Expert: Eric Christy - 5/24/2005

Question
Hi,

I'm having trouble understanding the reasoning behind our involvement in the Middle East. It's interesting to me how "Conservatives," who are highly moral supposedly, can justify killing in that kind of "war." First it was "weapons of mass destruction." Then it was so they can have a "free society" and be able to vote, etc. The bottom line is we are loosing many American lives and many others are being maimed and/or psycholigically ruined. And for what? If the major resource over there was broccoli instead of oil, would we be there? What about the many other countries where atrocities are occuring that need our help more, like Sumatra. We can't help everyone all over. And the lives that are being lost are not the sons and daughters of politicians, the rich, etc. I, for one, would NEVER want my children to loose their life in that mess. The Bible mentions "thou shalt not kill." That, to me, means, no exceptions. I feel people who believe we should be there and say they are Christians are hypocrites. What is your opinion and can this kind of "war" be justified if one is truly a Christian? Thanks.

Answer
Hi DJ,

There are a lot of people who are opposed to the war in Iraq.  While I was in favor of our invasion of Afghanistan, I am not sure YET what to think about the war in Iraq.  Time will tell on whether that was the right or wrong thing.

As for what the bible says about killing, let's discuss this.  One of the Ten Commandments states "Thou shalt not kill"--Exodus 20:13.  The word "kill" is a mistranslation.  There are two Hebrew words for this, and the King James translators picked the wrong word.  The correct word (as you'll find in later versions of the bible such as the NIV, etc) is "murder".  The commandment should read "Thou shalt not commit murder".

The reason this is so important is that there is a justified time to take life (kill) and an UNjustified time to take life (murder).  And too, if you think about it, if killing were the actual word used, and God said thou shalt not kill, then God is disobeying His own command because nobody kills like we see God kill.  He kills like there is no tomorrow.  If you know your old testament, you'll know what I mean.  God kills so often, so many times, you'd think killing humans was His favorite pasttime.  Remember, it didn't take God long to show how willing He is to kill...after all...He killed the entire human race, except 8 people (Noah's time).

The point here is to know when it is right to take like (kill) and when it is wrong to take life (murder).  The commandment to not kill really means to not commit murder, that is, do not take human life unjustly.  That means you must demonstrate a just cause to take human life and that is called 'killing'.  If you cannot demonstrate a just cause, it's called 'murder'.  Not only man, but also God must demonstrate a just cause when it is decided to take human life.

You are right, we cannot help everyone, but we are helping the Middle East (at least I hope that is the result of the war).  And remember, God kills all the time.  If you know your bible, you'll be forced to agree with me.  God is not opposed to killing, as He's done it enough to make even the Devil jealous.  But unlike the Devil, God kills for just causes.  Let me ask you something.  Would you kill to save your own life, or the life of a loved one if that is what was required?  If so, you now understand why killing is just, but murder is not.

Let me know what you think,

Eric