Does God Forgive Soldiers

[Chernarus]

I was wondering if god forgives soldiers, and Marines for killing people.
And atheists i don't need to hear how god doesn't exist i don't try and convert you so don't try and go about how god doesn't exist.

 

[~Tosh~]

I would have thought so after all you are fighting for your God your Queen and your Country...

 

[JustSam]

if they repent, i would say yes.
But that is a tough question.
I kind of also think it makes a bit of a difference to God if the soldier believes in what he/she is fighting for or not.

But idk. It's said if you ask, you will be saved by God's good grace.

 

[Pingu]

If god exist, sure he would forgive the soldiers, afterall, he created the world a battlefield where you had to kill to survive..

 

[aki]

killing is killing :mellow:

 

[Anju]

Killing is killing, yes...but isn't God supposed to be merciful? Forgive you of all sins so long as you repent and all that? :unsure:

I think it's like most things, if you are aware of the harm it will cause to other before doing it then it's wrong of you to do it...if you realise afterwards, I think the asking for forgiveness theory works.

 

[Ziggy]

If you look at the old testament stories such as David and Goliath. David slew Goliath but he wasn't going against Gods will. A lot of military victories in these tales were won because God was on their side.

 

[LenaLunacy]

I would say so.

 

[Esmeralda]

Killing in war does not constitute murder, which is what the actual commandment forbids.

 

[fromthatshow]

God forgives everyone for everything.

 

[Chernarus]

thanks

 

[bluegrey]

Military force is an occasional necessary evil. What if in WW2 the Allied forces had not stopped Hitler and the Axis powers? What were the Germans doing to Jews, Gypsies, Slavs, Bolsheviks, homosexuals, the mentally ill, developmentally disabled, the physically handicapped and other "undesirable" non-Aryans? They was slaughtering them by the millions.

As for the soldiers themselves, it is a matter of self-defense under battlefield conditions.

 

[hammockmonkey]

Has anyone here read the Brothers Karamozov? There is an awesome part with Ivan talking about forgiveness. I don't have the book with me so I'll paraphrase, this is from around the chapter of the Grand Inquisitor (also a very good chapter).

In this section he talks about the right to forgive, he gives the example of a lord who has his favorite dog injuried by a small child. As punishment to the child, he sets the rest of his hounds on the child ripping the child to pieces. Now, can the mother forgive the lord? And, even if she can forgive the lord for causing her the pain of losing her son, can she forgive him for actually killing her son? Does she have the right or ability to forgive that child's loss of life? She can forgive her suffering, that is not in question. But, can she forgive the child's suffering?

I'm not doing a good job describing what Dostoyevsky means . . . I'll try and find the quotes so it will make more sense.

 

[aoeu]

I think that if God could forgive anything, he could forgive a soldier for doing his job. It's the people on top who may be doing something wrong, but not the soldier at the bottom. He has no choice, and if anyone can understand that, it's God.