316 lines
15 KiB
Plaintext
316 lines
15 KiB
Plaintext
Murder
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World Scripture
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MURDER
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Murder is condemned by all faiths, as by reason itself. Nevertheless, there is
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often a line between murder and sanctioned violence, and this line is drawn in
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various ways. In Jainism, and among some Buddhists, Hindus, and Taoists, the
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concept of absolute nonviolence (ahimsa) encompasses all animals and living
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beings. In Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, on the other hand, the scriptural
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prohibitions against murder are restricted to the killing of human beings.
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Some passages in the Christian, Buddhist, Taoist, and Jewish scriptures may be
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interpreted as teaching that killing a human being is a sin under any and all
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circumstances. Hence, some in these traditions regard it as wrong to use
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violent means to defend against harm--cf. Turn the Other Cheek, pp. 708-10.
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Pacifism and objections to capital punishment likewise derive from this
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scriptural foundation. Other passages, a selection of which are given here,
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may be interpreted as restricting the definition of murder to an individual
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killing for selfish purposes. They permit killing in self-defense, permit
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killing to prevent greater crimes, sanction state enforcement of the death
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penalty, and support the waging of war for just cause. Nevertheless, killing
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in such circumstances should still be viewed as evil, albeit the lesser evil.
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The inferior morality of killing in self-defense or in retaliation is
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highlighted in the two versions of the story of Cain and Abel from the Bible
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and the Qur'an. In the biblical story God grants Cain a mark to protect him
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from retaliation, and in the Qur'anic version Abel shows his righteousness by
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refusing to defend himself from Cain's aggression.
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Related crimes which are treated in the latter part of this section include
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infanticide, abortion, and suicide. Abortion is a topic of much current
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controversy in the West--many religious people regard it as a crime analogous
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to infanticide--yet there is no mention in the Bible. Abortion is often
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condemned in the scriptures of Eastern religions. We have also selected a few
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representative scriptural condemnations of suicide. However, certain
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religions, notably Jainism, approve of religious suicide as an extremely
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effective means of penance.
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You shall not kill.
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1. Judaism and Christianity. Exodus 20.13
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The essence of right conduct is not to injure anyone; one should know only
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this, that non-injury is religion.
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2. Jainism. Naladiyar 14-15
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He who commits murder must be considered as the worst offender, more wicked
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than a defamer, than a thief, and than he who injures with a staff.
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3. Hinduism. Laws of Manu 8.345
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Anyone who kills a believer intentionally will have his reward in hell, to
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remain there. God will be angry with him and curse him, and prepare awful
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torment for him.
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4. Islam. Qur'an 4.92
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Only one single man [Adam] was created in the world, to teach that, if any man
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has caused a single soul to perish, Scripture imputes it to him as though he
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had caused the whole world to perish, and if any man saves alive a single soul,
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Scripture imputes it to him as though he had saved the whole world.
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5. Judaism. Mishnah, Sanhedrin 4.5
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1Cf. Acarangasutra 7, p. 344. Naladiyar 14-15: 'Non-injury,' that is, ahimsa.
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Cf. Acarangasutra 5.101-2, p. 173. Sanhedrin 4.5: This scripture is quoted in
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Qur'an 5.32, below.
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- - - - - - - - - - - -
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All tremble at the rod. All fear death. Comparing others with oneself, one
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should neither strike nor cause to strike.
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All tremble at the rod. Life is dear to all. Comparing others with oneself,
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one should neither strike nor cause to strike.
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Whoever, seeking his own happiness, harms with the rod other pleasure-loving
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beings, experiences no happiness hereafter.
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Whoever, seeking his own happiness, harms not with the rod other
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pleasure-loving beings, experiences happiness hereafter.
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6. Buddhism. Dhammapada 129-32
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In wars to gain land, the dead fill the plains; in wars to gain cities, the
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dead fill the cities. This is known as showing the land the way to devour
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human flesh. Death is too light a punishment for such men [who wage war].
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Hence those skilled in war should suffer the most severe punishments.
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7. Confucianism. Mencius IV.A.14
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Victory breeds hatred, for the defeated live in pain. Happily live the
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peaceful, giving up victory and defeat.
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8. Buddhism. Dhammapada 201
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A man once came before Raba and said to him, "The ruler of my city has ordered
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me to kill a certain person, and if I refuse he will kill me." Raba told him,
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"Be killed and do not kill; do you think that your blood is redder than his?
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Perhaps his is redder than yours."
