Christian Chat Rooms & Forums - View Single Post - Killing as a member of the defence forces.

Matthew · #31 (**permalink**) July 29th, 2010

Quote:

Originally Posted by Caff

Gday Folks,

I have been wrestling with the question of the morality of the situation, is it still murder if you seek to join the defence forces and are then required to take life in the course of your duties.

Am interested as to Biblical passages that relate and the opinions of everyone.

When I was younger I applied to join the army as an infantry soldier and this was a question I couldn't shake even though the application never worked out.

I think there's deciding what you think the bible says on the issue and then there's reconcilling yourself to it......and some people can't.....that's perfectly normal as taking a human life under any circumstance is an awful thing.

I decided at that time that if it came down too it I'd do what I had to do, if it's kill or be killed then you pull the trigger, that said despite the bravado present in some of the responses I'll say the majority of people if not the entirety would struggle with some serious emotional problems afterwards even if it occurs over a long time in the form of depression or an immediate display of self-destructive rage, circumstances aside you can't kill another human being and just feel fine about it, even if they invaded your home.

It's just a fact of life that emotions and mental health don't follow wordly logic and knowing you did what you had to do doesn't make it all O.K.
If it did the families of soldiers coming home from war wouldn't talk about how the man/woman that's come back isn't the person that left them even though they sustained no physical injuries.

On the most fundamental level it will have a deep impact even if the facts show you had no choice and did the best thing you could, I think the act of killing as a member of the defence forces/law enforcement can be justified but the question needs to be are you willing to carry that for the rest of your life.