Killing: justifiable?

Is killing the same as murder?

CAESAR: I could be well mov’d if I were as you;
If I could pray to move, prayers would move me;
But I am constant as the northern star,
Of whose true fix’d and resting quality
There is no fellow in the firmament.
The skies are painted and unnumber’d sparks,
They are all fire and every one doth shine,
But there’s but one in all doth hold its place:
So, in the world; ‘tis furnish’d well with men,
And men are flesh and blood, and apprehensive;
Yet in number I do know but one
That unassailable holds to his rank,
Unshak’d of emotion: and that I am he,
Let me a little show it, even in this,
That I was constant Cimber should be banished,
And constant do remain to keep him so.

CINNA: O Caesar,—

CAESAR: Hence! Wilt thou lift up Olympus!

DECIUS: Great Caesar,—

CAESAR: Doth not Brutus bootless kneel?

CASCA: Speak, hands, for me! They stab Caesar

CAESAR: Et tu Brute? Then fall, Caesar! Dies

- - Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare

Eloquent words with majestic pronouncements and then the blades strike...Caesar lays dead and the assassination is complete however the repercussions would echo across the years. Was Caesar murdered or killed (or perhaps both or neither)?

The assassination of Caesar the legal head of state was murder but how is killing different from murder? Caesar inflamed jealousy from other powers in the Roman government as he was not first among equals but towered over them by quality in almost every regard.

When if ever is it allowable to murder a head of state? Why would it be wrong to assassinate JFK but not Hitler? Is it permissible if they become a tyrant, and how do we measure tyranny? Indeed is there a moral responsibility to assassinate a tyrannical leader?

In the case of Caesar’s assassination it was members of the Senate that murdered him. Does that make it right or must it be the “common folk” such as in the French Revolution? (Read A Day at the Beach for more on this) Was the American Revolution truly justifiable?

Surly democracies hold no room for such action, we have freedom, liberty and elections but what of nations such as North Korea? What about self-defence?

Was the capital punishment of Jesus a justifiable murder?

So they took Jesus away. Carrying the cross by himself, he went to the place called Place of the Skull (in Hebrew, Golgotha). There they nailed him to the cross..... he said, “It is finished!” Then he bowed his head and released his spirit.
- - John 19:16b-18a, 30b (NLT)

The state does not carry the sword for nothing but when and how should it implement capital punishment or war? Jesus was sentenced to death by the conquering Roman Empires Procurator Pontius Pilate. There are many avenues we can wander along with the events surrounding Jesus. Let us zero in on one aspect (if you want to converse about others feel free to do so in your comments) Jesus was innocent of the charges laid against Him, He committed no capital crime and was not deserving of capital punishment is then his death murder by the state? Jesus was not a citizen of the Empire so He really had little or no rights is then capital punishment an even greater evil? Was His murder justifiable?

This being said I support capital punishment under certain circumstances however the evidence must be overwhelming.

What about large scale taking of life, is war ever justifiable? I support Just War Doctrine and you can learn more about that from an earlier article: War is not Pro-life, a Response.

Is it wrong to kill animals even for food?

When they have finally grown large enough, animals raised for food are crowded onto trucks and transported over many miles through all weather extremes to the slaughterhouse. Those who survive this nightmarish journey will have their throats slit, often while they are still fully conscious. Many are still conscious when they are plunged into the scalding water of the defeathering or hair-removal tanks or while their bodies are being skinned or hacked apart.
- - PETA: GoVeg.com: Factory Farming

I confess to being an omnivore that eats meat but I am also an animal lover. Is the killing of animal’s murder? Is it an evil action? Does it matter if the animal’s death was for food or clothing or pharmaceuticals? Is it unethical to keep the animals in poor conditions and then kill them with excessive violence? What about animal rights? Do you know that even today animal sacrifice is practiced within Islam in a "ritual slaughter” called Dhabihah?

Sentience can be seen at the core of many of these kinds of issues. Humans are self aware and are also responsible for Biblical-Guardianship-Stewardship-Cultivation (the proper balance in regards to our environment and other creatures). So although we may have the right to take the life of animals for sustenance we also have the responsibility of doing so in a humane conscientious manner. Killing a goat is not murder yet that does not mean we approach such a killing in a cavalier mode. Modern societies have no right to kill animals for the exclusive use as clothing (for a more poetic look at this read one of my favourite articles Serenity on a String).

Perhaps I have more questions than answers….how about you…for “men are flesh and blood, and apprehensive.”

In the end it seems killing is different from murder. Murder is the unauthorized intentional taking of the life of an innocent person. Killing applies to the taking of non-sentient species and accidental/unintentional taking of innocent human/sentient life. So is killing then justifiable? Yes, under some circumstances….

This being said I am sure my co-simulblogger will have something controversial to say so let us sneak over to MAX.