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9. Judaism. Talmud, Pesahim 25b
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We could surmise that murdering an enemy whom all people, as well as yourself,
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dislike cannot be a crime. But even the hated man has the same cosmic value as
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you. Murdering is a crime, because by murdering a person you infringe upon a
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cosmic law.
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10. Unification Church. Sun Myung Moon, 9-30-79
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Then they came up and laid hands upon Jesus and seized him. And behold, one of
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those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand, and drew his sword, and
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struck the slave of the high priest, and cut off his ear. Then Jesus said to
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him, "Put your sword back into its place; for all who take the sword will
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perish by the sword."
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11. Christianity. Matthew 26.51-52
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Fine weapons are instruments of evil.
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They are hated by men.
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Therefore those who possess Tao turn away from them....
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Weapons are instruments of evil, not the instruments of a good ruler.
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When he uses them unavoidably, he regards calm restraint as the best principle.
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Even when he is victorious, he does not regard it as praiseworthy,
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For to praise victory is to delight in the slaughter of men.
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He who delights in the slaughter of men will not succeed in the empire....
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For the slaughter of the multitude, let us weep with sorrow and grief.
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For a victory, let us observe the occasion with funeral ceremonies.
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12. Taoism. Tao Te Ching 31
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Dhammapada 129-32: Cf. Dhammapada 201, p. 1004; Sutta Nipata 705, p. 173;
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Acarangasutra 5.101-2, p. 173; Samyutta Nikaya v.353, p. 173. Matthew
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26.51-52: Cf. Treatise on Response and Retribution 5, p. 185.
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If a man comes to kill you, forestall it by killing him.
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13. Judaism. Talmud, Sanhedrin 72a
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Do not take life--which God has made sacred--except for just cause. And if
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anyone is slain wrongfully, we have given his heir authority to demand
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retribution; but let him not exceed bounds in the matter of taking life, for he
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is helped by the law.
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14. Islam. Qur'an 17.33
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O sons of Abdul Muttalib, let there be no retaliation for the act of murder. Do
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not roam about with a drawn sword... and do not start a massacre of my
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opponents and enemies. See that only one man, that is my murderer, is killed
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in punishment for the crime of murder, and that nobody else is molested or
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harmed or harassed. The punishment to the man who attempted the murder shall
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take place only when I die of the wound delivered by him, and this punishment
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shall be only one stroke of the sword to end [his] life. He should not be
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tortured before his death; his hands and feet should not be cut off, because I
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have heard the Holy Prophet saying, "Do not cut off the hands and feet of
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anybody, be it a biting dog."
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15. Islam (Shiite). Nahjul Balagha, Letter 47
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Suppose a bodhisattva sees that a vicious robber intends to kill many people
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for the sake of wealth; or intends to harm virtuous shravakas, pratyekabuddhas,
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or bodhisattvas; or intends to do other things that will cause him to fall into
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the Uninterrupted hell. When seeing this, the bodhisattva will think, "If I
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kill that person, I will fall into the hells; if I do not kill him, he will
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commit crimes which will lead him to the Uninterrupted hell, where he will
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suffer greatly. I would rather kill him and fall to the hells myself than let
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him undergo great suffering in the Uninterrupted hell."
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Then, deeply regretting the necessity for this action, and with a heart full of
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compassion, he will kill that person. In doing this, he does not violate the
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bodhisattva precepts; instead, he generates many merits.
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16. Buddhism. Yogacarya Bhumi Shastra
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Nahjul Balagha: `Ali spoke these words as he lay dying of a wound delivered by
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an assassin. He urged that there be no acts of vengeance outside of the rule
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of law. Yogacarya Bhumi Shastra: 'Uninterrupted' (Avici) hell is the lowest
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Buddhist hell.
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- - - - - - - - - - - -
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Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain... and again, she
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bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a tiller of
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the ground. In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the
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fruit of the ground, and Abel brought of the firstlings of the flock and of
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their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, but for
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Cain and his offering He had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his
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countenance fell. The Lord said to Cain, "Why are you angry, and why has your
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countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do
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not do well, sin is couching at the door; its desire is for you, but you must
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master it."
