Violence and the Obligations of Charity

According to one interpretive strand of the Christian moral tradition, charity requires complete renunciation of violence in all its forms. One should not summarily dismiss this view as extreme or unrepresentative of Christian teaching. After all, sacred Scripture urges us to love our neighbors (inc...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Floyd, Shawn (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: [publisher not identified] [2015]
In: Proceedings of the American Catholic Philosophical Association
Year: 2015, Volume: 89, Pages: 263-275
IxTheo Classification:KAE Church history 900-1300; high Middle Ages
KDB Roman Catholic Church
NCB Personal ethics
Further subjects:B REPRISALS (International relations)
B RITES & ceremonies
B Violence
B Christian Philosophy
B Charity
Online Access: Volltext (doi)
Description
Summary:According to one interpretive strand of the Christian moral tradition, charity requires complete renunciation of violence in all its forms. One should not summarily dismiss this view as extreme or unrepresentative of Christian teaching. After all, sacred Scripture urges us to love our neighbors (including our enemies) and repudiate wanton aggression, hatred, and personal reprisals. Yet while charity would have us disavow all varieties of malicious acts and urges, it is not obvious that it forbids using potentially lethal force. Relying on insights from Aquinas, I argue that charity may not only permit but require such force in order to combat the cruelty and aggression directed at our beloved or those in our care.
ISSN:2153-7925
Contains:Enthalten in: American Catholic Philosophical Association, Proceedings of the American Catholic Philosophical Association
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.5840/acpaoroc20l6l22856