 4:12 says that God is the only one who can take a life in the name of justice. Leviticus 19:18 warns against vengeance (which, really, is what the death penalty amounts to). In John 8:7, Jesus says, "let he who is without sin cast the first stone."

There are many, many practical problems with capital punishment (that I won't get into here), but purely from a moral standpoint, it is pretty clear that Jesus did not support it. True Christians shouldn't, either.

Answer 8

That's why even today there are people that go to prison rather then join the military. But the flip side to your question is, would you fight or defend your country if it was invaded by another country, according to your question you would. We won't take a life on purpose, even if it's losing our own life. We believe in the resurrection(John 5:28:29), that does not mean I wouldn't try to protect myself or my loved ones, but if it meant I had to kill to protect myself, then I would not. My life and the life of those I love would be in my heavenly father, Jehovah God's hands. To me to put my sights on another human and murder them because they do not believe (country & faith) the way I do, is inconceivable. There are many out there that think  we would under the right condition, but history has proved that not to be true. All over this world and in every country Witnesses have been put in prison and put to death rather then take up arms. Jehovah Witnesses has never killed another Jehovah Witness in any war or civil uprising. We have voted for our Kingdom, that's God's Kingdom on earth, our implements of war are the Bible, we threaten no one and yet we are hated by the world of mankind because we do not do as they do(James 4:4).

Answer 9

pretty simple.  look up the definition of murder.

are murder and war the same????????

Answer 10

i don't mind war as long as we are defending our country, but I'm not a fan of the death penalty.

Answer 11

Murder is sin . Killing in self defense, in time of war or in the case of the death penalty is not murder.  War for a righteous reason is permissible. God sent Joshua to destroy wicked people by war. The death penalty is ordained by God in Genesis Chapter 9.  

Answer 12

Well, most of the wars today are not in "self-defense". They are about political motives and ethnic cleansing. I don't support war, and I'm a conservative Christian. In fact, in my faith, if we are ever drafted for the Armed Forces, we request to be put into non-combatant MOS's.

If someone breaks into your house and tries to kill you or your family, you have a right to defend yourself. If the intruder dies as a result, he is paying the price for his own sin. Although it is unfortunate that you never had a chance to reach that person for Christ, because he could have turned his life around, I can understand that the situation may not allow that opportunity.

It would be wrong, however, to go to his house and kill his family in retribution, because those people are innocent. Let the law deal with the guilty one.

The difference between, say, abortion and the death penalty is this:

abortion - the victim is innocent

death penalty - the victim is guilty (in most cases)

Answer 13

killing is wrong in any way. and yes, it is a commandment. believe it or not, god wants you to trust that he will protect you in any situation. our god does not advocate killing in this day and age. if he takes your life, then it was your time to go. this ought to boil a few tempers.