Does a religious justification ever make killing a person moral?

[Delta4Embassy]

We believe killing is wrong. And the law says that an unjustified slaying of another human being is 'murder' and illegal. Yet religions give numerous justifications for killing people. If a religion says killing someone is okay, legal issues aside, is it then moral to kill? This isn't a legal question but moral one then. If killing without religious sanction is immoral, is killing with religious sanction moral?

 

[saveliberty]

Luther stated something to the effect that, if society has judged death to be the penalty it is not a sin. I think he was thinking about war for the most part, but modern interpretation carries it to the death penalty.

 

[Delta4Embassy]

If I wanted to know what Luther or anyone else thought I'd look it up. I wanna know what individuals here think.

 

[PratchettFan]

Since morality is entirely personal and subjective, the answer is yes. Every killing done for religious reasons is simultaneously moral and immoral.

 

[saveliberty]

If I wanted to know what Luther or anyone else thought I'd look it up. I wanna know what individuals here think.

Yet you want answers in a religious context, interesting. I have better things to do than be insulted, see you alter.

 

[Freewill]

Without religion what do you have to make a decision concerning killing someone? What moral prohibition is there against killing your neighbor without religion? Or killing your children? Or abortion?

I know of no time in my life time that Christianity "sanctioned" killing. And I believe that the moral stand by Christians against abortion proves it.

I am not sure about Islam but I do believe that killing is what Jihad is all about. Religious sponsored killing.

With that, morality is regulated by the government to that there is no doubt. The government tells us that killing a baby one trimester from birth is not murder but killing a 3 month old is, what do they base that morality? So in that regard if a religion declared jihad, Christian or any other religion, that would be morally wrong in the eyes of the government and society as a whole.

 

[PratchettFan]

Without religion what do you have to make a decision concerning killing someone? What moral prohibition is there against killing your neighbor without religion? Or killing your children? Or abortion?

I know of no time in my life time that Christianity "sanctioned" killing. And I believe that the moral stand by Christians against abortion proves it.

I am not sure about Islam but I do believe that killing is what Jihad is all about. Religious sponsored killing.

With that, morality is regulated by the government to that there is no doubt. The government tells us that killing a baby one trimester from birth is not murder but killing a 3 month old is, what do they base that morality? So in that regard if a religion declared jihad, Christian or any other religion, that would be morally wrong in the eyes of the government and society as a whole.

What you have is a sense of right and wrong. That does not require religion.

As to Christianity sanctioning killing, when I was in the service there was a whole class of people called chaplains. The majority of them were Christians and I have to tell you I can't recall a single one of them ever telling any of us what we were doing was wrong.

 

[Freewill]

Without religion what do you have to make a decision concerning killing someone? What moral prohibition is there against killing your neighbor without religion? Or killing your children? Or abortion?

I know of no time in my life time that Christianity "sanctioned" killing. And I believe that the moral stand by Christians against abortion proves it.

I am not sure about Islam but I do believe that killing is what Jihad is all about. Religious sponsored killing.

With that, morality is regulated by the government to that there is no doubt. The government tells us that killing a baby one trimester from birth is not murder but killing a 3 month old is, what do they base that morality? So in that regard if a religion declared jihad, Christian or any other religion, that would be morally wrong in the eyes of the government and society as a whole.

What you have is a sense of right and wrong. That does not require religion.

As to Christianity sanctioning killing, when I was in the service there was a whole class of people called chaplains. The majority of them were Christians and I have to tell you I can't recall a single one of them ever telling any of us what we were doing was wrong.

You have hit upon it, our sense of morality is based on the Natural Law. The same law that makes our right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness and inalienable right.

Did the chaplains tell you what you were doing was right?

 

[PratchettFan]

Without religion what do you have to make a decision concerning killing someone? What moral prohibition is there against killing your neighbor without religion? Or killing your children? Or abortion?

I know of no time in my life time that Christianity "sanctioned" killing. And I believe that the moral stand by Christians against abortion proves it.

I am not sure about Islam but I do believe that killing is what Jihad is all about. Religious sponsored killing.

