My Youth Minister asked me last Sunday,
"Would you kill 1 person to save 1 million people?"
I didn't know how to reply so I told him I'll get back to him on that one. So I'm driving in my lil Honda and I'm thinking about this. It really does seem that it's better for the general good right? I mean that's a net save of 999,999 lives. Just the sheer magnitude of the numbers can convince a person one way or the other. And in a religious text, does the saving of 999,999 lives outweigh the breaking of one of the ten commandments? In other words, would you go to heaven?
But here is where the problem lies. The ability to take away a person's life should lie with God and God only. A human with the power to decide is too powerful. Therefore, I believe that we cannot kill 1 person to save 1 million; the decision should be left up to god.
This is how I feel about it; but i have received some very interesting feedback from other people both contradicting and supporting my views on this - saying things from population control to religious intervention.
So how do you guys feel about this?
When I read the title of your blog, I thought, "What?! This guy stole my idea!" But as I got reading, I found it interesting and not at all about my blog.
I don't think it's man's decision to decide who lives and who dies. What you're talking about (killing one person to save a million) is utilitarianism: the end justifies the means. We could murder a million people, raise taxes to 57%, and impose dictatorial laws, but if it helps 3 billion people, then it's worth it.
Twisted? Yes. The right way to think? Well... It definitely has a way to justify wrongs, but it certainly doesn't take away from the original wrong - killing one person.
Read and comment as you like....http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/starving-musician
Hmmm... I think there is a big diffrence between murder ( in the comandments) and saving lives. The bible is never anti war, or killing the bad, and Christ was killed to save the masses. I am not going to say its clear because it really is grey area.
What if God came down and told you that you need to kill so and so (and we will assume that God is God and not a sheep in wolves clothes)? I do not think this would be a contradiction.
Anyway the bible say what very you hold true here on earth will be held in heaven, which means that if you believe one way you better follow your beliefs and not be a hypocrite because you will be judged accordingly.
Very interesting thoughts and thought it was going to be another take on the tired abortion topic, nice.
Love is like a box of chocolates; if you chose wisely you won’t be disappointed and have to spit it out.
~T
A nation of well informed men who have been taught to know and prize the rights which God has given them cannot be enslaved. It is in the region of ignorance that tyranny begins. ~Benjamin Franklin
All humans have the power too decide. That is a component of Christianity. We have free will.
"Don't blame me. I voted for Kodos."
Homer Simpson
One life does not equal one life. If one person is killed today, who knows how many people will not exist in the future because of it? This could be this person's future offspring, or just the fact that this person was contributing to society in some way that enabled other people to live. So, you can't really say that killing one person would save a million, because you aren't really killing one person, you're killing many more potentials than that, and eventually, that one life taken could equate to more than the million saved in the first place.
~C
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That's a really good point. The one person you kill could be the one who finds the cure for cancer, or has 15 kids, who each have 15 kids, who each have 15 kids....yeah...There's no way to know how many people you would save or kill.
Read and comment as you like....http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/starving-musician
What if the person you are supposed to kill is yourself.... interesting situation there..... your minister could have just been referring to what Jesus did when he died on the cross. Just an observation....