Under what circumstances is it acceptable for Christians to kill each other?

[ViaCrucis]

Thread title.

The question is intended to be open-ended and vague to invite a wide range of possible answers and discussion.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[Joseph G]

I have the exact same question. I heard a guy once contend that all wars since the arrival of Jesus are unjust (I'm still working on that myself) since He taught, in this guy's opinion, passive response to aggression.

He further suggested that it is especially unjust because it would mean Christians from both sides are killing each other (example being the Christians in the Allied forces killing the Christians in the German forces - and vice versa). Why he figures this reality makes war more unjust is beyond me. Aren't the lives of unbelievers as precious to God as that of believers? Especially considering that God is drawing all mankind to Himself?

Looking forward to seeing the responses. Great OP, CryptoLutheran. I predict this is going to produce a monster thread.

God bless!

 

[Laodicean60]

Thread title.

The question is intended to be open-ended and vague to invite a wide range of possible answers and discussion.

-CryptoLutheran

From what I remember from the NT it is never acceptable to kill our brother and Joseph made a good point. This is interesting.

 

[bèlla]

Unlawful entry with force.

 

[Teresa W.]

Self-defense. To protect another life.

 

[Petros2015]

Heresy is a historically popular one...

I don't think there are many (if any) circumstances of which Christ would approve
In general, un-Christlike behavior kills un-Christlike behavior (or even Christlike behavior)
Christlike behavior doesn't kill Christlike behavior (or often even un-Christlike behavior)

So if Christians are killing each other, are they Christians? (followers of Christ)

Christianity spread more by force of martyrs than by force of arms (at least in the early days)

 

[Ace777]

Under what circumstances is it acceptable for Christians to kill each other?​

The question is intended to be open-ended and vague to invite a wide range of possible answers and discussion.

-CryptoLutheran

I am not going to try to figure out when I think it is acceptable but... If your a christian nurse working in the hospital there maybe times when you will be required to give drugs to a person to kill them.

 

[Teresa W.]

So if Christians are killing each other, are they Christians? (followers of Christ)

Sometimes unfortunate things happen to Christians where they pose a danger to others, such as an unusual side effect of medication, developing dementia or other mental disability or possibly brain damage due to an injury that affects one mentally or neurologically.

 

[Ace777]

Sometimes unfortunate things happen to Christians where they pose a danger to others, such as an unusual side effect of medication, developing dementia or other mental disability or possibly brain damage due to an injury that affects one mentally or neurologically.

That is another issue of people who consider themselves to be christian who kill themselves. The issue then becomes if they were really saved or not. And if they went to Heaven or not.

 

[Hazelelponi]

Thread title.

The question is intended to be open-ended and vague to invite a wide range of possible answers and discussion.

-CryptoLutheran

I am neither a total pacifist nor a war monger.

I believe there's times when use of force is justified, the founders of this country argued for just war...

I figure if we are truly following Christ that when we come to a precipice where it's a possibility we will also know whether the war would be a just one, or unjust.

In the end God is the judge.

 

[ViaCrucis]

I am neither a total pacifist nor a war monger.

I believe there's times when use of force is justified, the founders of this country argued for just war...

I figure if we are truly following Christ that when we come to a precipice where it's a possibility we will also know whether the war would be a just one, or unjust.

In the end God is the judge.

There are two churches in a city, one on the east side and one on the west side. The city becomes embroiled in political conflict and two factions emerge to control the city, one on the eastern side and the other on the western side. It now becomes permissible for the members of the two churches, depending on which side of the city they are on, to take up arms and kill one another.

Correct?

-CryptoLutheran

 

[Hazelelponi]

There are two churches in a city, one on the east side and one on the west side. The city becomes embroiled in political conflict and two factions emerge to control the city, one on the eastern side and the other on the western side. It now becomes permissible for the members of the two churches, depending on which side of the city they are on, to take up arms and kill one another.

Correct?

-CryptoLutheran

You want to discuss the possibility of civil war?

Was my answer unclear?

I can't say anything on the amount of information you've given me.

As a Christian there more than just "allowed to kill one another" to consider...

I mean first question is have we followed the Biblical prescription for solving a dispute between the brethren, and how did that turn out?

