Sixth: You shall not kill

Created: 24 November 2010 | Print

Index

Human life

Human life is a most precious gift from God who made us all and cares for us from the moment of our earliest existence, even before we were born, and all through our lives (see Jeremiah 1:5; Psalm 22:9,10). So human life should be protected and cared for at all stages, including unborn babies, disabled people, and elderly people.

Killing

The Sixth Commandment is, “You shall not kill” (“You shall do no murder”).

Murder

To murder someone means to kill them unlawfully, with ill-will and on purpose – a very serious sin. It is sometimes allowable to kill another, and in that case it is not murder. For example, a soldier fighting for his country is not guilty of murder if he kills one of the enemy. It is also permissible to kill another person if one believes that that is the only way to stop him or her from killing oneself, in which case one does not commit murder. But it would be murder if one’s own life was not in danger. So if a burglar broke into a house, the householder would be guilty of murder if he or she deliberately killed the burglar merely in order to stop the burglar escaping with the loot. And even if the burglar actually attacked the householder, the householder must only use reasonable force in defence.

To murder, then, means to kill another person unlawfully, with ill-will against that person, and on purpose – not accidentally.

Abortion and euthanasia

Abortion means taking the life of an unborn baby. Euthanasia is the deliberate taking of a person’s life, for example, because he or she is disabled, or ill, or in pain or dying. Whatever language is used to describe what is done, there is no disguising the fact that killing is involved. Killing is wrong – a very serious sin.

Sometimes people who are dying have pain which may be severe. It is not wrong for a doctor to give dying people high doses of medicine with the intention of controlling the pain, even if in so doing their life is shortened. It is the intention that is all-important – if the medicine is given with the intention of relieving pain, not with the intention of killing the person, that is not euthanasia and it is not wrong. A doctor is also not required to take extreme measures, such as using life support machines, to keep people alive when there is no hope of their getting better. The intention here is not to cause the death of the person but to accept that the person has come to the end of his or her life and that using extreme methods is merely blocking the person’s death.

Suicide

Suicide is also a form of murder when the person concerned is in his or her right mind. Suicide in this situation is a very serious sin, the sin of murdering oneself. It is a sin not only against oneself, but also against God. God has given us our life and it is for him, and not for us, to say when it shall end. We did not choose when to be born, and it is not for us to choose when to die. Assisted suicide means helping another person to take his or her own life and is also a serious sin.

But many people who take their own life do so when the balance of their mind is disturbed, that is, they are very distressed indeed and cannot think rationally. The important thing in this situation is that people get help as quickly as possible, before they harm themselves. If children ever feel like taking their own life, they need to talk with an adult whom they trust. If they prefer to talk with someone they don’t know, they can ring the special ChildLine UK phone number: 0800 1111. This is a free 24-hour helpline. The Samaritans is another free source of help – UK telephone 08457 90 90 90. (For more information and resources please see note below)

Spiritual killing

There is also what is called ‘spiritual killing’. This means taking a person away from God and towards possible final separation from God in Hell by encouraging that person to commit some serious sin or sins.

No malice nor hatred

The Catechism explains this Commandment in these words: “To hurt nobody by word nor deed…To bear no malice nor hatred in my heart”. (1) To hurt nobody by word or deed means we must never speak unpleasantly to other people or about other people, and we must never do anything to harm them in any way.

Hatred

“To bear no malice nor hatred in my heart” – malice means an ill-will that wants other people to suffer harm. Hatred is an attitude of mind that wants another person out of the way. Thus hatred is the first step to murder. Of course, it is possible to hate another person without murdering that person. Nevertheless, every murder begins with the murderer wanting someone out of the way before he or she actually puts that person out of the way. So St John tells us, “All who hate a brother or sister are murderers” (NRSV, 1 John 3:15) – meaning a murderer at heart. That is why hatred is a serious sin.

Anger

Anger is often an expression of hatred. When someone is angry with another, he or she may very likely commit the sin of hatred by wishing the other person out of the way. If we are angry with anyone, we should always get over it as quickly as possible. So St Paul has told us, “…do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not make room for the devil” (NRSV, Ephesians 4:26,27), meaning, “Do not keep your anger up after the day is over, otherwise the Devil will get a footing in your soul”.

Sometimes people feel disgruntled or sad at the skills and abilities of other people, for example, in sport or schoolwork. This can lead to unhappiness and even bullying. But God has given us all different gifts and we are all good at something. We can honour God and show our love for him by being thankful for what he has given us, and thankful for what he has given other people.

Goodwill

But it is not enough for us not to harm or hate or be angry with other people. What we must do instead is to have goodwill to everyone, and to treat everybody well, even the people who treat us badly. That is one of the hardest things there is, but it is something which we must all learn to do. For we shall never be in harmony with Jesus, and he and we will never be really at one together, until we do what he himself did and commanded us to do too: “…Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven…” (NRSV, Matthew 5:44,45).

SUMMARY

1. Human life is a precious gift from God who made us all and cares for us from the moment of our earliest existence, even before we were born, and all through our lives.

2. So human life should be protected and cared for at all stages, from unborn babies, disabled people, right through to elderly people.

3. With a few exceptions, such as a soldier in battle, it is wrong to kill someone else or help someone else to kill themselves.

4. Malice means ill-will that wishes harm. Hatred means enmity which desires someone’s death, and so, if we bear hatred, we are murderers at heart. Anger is a sin chiefly because it is usually accompanied by malice or hatred.

5. We must treat everyone well, including those who treat us badly.

Note

The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) reported in March 2009 that “the number of children telling ChildLine that feeling suicidal is their main reason for calling has tripled in the last five years from 909 in 2003/04 to 2,925 in 2007/08”. For more information and resources, click here.

Reference

Church of England (1662) The Book of Common Prayer. A Catechism. Available from: http://www.cofe.anglican.org/worship/liturgy/bcp/texts/catechism.html (Accessed 20 August 2010) (Internet).