With that, morality is regulated by the government to that there is no doubt. The government tells us that killing a baby one trimester from birth is not murder but killing a 3 month old is, what do they base that morality? So in that regard if a religion declared jihad, Christian or any other religion, that would be morally wrong in the eyes of the government and society as a whole.

What you have is a sense of right and wrong. That does not require religion.

As to Christianity sanctioning killing, when I was in the service there was a whole class of people called chaplains. The majority of them were Christians and I have to tell you I can't recall a single one of them ever telling any of us what we were doing was wrong.

You have hit upon it, our sense of morality is based on the Natural Law. The same law that makes our right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness and inalienable right.

Did the chaplains tell you what you were doing was right?

There is no such thing as an inalienable right.

Chaplains did indeed tell us what we were doing was right. I can't speak for all of them or what was said to everyone, of course. Just my own experience.

 

[UllysesS.Archer]

We believe killing is wrong. And the law says that an unjustified slaying of another human being is 'murder' and illegal. Yet religions give numerous justifications for killing people. If a religion says killing someone is okay, legal issues aside, is it then moral to kill? This isn't a legal question but moral one then. If killing without religious sanction is immoral, is killing with religious sanction moral?

If you take out war, and execution of criminals, I still could find several reasons why I would kill someone.

1. Self defense (this includes someone breaking into my home, and defense of my family members, or someone else who is in danger of being killed).
2. If someone killed a close family member of mine, and it was without a doubt, yet they got a high priced lawyer or got released due to a technicality, I would have no problem ending their life, and I would have no problem if that brought me the death penalty myself. (I do believe in an eye for an eye).
There are probably more reasons, but I cant think of them off the top of my head. Are any of the reason morally right? I believe God would forgive me for the ones I listed above. Would I want to kill someone, NO! That is not something I want to have to see every night when I close my eyes.

 

[Agit8r]

No. Nor can religious belief ever justify bodily harm or punishment of any sort.

 

[AVG-JOE]

We believe killing is wrong. And the law says that an unjustified slaying of another human being is 'murder' and illegal. Yet religions give numerous justifications for killing people. If a religion says killing someone is okay, legal issues aside, is it then moral to kill? This isn't a legal question but moral one then. If killing without religious sanction is immoral, is killing with religious sanction moral?

In the humble opinion of this average Joe, no.

Of course, killing in the name of religion equates to killing in the name of Santa Clause or Peter Pan, in the humble opinion of this average Joe.

 

[AVG-JOE]

We believe killing is wrong. And the law says that an unjustified slaying of another human being is 'murder' and illegal. Yet religions give numerous justifications for killing people. If a religion says killing someone is okay, legal issues aside, is it then moral to kill? This isn't a legal question but moral one then. If killing without religious sanction is immoral, is killing with religious sanction moral?

If you take out war, and execution of criminals, I still could find several reasons why I would kill someone.

1. Self defense (this includes someone breaking into my home, and defense of my family members, or someone else who is in danger of being killed).
2. If someone killed a close family member of mine, and it was without a doubt, yet they got a high priced lawyer or got released due to a technicality, I would have no problem ending their life, and I would have no problem if that brought me the death penalty myself. (I do believe in an eye for an eye).
There are probably more reasons, but I cant think of them off the top of my head. Are any of the reason morally right? I believe God would forgive me for the ones I listed above. Would I want to kill someone, NO! That is not something I want to have to see every night when I close my eyes.

1. Has nothing to do with religion.
2. See 1 above.

 

[Rikurzhen]

We believe killing is wrong. And the law says that an unjustified slaying of another human being is 'murder' and illegal. Yet religions give numerous justifications for killing people. If a religion says killing someone is okay, legal issues aside, is it then moral to kill? This isn't a legal question but moral one then. If killing without religious sanction is immoral, is killing with religious sanction moral?

Slam dunk, yes. Morality is anchored in the "what is good" question. If religion defines "killing in support of religion" to be good, then there's your answer.

 

[AVG-JOE]

The question is why you think someone needs killing...

If you think someone needs killing because they are about to kill you, religion has nothing to do with it. If you think someone needs killing because you don't like, or you fear, what they believe or say, that's a religious murder and that there is fucked up.