President Trump, time for your second Bible lesson. Last time I focused on the commandment that prohibits coveting. Here comes the next installment in the series.
This is a thought-provoking exploration of the commandment "Thou shalt not kill" and its deeper implications in modern contexts. The article challenges readers to consider the broader ethical and moral dimensions of this ancient directive, especially in light of contemporary issues like war, self-defense, and capital punishment. At Rapidhiresolutions, we believe in fostering meaningful discussions around ethics and morality, and this piece does just that. Thanks for sharing this insightful reflection!
This hits home for me since I am a Quaker descendant. There was a division in the Quaker religion during the Revolutionary War when my ancestor Samuel Wetherill joined the Philadelphia Militia to defend against the British and was expelled from the Quakers because they strictly followed the 6th commandment. Samuel believed that this did not apply because he was defending the lives of Philadelphians. Many of his fellow Quakers followed him and they formed their own branch of the Quaker religion called The Free Quakers. After the Revolution, they were then allowed back into the Quakers and subsequent generations were allowed to defend the country by joining the military.
This is fascinating. One similar thing in Jewish history was that until the Macabees (second century BC) Jews assumed it was prohibited to fight on Shabbat, so that's precisely when the Greeks attacked them. It was decided then that it was ok to fight - and kill - in self defense
Yes, thank you Pattie, for speaking for all of us Rabbi Hammerman Fans!
Yes, Thou Shalt Not Kill. America the Beautiful who - had there been gas chambers back then - would certainly gladly exterminated the Native American population (they tried it by giving them blankets with measles bacteria and were able to kill many by this method) which was getting in their way. Trump´s and Netanyahu´s ambitions remind me of this. Where there´s a will......let´s just hope that it doesn´t come this far.
Hi Kim and thabks again for writing. I try to be careful to fact check things that appear on my page and can find historical backing for British colonists infecting blankets with smallpox in the pre Revolutionary War days. There appears to be some doubt of later accusations - which is not to doubt the main point that the Native Americans were terribly abused by US leaders. I also would be careful not to accuse Israeli or US leaders of intentionally seeking to kill large populations of Palestinians. What Trump is proposing is ethnic cleansing - which is bad enough. But not murder. This is so unbelievable to be discussing. But that's what's being proposed.
Holy Mackerel! This evenings lesson is unfortunately way above my capacity of understanding. BUT! The lovely first note written by Pattie Abee Jenkins is beautiful. Thank you Pattie for writing to Rabbi Hammerman and thank you Rabbi Hammerman for posting it. I promise, I shalt not murder. (P. S., try as I might, I couldn’t get through the foot notes.) Sigh. I love your posts. A glass of virtual tea is in order. 😊🇺🇸✡️
Thanks Claudia. I try to use the footnotes to expand on areas that might be of interest to some readers but they are independent of the main message, which hopefully is not too hard to follow. I'll work on that!
This is a thought-provoking exploration of the commandment "Thou shalt not kill" and its deeper implications in modern contexts. The article challenges readers to consider the broader ethical and moral dimensions of this ancient directive, especially in light of contemporary issues like war, self-defense, and capital punishment. At Rapidhiresolutions, we believe in fostering meaningful discussions around ethics and morality, and this piece does just that. Thanks for sharing this insightful reflection!
Thank you for connecting and sharing your insights Imran.
Gentile here. Thank you. ❤️✌🏻
My pleasure!
This hits home for me since I am a Quaker descendant. There was a division in the Quaker religion during the Revolutionary War when my ancestor Samuel Wetherill joined the Philadelphia Militia to defend against the British and was expelled from the Quakers because they strictly followed the 6th commandment. Samuel believed that this did not apply because he was defending the lives of Philadelphians. Many of his fellow Quakers followed him and they formed their own branch of the Quaker religion called The Free Quakers. After the Revolution, they were then allowed back into the Quakers and subsequent generations were allowed to defend the country by joining the military.
This is fascinating. One similar thing in Jewish history was that until the Macabees (second century BC) Jews assumed it was prohibited to fight on Shabbat, so that's precisely when the Greeks attacked them. It was decided then that it was ok to fight - and kill - in self defense
Yes, thank you Pattie, for speaking for all of us Rabbi Hammerman Fans!
Yes, Thou Shalt Not Kill. America the Beautiful who - had there been gas chambers back then - would certainly gladly exterminated the Native American population (they tried it by giving them blankets with measles bacteria and were able to kill many by this method) which was getting in their way. Trump´s and Netanyahu´s ambitions remind me of this. Where there´s a will......let´s just hope that it doesn´t come this far.
Kim
Hi Kim and thabks again for writing. I try to be careful to fact check things that appear on my page and can find historical backing for British colonists infecting blankets with smallpox in the pre Revolutionary War days. There appears to be some doubt of later accusations - which is not to doubt the main point that the Native Americans were terribly abused by US leaders. I also would be careful not to accuse Israeli or US leaders of intentionally seeking to kill large populations of Palestinians. What Trump is proposing is ethnic cleansing - which is bad enough. But not murder. This is so unbelievable to be discussing. But that's what's being proposed.
see https://www.history.com/news/colonists-native-americans-smallpox-blankets
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/p/plag/5240451.0001.009/--did-the-us-army-distribute-smallpox-blankets-to-indians?rgn=main;view=fulltext
Holy Mackerel! This evenings lesson is unfortunately way above my capacity of understanding. BUT! The lovely first note written by Pattie Abee Jenkins is beautiful. Thank you Pattie for writing to Rabbi Hammerman and thank you Rabbi Hammerman for posting it. I promise, I shalt not murder. (P. S., try as I might, I couldn’t get through the foot notes.) Sigh. I love your posts. A glass of virtual tea is in order. 😊🇺🇸✡️
Thanks Claudia. I try to use the footnotes to expand on areas that might be of interest to some readers but they are independent of the main message, which hopefully is not too hard to follow. I'll work on that!