This paper is going to attempt to answer the question, “Is there ever a time when killing is justifiable?” I will give information on my views and apply the metaethical theories to this real-life situation that many people disagree on. My personal ethical theory includes a mix of three ethics we have studied in this course; Virtue Ethics, Revelation Christian Ethics, and Divine Nature Theory.
First, I will describe my personal ethical theory and the application process. I will then apply these theories to the real-life situation of the question given above. I do see that not everyone will agree and have the same feelings. They may get to a different conclusion of their own then I have on this topic. It is okay to have differences of opinion and disagree on many topics not just the one presented.
Virtue Ethics
The approach to virtue ethics essentially says, “Good ethical decisions will be made by good people.”1 In my personal ethical theory the part that best explains it, is that virtue ethics is based on how you are raised and about the moral characteristics that you were raised with and still hold. “Aristotle observed that there is a reason for everything that exists.”2 He also refers to virtues as being character traits, and these persuade how you act and react in a moral way. Aristotle also referred this ethic as being a balance between two extremes, also known as the “Golden Mean. My personal
1. Laura A Stivers, Christine E. Gudorf, and James B. Martin-Schramm. Christian Ethics: A Case Method Approach (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2012), 10-1.2 Michael S. Jones. Moral Reasoning: An Intentional Approach to Distinguishing Right from Wong. (Dubuque. IA: Kendall Hunt, 2017) 36-2
definition of virtue ethics means that you practice being honest, generous, or is just. (practice actions that proceed as good moral character). Then you, as a person can develop into becoming an honorable moral character. When and if you continue to practice these ethical habits, you will have confidence in what the right choices are
when you get confronted with ethical challenges. The only problem with this theory that I find and think about is that it leaves out God.
Revelation Christian Ethics
As a Christian I think that it is important that my personal theory involves the Bible and that is where Revelation Christian Ethics comes in. Even though it isn’t simple to get everyone to agree that it should be included in everyday life. The Bible is easily interpreted as a list of rules, I don’t think that is the case. “The Bible is not some middle- school piece of literature; it is a collection of writings that were composed over a long expanding period of time by people with a variety of backgrounds who were communicating some pretty advanced religious and philosophical ideas.” 3 I would like
to mention the Ten Commandments as well, these would be good ethical principles that we should all live by. I think that the world may be much more peaceful if we all stood and believed in the Lord, if we honored our father and mother, if there was not murder or adultery, etc. It may not possible for everyone however to agree on these principles. The other part of Revelational Christian Ethics is the Golden Rule. I have based my life
on this since I was a small child and even more as an adult. I always try and treat others the way I want to be treated in return. This too has its issues because the way “I” want
3 Jones, Moral Reasoning, 113-9.4 Jones, Moral Reasoning, 128-14.
5 Jones, Moral Reasoning, 128-28
to be treated could be interpreted many ways. “The key foundation of Revelational Christian Ethics is the bible, reinforced by careful thinking and understanding of the heart and conscience.” 4 This theory has consideration for not just words but the actual application to the times or “hermeneutics” and studying the philosophy behind the Bible. This method allows us to take it all in and apply it to our daily lives and become “better Christians and better people.”5
Divine Nature Theory
I was at first thinking that I could relate to Divine Command Theory. Then I began and finished reading chapter eight in the book, Moral Reasoning and it has wavered my opinion slightly. The book began with introducing us to Modified Divine Theory, but in ending the chapter it was more commonly referred to Divine Nature Theory. This had
me question previous thoughts regarding to Divine Command Theory and I ended up leaning more towards and adding Divine Nature Theory along with the other two theories to my personal theory. As defined in the text that was given to us, “It rejects the suggestion that there is a standard of morality outside of God to which God’s
commands conform, for now the standard is internal to God- in effect, God is the
Standard.”6 Even though not everyone believes in God, I do. This theory can be
66 Jones, Moral Reasoning, 104,16.7 Jones, Moral Reasoning, 103-28.
8 2015, United States Violence-Related Deaths and Rates per 100,000. WISQARS. CDC. December 2015.
9 1998, United States Violence-Related Deaths and Rates per 100,000. WISQARS. CDC. December 1998
summed up as “an approach to ethics and interpret moral principles as a reflection of
the definitive morals that are essential to God himself.”7 The theory also doesn’t suggest that there is a standard outside of God, but that God is the standard.
