Is it wrong to use nuclear bombs against civilians?

[Josh]

One of the saddest indictments of sinful man is the amount of effort, energy, and resources he has put into building bigger and bigger bombs. Eventually, in the 1940s, mankind figured out how to harness the laws of physics and mathematics to make the worst destructive devices he has ever seen: the atomic bomb, capable of killing thousands and even millions of people in one single, bright flash, literally incinerating them to death.

Only one country has ever used them to kill people: the United States, which used two of then, incinerating hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians who had no choice and no part in a war in a moment. The survivors who were left were badly burned, and many blinded for life.

This is a thread to discuss the ethics and morality of building and using such bombs.

[MaxPC]

There are two separate perspectives here:
The ethics and morality of faithful Christians are against it.

The ethics and morality of the secular world abides by M.A.D. - Mutually Assured Destruction to keep the peace. The reason the US had to succeed in the development of the atom bomb was because Hitler and his band of bullies were within weeks of successfully creating one and using it. It was a race to the most powerful weapon of that time and thus, who would control the ideology for the world for the next century.

[ken_sylvania]

Yes, it's wrong. Jesus said to love our enemies, not bomb them.

[mike]

I am not sure why we single out the ethics of using nuclear bombs as opposed to all types of bombs and all other deadly force, but yes, the use of nuclear weapons is, like all other deadly force, wrong and opposed to the teachings and example of Jesus.

[GaryK]

How do citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven go about getting the kingdoms of the world to stop developing and using nuclear and other bombs against other kingdoms of the world?

[mike]

How do citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven go about getting the kingdoms of the world to stop developing and using nuclear and other bombs against other kingdoms of the world?

You can become an advocate like Shane Claiborne and lobby against things like nuclear weapons and the death penalty, while remaining silent about the state's use of deadly force in general, or about the Christian's role in relation to the kingdoms of this world. I don't think that's the right way to go, but that's one way you could do it, I suppose.

[Sudsy]

How do citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven go about getting the kingdoms of the world to stop developing and using nuclear and other bombs against other kingdoms of the world?

Not our mission.

[ohio jones]

How do citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven go about getting the kingdoms of the world to stop developing and using nuclear and other bombs against other kingdoms of the world?

By inviting citizens of the kingdoms of the world to become citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven; teaching, baptizing, and discipling them. When that task (the one we have actually been given) is complete, the other one will be as well.

[temporal1]

.. This is a thread to discuss the ethics and morality of building and using such bombs.

i’m hoping, the horror, amorality, immorality of those events is evident in that they have not been repeated, altho regular threats are made, fears continue.

i hope this indicates universal agreement it’s too-too much.

[JimFoxvog]

How do citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven go about getting the kingdoms of the world to stop developing and using nuclear and other bombs against other kingdoms of the world?

We can't, but we can speak out about the evil. We can also decline to pay taxes for it.