Soldiers and Religon

[<purplepenguin>]

If you are a soldier and join a war. In that war you kill somebody. If you belong to any major religon(islam may or may not be included because they are allowed to kill for their religon) then killing is one of the worst sins possible. So would that kill count as a sin or would you have to pray for forgivness or what.Answer me twc community

Discuss

[Watchman]

I'd rather suggest you go searching for firsthand accounts on how people wrapped their minds around the fairly obvious incompatibility of Thou Shalt Not Kill and busting heads for king and country.

Usually amounts to a little more than a handwave or outright cognitive dissonance frankly by what I know of it; but as usual, few people have prioritised such lofty principles above practical expediency.

[Irishman]

Christianity and Judiasm have allowances for killing in war (they do enough of it in their holy book).

Buddhism and many forms of eastern religions strictly forbid military service (though this is often not followed).

[Watchman]

Buddhism and many forms of eastern religions strictly forbid military service (though this is often not followed).

You don't say. The Japanese monasteries with their private armies have to take the cake on that one...

[Serious Spamurai]

Old testament has plenty of people enjoying a bit of the ol' genocide, and so can you!

[Irishman]

You don't say. The Japanese monasteries with their private armies have to take the cake on that one...

The Japanese nobility's adoptation of Buddhism is a very interesting (but much longer) discussion, and remember this often resulted in great conflict in the samurai class, in which samurai would come to the realization of their conflicting roles (sometimes in the midst of battle).

[Watchman]

Eh, I'm not even talking about the warrior aristocracy here but the damn monks and priests...

But while we're at it, not only doesn't Buddhism exactly encourage Doing Unto Others 'Fore They Do Unto Thee, but Shintoism regards blood as ritually impure... Didn't seem to bother the warrior class too much really. They just underwent the purification rites afterwards.

[Thanatos]

There's a difference between killing, and murdering. Judaism and Christianity do not allow the latter.

[AqD]

There's a difference between killing, and murdering. Judaism and Christianity do not allow the latter.

Yes of course.

It's murdering if I decide to kill you.
If's right killing, i.e. a war, if my country find a cause and arm everyone and come to kill you and your families and everyone in your country.

The difference: war is mass-murdering.

So Christianity allows mass-murdering but not personal murdering, very interesting!
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[Zymran]

So Christianity allows mass-murdering but not personal murdering, very interesting!

Only 'just' mass-murder

[Serious Spamurai]

Sohei/Ikko-Ikki/Yambushi all fought, despite being (or primarily comprised of) Buddhist holy men.

[Irishman]

But while we're at it, not only doesn't Buddhism exactly encourage Doing Unto Others 'Fore They Do Unto Thee

No

[KingOfTheIsles]

There's a difference between killing, and murdering. Judaism and Christianity do not allow the latter.

That pretty much answers the thread. Seeing as there are very few soldiers who believe that their conduct in war is unlawful, it generally doesn't clash with the beliefs of the people of the book.

[Panzerbear]

oh common! there will always be some kind of priest that would put the right spin on killings, so you will be just fine. considering that god is imaginary, you will be just fine either way.

[Cluny the Scourge]

If you are a soldier and join a war. In that war you kill somebody. If you belong to any major religon(islam may or may not be included because they are allowed to kill for their religon) then killing is one of the worst sins possible. So would that kill count as a sin or would you have to pray for forgivness or what.Answer me twc community

Discuss

You ask this question from the perspective of a modernity of mind that is trained to see the common humanity in all peoples. When you see someone from another country or race you might regard them as foreign, and you may even be suspicious of them because of their different customs and beliefs, but in your mind they are still every bit as much people as yourself and those of your own "tribe".

The most ancient of religions grew up from the need to provide a common and binding core of beliefs to hold together a tribe or nation of tribes. Their rules apply in respect of fellow members of whichever it is that developed that religion.

There's a simple reason why, for example, the Old Testament seems to consider nothing strange about the Israelites crushing enemy tribes and their peoples even after Moses brought the Commandments. "Thou Shalt Not Kill" or "Thou Shalt not Murder" was originally intended to mean "Thou Shalt Not Kill One of Your Own People" - i.e. "Thou Shalt Not Kill Another Israelite". This was taken for granted.

For a religiously-minded warrior it was simply enough that their enemies were not of their own kind. The rules did not apply for such people.

[Thanatos]

No, because the Israelites did fight one another.

[Georgy Zhukov]

If you are a soldier and join a war. In that war you kill somebody. If you belong to any major religon(islam may or may not be included because they are allowed to kill for their religon) then killing is one of the worst sins possible. So would that kill count as a sin or would you have to pray for forgivness or what.Answer me twc community

Discuss

Though shall not kill, I think translates to though shall not murder, God supposedly makes exceptions when your protecting your property women and live stock.

[KaerMorhen]

killing for money or just for fun is evil no doubt about that, but self defense is different story

[Myxlpltx]

I guess God would make an exception for soldiers, since they mostly kill to protect their country (or because they got drafted and someone told them to) rather than just for fun.

[Watchman]

You're going to have a very hard time applying most of that to most of reality and history...