Justifying Killings
There are many people that ask themselves about the violence in today’s world and is it justified. The death rates and violence trend today has gone in an upward spiral. “In 2015 the number of deaths from violent situations in the United States was
62,516”8 compared to the “1998 statistic of 48,847”9. This would give you a 28% increase in deaths that occurred and confirmed by violence. These numbers are not including the ones that are not reported or placed into a different category that is different from violence related crimes. One of the applied reading in this course was addressing the issue of justifying killings. The story, “Vietnam’s Legacy” began with Martin Paxton. He shares his feelings about being in war, after he was in the Vietnam War. He sees how they are different they are now, from when he was first drafted for war. Brad is the grandson of Mr. Paxton, and he was questioning the draft. His grandfather had mixed feelings on how to address this topic. Mr. Paxton feels the trauma from the war even to this day and doesn’t know which way he should address this subject with Brad. He understands that as a country we have ways to fight back on terrorism acts and fighting against the corrupt people.
Applying Virtue Ethics to this story was to have a basis of your own personal moral characteristics of what you practice and how you grew up. On a personal level I grew up in a semi- Christian home, meaning not going to church every Sunday, but we did go occasionally. As an adult with children we go every week and grow in faith every week. My father and my grandfather were both in the military. Learning the past from them, receiving the information about war from them and based on virtue ethics, I would say that some, if not most killings in war are justified. Although not all the killings
ordered or made by the military are justifiable, but for them and us back home’s safety they must be carried out. The world is different in a combat zone. I could not imagine myself doing what most of these military people do. Sometimes they even must focus on killing children because they are taught to contribute to corrupt foreign affairs. Even though most of the time children are innocent, some are raised and taught to commit acts that are immoral. My virtue ethics and based on that alone I would say that killing for a just cause and for the greater good, would be morally acceptable. This could probably also fall under the ethic of Rule Utilitarianism. This alone could probably not prove that it is morally acceptable to kill for a just cause, it is deeper then this.
Revelational Christian Ethics and Divine Nature Theory are the next theories that I am applying to this topic. They way that this will happen is that God said, “Thou shall not kill”10 (If in the original Hebrew language, ‘Thou shall not murder’). However, there is a difference between murder and killing. If we had world peace and peaceful protesting
it would be a different situation, but I don’t think that in todays world this would be possible. To many of us get hurt by other people’s opinions and upset if others are to
believe different values then agree with them. Then I thought of having the military stop killing altogether, but where would we be? The current state of our own country and the people active in the military we probably wouldn’t survive much longer. Even though there are many reasons for war not all are just, but personally I think that most are. Ecclesiastes 3:8 states, “A time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.”11 And another verse supporting war is Matthew 10:34, “And you will hear of
wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places.”12 Divine Nature Theory has presented itself in a way that states God is standard, and God tells us to obey all laws. With the United States Government, it is required for certain persons to sign up for the draft and if the draft is reinstated those who have been signed are called to serve in the military. If we do not follow these laws laid out, we are being sinful. All these facts and theories should be applied when we are trying to decipher if killing is ever justified.
11 Ecclesiastes 3:8 (ESV)
12 Matthew 10:34 (ESV)
The topic I chose has many foundations to it. The first part that is being concluded is that if and what Mr. Paxton is obligated to tell his grandson Brad. My answer is for Mr. Paxton to tell all. I think that Brad should be told what he grandfather feels before and after serving. Mr. Paxton should also pass on while he is giving his grandson his background that it is important that Brad choose for himself.
The question, is there ever a time when killing is justified? Yes, there are times that killings are justified. For instance, killing becomes murder when, (and only when) it is not justified. These justifications need to be clear, like using this force when you are protecting yourself, your family, or your country against hostile intruders. There is a difference between legal and illegal use of deadly force. “It is a matter or motive, intent and justification. These distinctions come straight from scripture”13 I do not believe that God wanted or intended for killings in his world to take place but after watching how humans worked, he realized that it would be inevitable. There have been, still are and will continue to be crimes committed and people wounded. If someone acts like this then I agree that perpetrators should be handled, fitting the crime that was committed. Overall, there will be times when killing is justifiable. Military and law enforcement usually are fighting for the right reasons. They do everything in their power to do the job ethically. 14
13 J. Warner Wallace. The Difference Between Killing and Murdering. Cold-Case Christianity with J. Warner Wallace. July 18, 2013
14 Chase Kovarik. RE: Case: Vietnam’s Legacy. October 16, 2017. Paragraph 5 Jones, Michael S. Moral Reasoning: An Intentional Approach to Distinguishing Right from Wrong. Dubuque. IA: Kendall Hunt, 2017.
Kovarik, Chase. RE: Case: Vietnam’s Legacy. October 16, 2017.
Stivers, Laura A., Christine E. Gudorf, and James B. Martin-Schramm. Christian Ethics: A Case Method Approach, 4th ed. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2012.
Wallace, Warner J. The Difference Between Killing and Murdering. Cold-Case
Christianity with J. Warner Wallace. July 18, 2013.
WISQARS, CDC. United States Violence-Related Deaths and Rates per 100,000. CDC.
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