Posted on 06/03/2009 11:13:53 AM PDT by lewisglad
In a commentary today, Creighton theologian R.R. Reno parses the justifications for killing an abortion doctor like George Tiller, and finds that alleged murderer Scott Roeder came up short–though barely. Reno says that “The blanket condemnation [by Catholics bishops] of ‘violence’ seems unhelpfully expansive” and so he wants to explain that the reasons Tiller’s killer was wrong “are not as simple as they seem.”
Reno says that under Christian thinking, such an action would have to satisfy three conditions: It would target the guilty, not the innocent; it would have to be necessary (principally to protect others); and it would have to be an act of self-defense that does not “violate the principle of legitimate authority” by being premeditated and calculated violence, as Tiller’s killing was. Reno says the suspect got two out of three:
The emphasis on “unlawful use of violence,” the evocation of “vigilantism,” and the description of Tiller’s killer as a “vigilante killer” are all exactly right. We are all sinners, but it is painfully obvious that Dr. George Tiller acted in wanton disregard for the sanctity of life. Killing him did not violate the principle of innocence. Moreover, he gave no evidence of stopping. As a result, perhaps something like the principle of necessity can be satisfied. But it is certainly obvious that his killer was acting as the law unto himself. He arrogated to himself the roles of jury, judge, and executioner. He violated the principle of legitimate authority.
That strikes me as far too close to justification, as others would argue that unjust laws shouldn’t stop us. With their redesigned site, the First Things blog now allows comments, and the first commenter on Reno’s thread pressed him to go further, asking how Reno’s argument would apply to Bonhoeffer or the Nazi resistance. Good question.
(Excerpt) Read more at commonwealmagazine.org ...
How many young lives will be spared the good Dr. Tiller’s crematorium?
What’s the difference between bashing the kids skull in the minute he lands in Dr. Tiller’s arms, and bashing the kids skull in while inside the womb?
Life’s not an inalienable right if your mom is in a position to alienate it.
“Thou shalt not COMMIT MURDER.”
Killing can be necessary; murder is NEVER needful.
Should they be killed too?
Late term abortions which was Tiller’s specialty?
Perhaps they should be.
That is the best way to put it... and surely a baby’s is the most innocent blood of all.
Theoretically, we should change the laws. But what about a situation where all legitimate and non-violent attempts to change those laws are stymied by the paid-off, corrupt authorities or even by the evil person himself?
The women procuring abortions should at very least be subject to a very massive fine.
There has to be such a deterrent in place for abortions to be stopped.
A million moms a year choose to kill baby daughters and baby sons by abortion.
illegal, but not necessarily unjust.
Very well could be ,, I don’t know anyone that is fluent in Aramaic , however the gist of both the translation your Jewish friend provided and mine is close enough.
Maybe so, but God always warns before punishment. God sent Dr. Alveda King to talk some sense into George Tiller. Did no good. George Tiller was in church the day he died. He had plenty of opportunity to rethink his crimes against humanity, but he must not have thought them so evil to continue his business and give his apostate church the blood money for years and years.
He even baptized the babies he killed and had the parents posing for one last picture with the corpse.
Jesus would slap the living shit out of this guy.
I think he'd speak and cast the demons out.
The law also provides for the defense of an innocent third party. Would shooting Tiller "in flagrante delicto" suffice?
That's the dog that doesn't hunt. Tiller already flew in docs who operated in his absence. It's already been reported that business will go on at the clinic with these same docs just getting more hours. Roeder didn't save any lives, he just took one.
Tiller’s family said Tuesday there are no immediate plans to reopen the clinic, one of the few in the country to perform late-term abortions.“The family’s hope is that the valuable work of Dr. Tiller will be able to continue, but there have been no final decisions made about the long-term plans for the medical practice,” said a statement released by Tiller’s attorneys, Dan Monnat and Lee Thompson, on behalf of Jeanne Tiller and the Tiller family.
“No patients are being scheduled at this time,” according to the statement. “The Tiller family’s focus, of course, is to determine what is in the best interests of the employees and the patients.”
Late term are babies that would live outside the womb. Why did these monsters wait until so late?
Late term abortion is no doubt murder.
You should read Beethoven’s biography sometime - and contrast his miserable life with his magnificent music.
I do not agree that the women procuring these abominations should be killed, although I’m not beyond wondering if sterilization is warranted - especially for repeat customers.
What Tiller was doing was illegal under Kansas law, and yet the Kansas authorities were bribed by Tiller and for the price of 30 pieces of silver, looked the other way while Tiller practiced his butchery on innocent children.
If the legitimate authority had done its job, Tiller would be alive (and rotting in prison) today.
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