What is the difference between "murdering" and "killing"? Is state-sanctioned killing always justified? Does the mere legality of the taking of a life negate one's culpability in such an act? In an age when the sanctity of life seems to be an antiquated notion, I think we need to seriously consider these questions.
Take abortion, for instance. Since the Roe v. Wade decision, abortion on demand has been considered legal in the United States. Therefore, any woman seeking to murder her...sorry, terminate her pregnancy has been given full license to do so. Does that make it right? Absolutely not.
Those of us who think abortion is murder realize that the Supreme Court overstepped its authority. We know that the Constitution does not allow judges to legislate from the bench. We also know that even if there were no constitutional conflict, abortion would still be murder in the eyes of God.
We can conclude, then, that not all killing done under the authority of government is right. So, what about the war in Iraq?
We are told that we must "support the troops," and that any criticism of them or their leaders is tantamount to treason. In short, we are being asked to support the killing of Iraqis and whoever else stands in the way of them completing their mission--whatever it may be.
Many Christians have spoken out in favor of President Bush, the troops, and the war. For most of them, all the justification needed can be found in Romans 13, where the Apostle Paul reminds us that we are to "be subject to the governing authorities," and that "rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad."
But we seem to have forgotten one very important fact: our governing authority is the Constitution of the United States, and not a small group of pompous, over-paid, bureaucratic windbags. We know the president and other leaders in government lied about the threat Saddam posed to our country. We know that the Constitution grants the power to declare war only to Congress, and that Congress cannot cede that authority to the executive branch by passing some meaningless resolution.
As a Christian, I must be consistent in my views. I must see all unjustified killing for what it is: murder. And as far as I am concerned, whether we're talking about abortion or an unconstitutional war, the state is guilty beyond all reasonable doubt.
Take abortion, for instance. Since the Roe v. Wade decision, abortion on demand has been considered legal in the United States. Therefore, any woman seeking to murder her...sorry, terminate her pregnancy has been given full license to do so. Does that make it right? Absolutely not.
Those of us who think abortion is murder realize that the Supreme Court overstepped its authority. We know that the Constitution does not allow judges to legislate from the bench. We also know that even if there were no constitutional conflict, abortion would still be murder in the eyes of God.
We can conclude, then, that not all killing done under the authority of government is right. So, what about the war in Iraq?
We are told that we must "support the troops," and that any criticism of them or their leaders is tantamount to treason. In short, we are being asked to support the killing of Iraqis and whoever else stands in the way of them completing their mission--whatever it may be.
Many Christians have spoken out in favor of President Bush, the troops, and the war. For most of them, all the justification needed can be found in Romans 13, where the Apostle Paul reminds us that we are to "be subject to the governing authorities," and that "rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad."
But we seem to have forgotten one very important fact: our governing authority is the Constitution of the United States, and not a small group of pompous, over-paid, bureaucratic windbags. We know the president and other leaders in government lied about the threat Saddam posed to our country. We know that the Constitution grants the power to declare war only to Congress, and that Congress cannot cede that authority to the executive branch by passing some meaningless resolution.
As a Christian, I must be consistent in my views. I must see all unjustified killing for what it is: murder. And as far as I am concerned, whether we're talking about abortion or an unconstitutional war, the state is guilty beyond all reasonable doubt.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home