Thou Shall Not Kill

The fifth commandment, "Thou shall not kill" is much more than it seems in this simple statement. While the commandment does forbid any type of killing as stated, it also encompasses such acts as thoughts of hate, revenge, anger and substance abuse. For the type of killing referred to is not just physically killing, but also destroying your neighbor, emotionally killing, this is shown in 1 John 3:15, "Whoever hates his brother is a murderer." The commandment is set forth to protect and promote human life and human dignity. It protects not only our own life and dignity, but also that of others.

There are many violations to the fifth commandment, all of which are easy to avoid as long as human life is respected and it is remembered that God created us, and therefore only he has the right to destroy us. Murder is the most obvious violation, this entails the unjust taking of an innocent human life. Suicide, is simply murder of one 's self and is to a violation. Humans do not have the right to take a life, even if it their own, because God gave us life and only he can take it away. "Know ye not that your body id the temple of the Holy Ghost in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?" (I Corinthians 6:19). Another violation, which is a mortal sin, is having an abortion, or encouraging another to have an abortion. Abortion is taking the life of an unborn baby. A fetus is already a human, with a heartbeat, and a great potential ahead of it. On this note, undue sterilization is also a violation, this would be any type of sterilization used even when the person's health is not at risk. Sterilization destroys God's plan for life to be created through this person. Thoughts and actions of anger, hatred and revenge are all violations of the commandment as well. They may not physically kill another, but they destroy others emotionally, killing their spirit. Even mercy killing, or taking the life of someone who is dying from an incurable disease, is a violation because it is taking an innocent life that God has not yet decided to end. No matter the form, if an innocent life is hurt, taken,