Good + Bad=Good?

[dominikus28]

I posted a thread before that asked if you are permitted to do something bad in order to achieve something better. I got answers that said no.

If that is true, then during a war, it isn’t justified to kill the enemy. E.g. WWII-If a soldier killed a Nazi during the war, he did domething bad, but he helped achieve something better (win the war). Did he sin or do a good thing?

 

[cpayne]

He did a morally permissible thing in a good cause, not a “bad” thing for a good cause.

 

[1ke]

I posted a thread before that asked if you are permitted to do something bad in order to achieve something better. I got answers that said no.

This is correct.

If that is true, then during a war, it isn’t justified to kill the enemy. E.g. WWII-If a soldier killed a Nazi during the war, he did domething bad, but he helped achieve something better (win the war). Did he sin or do a good thing?

Here is where you are mistaken. A soldier fighting in a just war does not commit a sin or do something “bad” when he defends himself against the enemy and kills him.

The Church does not teach that taking the life of an aggressor is immoral.

 

[dominikus28]

But if some one E.g. lied to get into the CIA and prevent it from attacking Mexico, would that be a sin?

You would be protecting everyone who would get caught up in their war.

 

[1ke]

But if some one E.g. lied to get into the CIA and prevent it from attacking Mexico, would that be a sin?

You would be protecting everyone who would get caught up in their war.

Your question actually makes little sense at all.

No, you can’t lie your way into the CIA. A lie is wrong, and it is predicated on possibly doing some future act. A person would have absolutely no way to know they could prevent a war-- and one person would likely lack the influence to do so.

There are other ways to influence US policy besides lieing.

 

[Smber2c]

predicated

Nice word choice.

One thing to keep in mind when judging moral actions is that we’re human and we often think that death is the ultimate bad. It isn’t. Death is essential. It is our way to the Father.

Any immoral choice can’t be taken even at the cost of our or another’s death. But as stated defending oneself or ones nation is not immoral.
Christians fretted over this at the beginning of the Church. They thought they couldn’t fight for the Romans, but eventually this was settled.

It’s kinda makes sense, like with Ghandi. He reportedly stated that his ‘peaceul resistance’ would only work in a nation where the government and people valued individual lives. If he had been in Nazi Germany with Hitler in control…we’d all have never heard of the man.

 

[runandsew]

Blowing up an abortion clinic to stop abortions would be wrong and a sin.