Did one side come up short there and decide they were going to war against the other side and start killing them even though valid attempts were made to solve the dispute?

Is there anyway to first live peaceably and which side might be in the right are key elements that can't be ignored.

 

[ViaCrucis]

You want to discuss the possibility of civil war?

No. That wasn't the point of my hypothetical.

Was my answer unclear?

I can't say anything on the amount of information you've given me.

As a Christian there more than just "allowed to kill one another" to consider...

Why can't you say anything? In a situation where there are two opposing factions in which armed conflict breaks out, and there are Christians living in one side, and Christians living in the other side--is it permissible for Christians to join that conflict and kill each other?

I mean first question is have we followed the Biblical prescription for solving a dispute between the brethren, and how did that turn out?

Did one side come up short there and decide they were going to war against the other side and start killing them even though valid attempts were made to solve the dispute?

Is there anyway to first live peaceably and which side might be in the right are key elements that can't be ignored.

In a conflict between opposing political factions, how do we follow the Biblical prescription of solving a dispute between brethren? How does that get applied?

-CryptoLutheran

 

[Hazelelponi]

--is it permissible for Christians to join that conflict and kill each other?

Only in a scenario where it would be just to do so.

If Joe Biden got on a television screen and says go kill all the gays and the church in the neighboring town was LGB then no... That's not just without any other background to it.

Make sense what I'm getting at?

There has to have been real attempts not to go to war and real justification to do so when it occurs otherwise it's not just. There's no, it sounded entertaining that night...

 

[ViaCrucis]

Only in a scenario where it would be just to do so.

What would such a scenario look like?

If Joe Biden got on a television screen and says go kill all the gays and the church in the neighboring town was LGB then no... That's not just without any other background to it.

Make sense what I'm getting at?

There has to have been real attempts not to go to war and real justification to do so when it occurs.

Why would Christians join an unjust side on a conflict in the first place? I ask this because in order for there to be Christians joining a just side in a conflict, it is only because the other side is engaged in something unjust which necessitates a just response. In order for there to be Christians on both sides, it is because there were Christians who joined in on the unjust side.

So what would drive a Christian to join the unjust side of a conflict?

-CryptoLutheran

 

[Hazelelponi]

So what would drive a Christian to join the unjust side of a conflict?

Believing they were on the right side.

The Civil War is a good example. Fine people just trying to do the right thing, but some things can be more ambiguous - like whether you can force people to abolish slavery when the Bible doesn't implicitly say slavery is wrong in and of itself.

I'm sure there were some difficulties in sorting through everything even as a Christian. And I'm glad those days aren't mine to sort through but I must say I enjoy the way they turned out because it's following the law of the Spirit now - and as a Christian I am glad for that in my land.

But I don't envy the challenges Christians had to face then.

I think we can always look to the past to have that 20/20 hindsight and see how they might have done better so in another situation we can approach diplomacy better in the future, because there are lessons to learn from history.

 

[2PhiloVoid]

Thread title.

The question is intended to be open-ended and vague to invite a wide range of possible answers and discussion.

-CryptoLutheran

There are no circumstances in which "it's acceptable" that I can think of, especially if we take seriously biblical prohibitions against murder.

 

[2PhiloVoid]

Unlawful entry with force.

... that's an awful prospect to think about, but in my view, no guy who does this can actually "be" a Christian in my estimation.

 

[Petros2015]

You want to discuss the possibility of civil war?

It might be a good idea to consider what a Christian's ideal behavior should be like in the event of one
I mean, just in case...

Is it "now's my chance to show all the people on the other side how I REALLY feel about them"

Or is it to get the dying to the hospitals, comfort the wounded, the orphans and the widows, of whom there would most certainly be an abundance.

It's a good question to put to myself, I hope others are doing it as well.

 

[Hazelelponi]

It might be a good idea to consider what a Christian's ideal behavior should be like in the event of one
I mean, just in case...

Is it "now's my chance to show all the people on the other side how I REALLY feel about them"

Or is it to get the dying to the hospitals, comfort the wounded, the orphans and the widows, of whom there would most certainly be an abundance.

It's a good question to put to myself, I hope others are doing it as well.

I think in America we are doing all we can to make our case for peace between the sides...