Introduction to Christianity
Christianity is the world’s most popular religion with over 2 billion followers. Christians believe in one God and that Jesus is the Messiah. The Ten Commandments are a set of obligatory rules which guide how Christians should behave. They are commonly applied to make decisions on ethics and worship. Many of the teachings of Christianity are based on love.
Skilled Veterans Corps: Suicide VS Heroism
Even within the teachings of Christianity, this ethical issue can cause conflict. On one side of the argument, it is clearly stated in the Ten Commandments that ‘thou shalt not kill’. Therefore, some Christians will interpret this directly and believe that the ‘Skilled Veterans Corps’ should not be allowed as these people are entering a known-death situation, which is effectively, suicide. These Christians, often pacifists, will say that this kind of act should rarely be justified and should be avoided. However, there is another side to the argument. The first point is that the Old Testament also explicitly states that ‘if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life’. This suggests that if many people are going to die from nuclear radiation, a proportion of other people’s lives need to be taken. However, since this is quite brutal, the majority of Christians will probably base their views on Jesus’ advice. Jesus teaches to ‘love your neighbour’ and to ‘love one another’. Therefore, it can be said that the members of the ‘Skilled Veterans Corps’ are showing this love for the younger generation. They are willing to sacrifice their own lives to save others, which is viewed as heroism. This does not mean that these Christians feel that, in harsh terms, killing is right. These Christians are saying that as long as the elderly are giving up their lives for their compassion for others, this can be accepted, especially in a situation like this where the Fukushima nuclear plant is to cause serious repercussions for decades.
Subsequently, although Christians believe in ‘thou shalt not kill’, they have also been taught about love. In making this decision about whether the ‘Skilled Veterans Corps’ are showing an act of suicide or heroism also depends on the situation. The disastrous meltdown at the Fukushima Nuclear Plant has caused a huge chain of problems, starting from unemployment to death. Therefore, unless a group of people step in themselves, these problems will never be solved. It seems like it is sensible to conclude that because of the severity of what is happening, love overpowers the rules. Most Christians will allow and admire this because the ‘Skilled Veterans Corps’ are showing heroism, but more importantly, love for others by taking their own lives.
The ‘Suicide VS Heroism’ argument also share some qualities with Christian attitudes towards war.
Christianity is the world’s most popular religion with over 2 billion followers. Christians believe in one God and that Jesus is the Messiah. The Ten Commandments are a set of obligatory rules which guide how Christians should behave. They are commonly applied to make decisions on ethics and worship. Many of the teachings of Christianity are based on love.
Skilled Veterans Corps: Suicide VS Heroism
Even within the teachings of Christianity, this ethical issue can cause conflict. On one side of the argument, it is clearly stated in the Ten Commandments that ‘thou shalt not kill’. Therefore, some Christians will interpret this directly and believe that the ‘Skilled Veterans Corps’ should not be allowed as these people are entering a known-death situation, which is effectively, suicide. These Christians, often pacifists, will say that this kind of act should rarely be justified and should be avoided. However, there is another side to the argument. The first point is that the Old Testament also explicitly states that ‘if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life’. This suggests that if many people are going to die from nuclear radiation, a proportion of other people’s lives need to be taken. However, since this is quite brutal, the majority of Christians will probably base their views on Jesus’ advice. Jesus teaches to ‘love your neighbour’ and to ‘love one another’. Therefore, it can be said that the members of the ‘Skilled Veterans Corps’ are showing this love for the younger generation. They are willing to sacrifice their own lives to save others, which is viewed as heroism. This does not mean that these Christians feel that, in harsh terms, killing is right. These Christians are saying that as long as the elderly are giving up their lives for their compassion for others, this can be accepted, especially in a situation like this where the Fukushima nuclear plant is to cause serious repercussions for decades.
Subsequently, although Christians believe in ‘thou shalt not kill’, they have also been taught about love. In making this decision about whether the ‘Skilled Veterans Corps’ are showing an act of suicide or heroism also depends on the situation. The disastrous meltdown at the Fukushima Nuclear Plant has caused a huge chain of problems, starting from unemployment to death. Therefore, unless a group of people step in themselves, these problems will never be solved. It seems like it is sensible to conclude that because of the severity of what is happening, love overpowers the rules. Most Christians will allow and admire this because the ‘Skilled Veterans Corps’ are showing heroism, but more importantly, love for others by taking their own lives.
The ‘Suicide VS Heroism’ argument also share some qualities with Christian attitudes towards war.