Killing is wrong??

Question

Why is it if someone kills someone else it is against the law and they are arrested BUT if you kill someone in a war..your a hero???....You still killed someone no matter how bad they were.Does that mean if I killed a serial killer I wouldn't go to jail?

Answer 1

Killing is the greatest sin among the 10 commandments.

Answer 2

Every society must make laws about killing, otherwise things would go pretty mad and people would have ongoing vendettas and murders against their enemies.

You said something inaccurate actually - if someone kills someone else it is not necessarily against the law. If I was walking down downtown New York and a thief attacked me to steal my wallet and had a gun pointed at me, if I had a gun I would be justified in shooting him.

There was a case a while back about this racist man who shot an Asian person who had crossed on his lawn, and he claimed it was in self-defense, and got away with it.

Reckless drivers kill innocent people a lot, and recently a famous Congressman I believe did so. They get away with it too. In a situation like that they don't say murder but they call it manslaughter, which means they didn't intend on killing the person and it was an "accident." I'm saying it like that because there really isn't a surefire way to prove whether it was or wasn't.

When a war occurs the situation is much different. During a justified war, the army is fighting to protect its country and people. If the military doesn't fight against the enemy, then the enemy will murder countless innocents and cause untold destruction. In war soldier's must fight together against the opposing side. Of course, many times the soldier's themselves are pawns in a greater political struggle and don't want to die, e.g. during World War 1 most German soldier's were young adults around 20 who didn't even know what they were fighting for and were put through miserable ordeals.

Anyway, to summarize, whether or not killing is justified depends on the situation.

Answer 3

I think the other guy said it right. Soldiers are there representing civilians so the civilians don't have to die.

As for the murder thing. Do you not think that if someone in the VT Engineering building killed Cho he would not be considered a hero? Of course he would.

If you kill someone in war, you are doing alot more than killing someone. You are protecting your fellow soldiers. Where as if you kill someone in the street, you're just shooting someone in the street and there are laws.

War is lawless, for the most part. People can do almost whatever they want and get away with it. Lethal force must be used in order to stop the enemy. You can't just say "Hey, please stop." it's not going to work. You shoot them and and guarantee they will stop shooting at you and your friends.

It's really different than killing someone who's innocent and killing someone who's a soldier. It's a soldier's job to kill, no matter what side you're on.

Almost all killing in war is simply an act of defense. Even for the attackers. (with the exception of ambushes) If you go into take a town, the soldiers don't want to kill anyone, neither do the people inside the town. But the people inside the town don't want the soldiers to take it so they DEFEND it with their life. The attackers respond with lethal force of their own. And so a battle ensues. Nobody really wants to kill.

And even in the case of an Ambush. Ambushes are generally not done at random. They are on a specified target and are done to save the lives on the side of the ambusher. Most of the time, ambushes are conducted on supply lines or a potential attacking force.

Also to the other guy. Killing is no more a sin than anything else. If you actually read the 10 commandments then you would know that. It specifically says it.

The only unforgivable sin is killing yourself. You have no time to make up for doing it. That's why the 800 Jewish Soldiers killed each other instead of committing suicide.

Answer 4

The rules of war are always different than the rules that govern civilian life. This is an age-old standard. War is much more dangerous, so soldiers are authorized to be judges and juries sometimes, especially when it's a life-or-death matter. Also, war often involves killing for self-defense, NOT the initiation of force. Initiating force is wrong; responding to force in a reasonable way to protect your life is not wrong.

According to the laws of nature, you wouldn't be "wrong" or unethical to kill a serial killer, but according to the law, you surrendered your right to take justice into your own hands once you entered into the social contract.

Answer 5

It is not illegal to kill someone. It depends on the circumstances. There is a difference between killing and murder. If you kill someone while protecting your life or someone else's life, that is not murder. If you kill someone because you think, or maybe even know, he is a serial killer, that is still murder. That person, no matter how evil, does have a right to "due process".

War is an entirely different matter. It does boil down to legalized killing in many cases. However, if you are the soldier and an enemy soldier is charging you with a bayonet, you either shoot him or you die. It is not murder.

Answer 6

Killing another human being is wrong and goes against human nature. Nobody normal, that you and I know, would consider that. Even, historically, it was considered a mortal sin throughout centuries, as you remember from the Old Testament.

Yet, people kill each other. And there is always some kind of motive behind each killing. And who said that war is the clean business?
In case of wars, killing is usually done "in the name of" some cause. Mao and Stalin purged millions just by calling them "traitors of people". Nazis were burining and murdering people that they considered "subhumans". ]

I guess, this is one of the mysteries that scientists will have to figure out. Seems that nobody else can.

Answer 7

I think the point is killing someone in cold blood. That is to say that killing a soldier is different because the soldier knows the risk and he is there. Also no matter who wins the war, all the soldiers are there representing the civilians so they don't have to die, that is why they are heroes.

Answer 8

If you break into my house and I kill you then it's a killing and it's your tough luck.
If you kill ME it's murder and you go to prison for life.
A soldier in combat kills if it's on legal combatants. If it's against unarmed civilians, it's murder.
Finally, homicide is not necessarily a crime. If it's JUSTIFIABLE homicide. That is if you're in imminent danger of serious bodily harm or death, then you can use deadly force. Or if you're defending an innocent person.
Unfortunately you would probably go to jail for killing a serial killer. If he wasn't trying to hurt you then you are the bad guy. I think you should be given a medal but that's just me.
There was a guy in the Northeast who was looking up registered sex offenders, finding out where they lived, and was shooting them. He is in jail but again I think he should have been given a medal.

Answer 9

Look, it's their job. If it's between my husband getting killed or my husband killing someone, guess which I would pick. Also, there is such a thing considered for civilians as self defense. Get off your high horse. I hope you enjoy your freedom that men like my husband and his comrades have faught and died for.

GOD BLESS AMERICA, GOD BLESS OUR MILITARY, and SEMPER FI

Answer 10

War is hell murder is murder and if nobody knew the guy was a serial killer and you shot him in the back while he was washing his car you would probably go to jail.