Dan: I think that your difficulty here is not registering the concept of "objective evil." An objective evil is one that cannot be justified by circumstance. Maybe this will sound tautological to you, but obviously if there is a concept of "just war", than war cannot be an objective evil.
Another difficulty, and I am stretching my memory back to my elementary theology lessons back in the day, is that an evil action requires "intent" and "knowledge." In regards to intent, this can be thought of as being the difference between manslaughter and homicide. Manslaughter is a sin, but it isn't quite an objective evil (so far as I know.) In regards to knowledge, you can't commit an objective evil if you don't know that it is wrong. For example, doctors who perform abortions are automatically excommunicated from the Catholic Church - but only if they know that performing an abortion carries such a penalty. (I probably won't let myself be dragged into a discussion as to whether or not this is sensible or not - I am simply decribing how it is.) Anyhow, I don't think that anyone here seriously intends to argue that the killing of combatants is an objective moral evil. Indeed, the concept of a "just war" requires that the killing of combatants, in at least some circumstances, not be evil at all - but in fact be "just." As for the killing of non-combatants, participants in a "just war" are not supposed to intend to kill combatants. Such killing is unavoidable, of course, but that's life. Nevertheless, there is no intent to *murder* there. Finally, to close with another example of Catholic teaching that an objectively evil act cannot be justified to prevent another objectively evil act - Would one participate in a rape to save a life? The Catholic Church would argue that no, one should not... evil to prevent evil is still evil. In reality, all the Catholic Church is saying here is the simple moral precept that "the ends do not justify the means." I've just thought to do something that I should have done in the first place, which is to provide original source material from the Catechism of the Catholic Church: http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p3s1c1a4.htm#1751 This should explain the principles at work much better than my amateurish attempts above. JDG _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
