Absolutes do not exist in a referential relative world.
If killing is killing and all taking of life is lumped together then it would be wrong to take a life in self-defense or to protect my neighbor, an innocent child, or a family member, from imminent death or grievous harm. I suggest these simplistic definitions to separate the differences between killing and murder for the sake of discussion.
Murder is a deliberate taking of human life.
Killing is to save human life from gravis harm.
Now I have set out my definitions I will try to apply them to an article posted on another blog. Whether my response is a wacky or thoughtful one shall be judged by you the reader.
“Killin is killin folks and revenge is the basest of emotions. Yet we have legalized it in America and cling to it with a tenacity only found in psychopaths. We are the only civilized nation left on the planet that still uses the death penalty. We’re up their with Saudie Arabia and Iran on this one. War? The whole concept of killing men, women and children you don’t even know for some grand ideal. What ideal could be so great that it would call for the murder of strangers? This concept is even more bizarre than killing for revenge. What, killing strangers is ok as long as I’m imposing my beliefs or my system of government on them?”
“We are the only civilized nation left on the planet that still uses the death penalty”
According to Amnesty International, during 2004 more than 3,797 people were executed in 25 countries, and more than 7,395 people were sentenced to death in 64 countries.
Executions have been carried out by the following methods since 2000:
Beheading (in Saudi Arabia, Iraq)
Electrocution (in USA)
Hanging (in Egypt, Iran, Japan, Jordan, Pakistan, Singapore and other countries)
Lethal injection (in China, Guatemala, Philippines, Thailand, USA)
Shooting (in Belarus, China, Somalia, Taiwan, Uzbekistan, Viet Nam and other countries)
Stoning (in Afghanistan, Iran)
I will leave the decision to you whether or not a country qualifies to be civilized. The death penalty is murder. It is the purposeful taking of a life. If the sentence is imposed because the party killed or murdered another human, murdering them will not safe the life taken.
“The whole concept of killing men, women and children you don’t even know for some grand ideal. What ideal could be so great that it would call for the murder of strangers?”
Unfortunately once humans formed tribes and alliances based upon geographical and spiritual reasons we moved from individual responses to group responses. If group A murders Group B, and Group C defends group B, is it murder or killing?
It is a deliberate purposeful attack but group C is saving group B’s lives. I propose that if group C saves more lives than group A would take, it is killing. If group C kills more of group B then it is murder.
If group A is defending, its members lives by attacking group B then group A is killing. If they do it to steal their food or land, it is murder.
Obviously I could go on with different scenarios, but, I am sure have an idea of how the discussion would go.
“What, killing strangers is ok as long as I’m imposing my beliefs or my system of government on them? Taking human life to impose beliefs, religious or governmental, fails the killing test and is murder by my simple definitions posed above.
Groups laws do not define what is good and bad, they just reflect the morality of their society. Killing is either good or bad based on its ethical acceptability. And ethics are defined, for example by religions. Explaining why killing is just or unjust we go to a higher “authority”. If god said killing was always ok, would you start murdering everyone? On earth, the concepts of good and evil are out of Gods jurisdiction. Depending on ones personal beliefs there might be a problem when in death you face your God.
Standard moral discussions on war bring up the application of three criterions:
Public authority – only a legitimate government may wage war. Vigilantes and terrorists cannot do it
Just cause – War may be waged only to save innocent life, to make sure people can live decently, and to protect their natural rights
Right intention – your just cause has to be your actual reason for going to war.
Like I stated: Absolutes do not exist in a referential relative world.