“I believe that for Christians to draw the distinction between “kill” and “murder” is actually mincing words.”
There are no rational grounds to think that. The difference between killing, say, in a struggle against Evil, and murder, are greater than those between a mugger cutting with a switchblade and a surgeon cutting with a scalpel.
> There are no rational grounds to think that. The difference between killing, say, in a struggle against Evil, and murder, are greater than those between a mugger cutting with a switchblade and a surgeon cutting with a scalpel.
What you say would be true, if only Christ hadn’t preached His Sermon on the Mount and included the inconvenient verses 21 and 22. Christ provides NO JUSTIFICATION, and no wiggle-room, for killing. At all. Ever. When we do, we sin.
(And when we sin, we can be forgiven. Or rather, “must” seek forgiveness if we are to stay right with Christ.)