Should Catholics become Soldiers?

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BlueRain

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One of the commandments is “Thou Shall not Kill”. If you go into the military, you know beforehand that you will be required to kill if you’re sent off to a war. So shouldn’t Catholics avoid the military? I know that there are cases where we don’t have a choice (WWII). Don’t Muslims avoid going into the military usually?
 
Thou shalt not kill is more correctly translated Thou shalt not take an innocen life.

The purpose of our military is to prevent war, by it’s strength and formidable status. And should an enemy decide to foment war, the purpose of the military is to bring it to a swift, sure and just end.

Interestingly, Christ never told any of the soldiers he came in contact with that they should quit; nor did he say that one should not enter the military.

Nor have any of the anti military crowd had the privilege of living in a gulag, or one of the re-education camps (such an interesting euphamism) of China, or North Korea, or Viet Nam.

Strange, how Jane Fonda never seems to address that bit… but she sure does seem to enjoy the exercise of her freedom and free speech, all guaranteed by those military personnel she so freely offed during Viet Nam…
 
It is not a sin (at least not a mortal sin) to kill the enemy in a just war. I would be hesitant to join the military because who knows what kind of a war a president would get us into.

God help us if Howard Dean is ever our president. :rotfl:
 
It is a good and noble thing to serve your God and/or country (in that order mind you). I see millitary service as a form of stewardship. You have the power and opportunity to keep safe all the great gifts God has given you. I have deep and undying respect for those who are willing to sacifice so much to protect me.
There are other ways to be a stweard of your gifts. I am gifted intellectually, and so i seek either to heal the body as a researcher, or heal the soul as a clergyman. My mother is a mother and wife who pours herself out to raise up a holy family.

as for “Thou shall not kill” it is better rendered “Thou shall not murder.” Besides, in a just war is is permissable to kill, just try not to take joy in it or cause death needlessly.
 
I agree with the posters above. It is not a sin to join the military, my entire family has done it, and they are all good Catholics. But if Hilary gets elected next election, I can only imagine what kind of wars we’d be getting into. . .

On the note of sinning by joining the military, what does everyone think of people who joined the SS back in World War II? I feel that they were sinning, because only the “brightest and best” got into the SS. We all know what that means.

By the way Brain I love the quote in your profile.
 
The Catechism of the Catholic Church has a paragraph about this.
It basically sums up how we are able to serve under a just cause (if necessary) for our civil government.
I’d look it up in the CCC though you’d have to use the index because I can’t remember where I found it.
 
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Primitive:
The Catechism of the Catholic Church has a paragraph about this.
It basically sums up how we are able to serve under a just cause (if necessary) for our civil government.
I’d look it up in the CCC though you’d have to use the index because I can’t remember where I found it.
Click to expand...
2310 Public authorities, in this case, have the right and duty to impose on citizens the obligations necessary for national defense.

Those who are sworn to serve their country in the armed forces are servants of the security and freedom of nations. If they carry out their duty honorably, they truly contribute to the common good of the nation and the maintenance of peace.107
 
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