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[Wise Fool for Life]

Christian soldiers killing unarmed civilians in self defence

This scenario had been circulating quite a bit in my head, which is actually an event that affects deployed soldiers quite often.

Is it justified, within the Christian faith, to eliminate the occupants of a car approaching a military checkpoint at an accelerating speed under suspicion of being a car bomb?

What about children/ women/ non-combatant men suspected of carrying bomb vests but are actually found unarmed?

[jimwalton]

First of all, no one can act with perfection. We will do some things that turn out to be the right and best courses of action, and we will do some things that turn out to be mistakes. We can be held accountable for wrong actions, but not for actions that turn out to be wrong because we're not omniscient. We are not omniscient and can't be expected to be. Therefore the circumstances and intent matter greatly in assessing guilt.

> Is it justified, within the Christian faith, to eliminate the occupants of a car approaching a military checkpoint at an accelerating speed under suspicion of being a car bomb?

I would say yes. First of all, it's obviously a military installation and obviously a military checkpoint. An accelerating car is a plausible action of threat and presumably of violence. We have a right as Christians to defend ourself, and the military have a right to protect their people and resources.

> What about children/ women/ non-combatant men suspected of carrying bomb vests but are actually found unarmed?

This is much trickier. For anyone who has been in these situations, there is an understanding of the grave danger of the unknown, the very real threat to life by IEDs, and how difficult it is to discern who is a veritable threat and who isn't. In these situations it is incumbent on the citizens in war zones to be clear about their status and intentions, knowing that any ambiguity can be life-threatening and/or life ending. A person who is "murky" in their behaviors or hostile in their responses can expect to be met with military resistance and possibly even lethal force.

On the other hand, every soldier must train to contain their fear so they don't murder innocent civilians. Even the best training, however, cannot mitigate all mistakes.