Katherine Sullivan
5th Commandment Paper
Chavez 6th
18 December 2015
Thou Shall Not Kill
When people think of the 5th commandment, what almost automatically comes to mind is not to kill anyone. Most people think this commandment is one of the simpler ones, and that as long as the person doesn’t murder someone they are obeying it. They are sadly mistaken. The 5th commandment goes way beyond than that. It covers the obvious, not killing anyone, but also prohibits having thoughts of anger and revenge that can lead to harmful and abusive actions, selling unsafe products and services to the public, and forbids policies that take advantage of the less fortunate. There are very few circumstances where killing is not considered a sin.
People often take advantage of the gift of life, because it is so basic. God created human beings for eternal life, not death, and it is not our job to decide when someone dies. A widely debated topic is abortion. Many people think it should be the individual’s choice if they would like to …show more content…
Legitimate defense is about self-preservation, the intention is to protect oneself. In some cases the aggressor is killed. The Catechism says, “Love toward oneself remains a fundamental principle of morality. Therefore it is legitimate to insist on respect for one’s own right to life. Someone who defends his life is not guilty of murder even if he is forced to deal his aggressor with a lethal blow” (Catechism 2264). Just war is not considered a sin under the 5th commandment because every effort has been made to avoid war. The Catechism says a war is considered just if “the damage inflicted by the aggressor on the nation or community of nations must be lasting, grave and certain, all other means of putting an end to it must have been shown to be impractical or ineffective, and there must be serious prospects of success” (Catechism
5th Commandment Paper
Chavez 6th
18 December 2015
Thou Shall Not Kill
When people think of the 5th commandment, what almost automatically comes to mind is not to kill anyone. Most people think this commandment is one of the simpler ones, and that as long as the person doesn’t murder someone they are obeying it. They are sadly mistaken. The 5th commandment goes way beyond than that. It covers the obvious, not killing anyone, but also prohibits having thoughts of anger and revenge that can lead to harmful and abusive actions, selling unsafe products and services to the public, and forbids policies that take advantage of the less fortunate. There are very few circumstances where killing is not considered a sin.
People often take advantage of the gift of life, because it is so basic. God created human beings for eternal life, not death, and it is not our job to decide when someone dies. A widely debated topic is abortion. Many people think it should be the individual’s choice if they would like to …show more content…
Legitimate defense is about self-preservation, the intention is to protect oneself. In some cases the aggressor is killed. The Catechism says, “Love toward oneself remains a fundamental principle of morality. Therefore it is legitimate to insist on respect for one’s own right to life. Someone who defends his life is not guilty of murder even if he is forced to deal his aggressor with a lethal blow” (Catechism 2264). Just war is not considered a sin under the 5th commandment because every effort has been made to avoid war. The Catechism says a war is considered just if “the damage inflicted by the aggressor on the nation or community of nations must be lasting, grave and certain, all other means of putting an end to it must have been shown to be impractical or ineffective, and there must be serious prospects of success” (Catechism