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Cain said to Abel his brother, "Let us go out into the field." And when they
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were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel, and killed him. Then
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the Lord said to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother?" He replied, "I do not
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know; am I my brother's keeper?" And the Lord said, "What have you done? The
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voice of your brother's blood is crying to me from the ground. And now you are
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cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's
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blood from your hand. When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield to
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you its strength; you shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth." Cain
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said to the Lord, "My punishment is greater than I can bear. Behold, you have
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driven me this day away from the ground; and from your face I shall be hidden;
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and I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me
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will slay me." Then the Lord said to him, "Not so! If any one slays Cain,
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vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold." And the Lord put a mark on Cain,
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lest any who came upon him should kill him. Then Cain went away from the
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presence of the Lord, and dwelt in the land of Nod, east of Eden.
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17. Judaism and Christianity. Genesis 4.1-16
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And recite for them the story of the two sons of Adam truthfully, when they
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offered a sacrifice, and it was accepted of one of them, and not accepted of
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the other. "I will surely slay you," said one. "God accepts only of the
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god-fearing," said the other.
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"Yet if you stretch out your hand against me, to slay me, I will not stretch
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out my hand against you, to slay you; I fear God, the Lord of all Beings. I
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desire that you should be laden with my sin and your sin, and so become an
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inhabitant of the Fire; that is the recompense of the evildoers."
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Then his soul prompted him to slay his brother, and he slew him, and became one
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of the losers.
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Then God sent forth a raven, scratching into the earth, to show him how he
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might conceal the vile body of his brother. He said, "Woe is me! Am I unable
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to be as this raven, and so conceal my brother's vile body?" And he became one
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of the remorseful.
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Therefore We prescribed for the Children of Israel that whoever kills a human
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being, except to retaliate for manslaughter or for corruption done in the land,
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it shall be as if he had killed all of humankind; and whoso saves the life of
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one, it shall be as if he had saved the lives of all humankind.
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18. Islam. Qur'an 5.27-32
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Qur'an 5.27-32: The Qur'an cites the Mishnah, Sanhedrin 4.5, above.
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[Evil-doers] kill the baby and cause abortion of the unborn.
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19. Taoism. Treatise on Response and Retribution
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Slay not your children, fearing a fall to poverty. We shall provide for them
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and for you. Lo! the slaying of them is great sin.
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20. Islam. Qur'an 17.31
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It is a capital crime to destroy an embryo in the womb.
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21. Judaism. Talmud, Sanhedrin 57b
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If a woman is in hard travail, one cuts up the child in her womb and brings it
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forth member by member, because her life comes before the child.
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22. Judaism. Mishnah, Ohalot 7.6
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A bhikkhu who intentionally kills a human being, down to procuring abortion, is
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no ascetic and no follower of the Fraternity of the Buddha.
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23. Buddhism. Vinaya, Mahavagga i.78.4
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Those versed in the sacred law state that there are three acts only which make
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women outcastes: the murder of the husband, slaying a learned brahmin, and the
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destruction of the fruit of their womb.
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24. Hinduism. Vasishtha Dharma Sutra 28.7
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He who takes his own or another's life becomes an outcaste.
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25. Hinduism. Apastamba Dharma Sutra 1.10.28.17
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Let him [the ascetic] not desire to die... let him wait for his appointed time,
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as a servant waits for the payment of his wages.
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26. Hinduism. Laws of Manu 6.45
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Qur'an 17.31: The motives for female infanticide in pre-Islamic Arabia, where
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the practice was common, were mainly economic. They are little different from
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some of the more questionable contemporary rationales for abortion.
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"Surely your blood of your lives will I require." [Genesis 9.5]. This includes
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suicide, except in a case like that of Saul.
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27. Judaism. Midrash, Genesis Rabbah 34.13
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He who killed himself with steel would be the eternal denizen of the Fire of
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hell, and he would have that weapon in his hand and would be thrusting that
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into his stomach for ever and ever; he who killed himself by drinking poison
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would sip that in the Fire of hell where he is doomed for ever and ever; and he
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who killed himself by falling from a mountain would constantly be falling in
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the Fire of hell.
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28. Islam. Hadith of Muslim
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A monk who intentionally deprives a human being of his life, or provides the
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means for suicide, or praises death, or incites one to commit suicide, saying,
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"Of what use to you is this evil, difficult life? Death is better for you than
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life," thus having his mind set on the other's death and with the idea that he
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should die, praises death in various ways or incites him to commit suicide,
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commits an offense entailing loss of monkhood.
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29. Buddhism. Vinaya Pitaka
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Genesis Rabbah 34.13: King Saul killed himself on the battlefield rather than
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allow himself to be captured by the enemy and become a taunt to Israel; see 1
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Samuel 31.1-6. For a noble suicide, see Gittin 57b, p. 886.
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