Moral absolutism debates. Ugh.

[Jenny A]

I would begin by asking absolutists to define murder (or rape for that matter).  Murder is just a name for killings that we as a culture have decided we don't like. What is murder, as opposed to lawful killing, differs widely culturally, and even within a culture people have wildly differing ideas about it.   The Bible isn't so clear about it either.

Raise a few scenarios:

1.  A person enters your house and attempts to kill you.  Is it murder, if you kill him? What if he does not attempt to kill you but was only trying to steal from you? What if he is unarmed? Does it matter if he's stealing from you because his family is starving?

2.  Is it murder to kill a person in order to stop them from raping, or murdering someone else?  Does it matter if you could prevent them without killing them, but only at risk of your own or the victim's life?

3. When a soldier shoots another soldier in a war, is it murder?  What if he shoots a civilian who he only thought was a soldier?  What if he shoots a civilian in order to shoot another soldier?  If he shoots an armed civilian who is shooting at him?  If he drops a bomb that will probably kill some civilians as well as other soldiers?


Point out how different the answers would be under different religions and moral philosophies. 


Then bring out the big guns.  Genocide.

Is genocide ever moral?  Does it matter if god demands that you commit genocide?  It isn't an idle question as god does that a fair amount in Joshua.