Do Soldiers Commit A Sin By Killing In War?

[Kavita Shah]

Definition of war
"War is a place where young people who don't know each other and don't hate each other kill each other, by the decision of old people who know each other and hate each other, but don't kill each other."
It isn't a sin to kill in war when you're defending your country and it's people. Coning out from war without a single kill gives a clear conscience. Postwar there are many heavy hearts if the soldiers get PTSD.

[Blessing Odii]

I have thought about this severally. But we must admit the duty of a soldier, which is defending the territorial integrity of its boundaries. In this process, there might be killing involved which is not sin.

[Blessing Odii]

If the Bible would serve as our moral compass in this thought-provoking question then we must remember that God once had a country whose soldiers he would send to war occasionally.

[Blessing Odii]

A soldier's action that may occasion death would be called killing in a situation where a civilian who did not pose a threat to anyone or the soldier himself. But if it's not in this case, it's then called defence.

[NdegwaSalome]

War should only be considered as a last resort when everything else has failed to work. In any case, I don't think they're committing any sin. War has been there always and will remain there.

[Ada Chris]

Frankly speaking, I cannot downplay the emotional toll and the spiritual consequences that taking another person's life causes for anyone, regardless of the context. I don't point fingers at soldiers and I understand that they are only doing so in service to their country. But in recent times, it can be true that being a soldier is more of a job. But I doubt that soldiers take their job lightly and we shouldn't either nor should we point fingers.

[Praise GodWord]

Well, I don't think it's called killing in the context of soldiers. They simply carry out instructions from their commander. Soldiers are simply those who protect a certain people by killing certain things or people if need be.

[Praise GodWord]

The question is: who defines sin? Who do we offend if we act in a certain way? That person would determine if soldiers have sinned by killing a particular person. If it is God, I've never read anywhere in the Bible where He counted it as sin.

[Waliyat_24]

Killing is a sin morally and spiritually, but what could the soldiers do? That’s what they are trained to do. The situation is either kill or be killed, which leaves them no choice.

[John Brown 10]

I don't think soldiers killing at war is a sin. It is what they've signed up for. It is also important to point out that war is not an option in solving problems. Even those soldiers have families who'd miss them if they're killed.

[IconReviews]

This is quite an interesting question. The aim of war is to kill or to be killed. If it's a case of self defense, I don't this is could be classified as sin

[Joyce Nwaogazie]

No matter the circumstances war shouldn't be the final action to be taken, it has a ripple effect on people which takes time to heal. From my own opinion, soldiers don't commit any sin when they kill at war, it is their duty to depend their country.

[Agatha Bushguy]

I do not think that soldiers commit a sin by killing in a war. Many of the holy books that call killing a sin had their moments when their soldiers were sent into war. I guess that war nay be the exception to the rule of not killing.

[Stephen Ogunwale]

Killing during war to me, I think could either be a sin or not, because personally it all plays down to the motive behind one’s actions. I think the real question first of all should be, what are we fighting for, that way it’ll be clear for every combatants out there to make rational decisions especially during war.

[Tamorie Hargro]

This is a very complicated question. In my opinion, killing is killing, no matter what. But in a situation of war where if you do not kill you are killed yourself, I think it becomes a form of self-defence.

I agree with this sentiment. There is the case of self-defense in this case. However, soldiers would not be put in this situation--whether to be the aggressor or to take the stance of self-defense--if they were not involved in war in the first place. Conflict resolution would be ideal to all forms of war, I think. What's tough is trying to get people to see eye to eye who are willing to be humbled (on both sides of the conflict) without involving weapons of death and destruction.