JG> Is it possible for someone who's deemed a terrorist by the government to
JG> be, in fact, moral? It seems to me that, if an individual truly believes
JG> that his/her actions aren't grievous, then he is indeed acting morally.
JG> Merely because a government declares something illegal doesn't necessarily
JG> mean that it's immoral (and vice versa, e.g., abortion). I've wondered
JG> about this for years. Would it have been immoral to have assassinated
JG> Hitler or to have instigated the violent overthrow of the South African
JG> government forty years ago? I suspect that most folks would rather defer
JG> most moral questions to the government; i.e., by obeying the laws, most
JG> folks they're acting morally and, if someone disobeys the law, then s/he
JG> is, ipso facto, immoral. I've reread this and I think I'm starting to
JG> ramble, so I'll quit. If you can divine my concern from the above, I'd
JG> appreciate your comments. Thanks,
JG> -+- GTMail 1.20b
JG> + Origin: Catholic Information Network #1 (1:202/1613.0)
Dear Joseph,
Because of a poorly formed conscience, a person may consider his own actions
moral which are in fact objectively sinful.
If Hitler had survived WW II and been captured, he would have been tried as a
war criminal and judged and sentenced according to the evidence.
In our society, private individuals may not appoint themselves judge, jury, and
executioner of anyone else, no matter how glaring the culprit's crime may seem.
Also, we try to honor the principle that an accused is innocent until proved
guilty. These and similar principles do not give us a perfect system, but they
give us a system better than any other that has been tried, and certainly
better than privately engineered assassinations.
In a democracy or any other just system, it is law, not "the government", that
defines terrorism or any other crime. The requirements for a just law are
taught in the Catechism of the Catholic Church ## 1897-1904. See also Pope
John Paul II's "Gospel of Life", especially pages 133-134 and 160 (Random House
edition).
Sincerely in Christ,
Father Mateo
--- Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit ---
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