A gentle pacifist Quaker once heard some noise in his living room in the middle of the night. He quietly grabbed the rifle (that he, of course, only used for hunting) safely stored in his bedroom and tiptoes out of his room to hopefully catch the intruder by surprise. As our dear Quaker watches the nocturnal thief going through his things hoping to find something of value, he calmly said, “I would certainly do thee no harm, but thou standest where I am about to shoot!”
There is much discussion about the subject of killing. The forbiddance to kill comes from the Bible which forbids voluntary or involuntary individually motivated manslaughter. Today, the current practical applications of this commandment vary according to political or religious affiliations, from situation to situation, and even from individual to individual. As a believer that life is something given to us by a Divine Authority, this writer believes that only this Giver of Life, and only He has the authority, and even the right to retrieve it. While the concept of ‘to kill or not to kill’ seems murky in our society, the concept of saving lives is not. He who gives life gives it freely but we sometimes endanger this gift through submitting ourselves to dangerous passions, inclinations, and lifestyles which cause us to be foolish and irresponsible. Also, when we endanger our lives through our own foolishness, it sometimes requires other people such as EMTs, fire-fighters, police officers, to come and endanger their own lives in order to save ours. As human beings, we have the ability to kill and to take lives; to protect and to save lives. When we fight to save lives; when we position ourselves to retrieve people from the jaws of death due to a vehicular accident, a fire, or a medical condition of some sort; when we participate in trying to preserve life; we in fact put ourselves on the side of the Life-Giver; we partner and work right alongside He who is the Author of Life. I would go as far as saying that it is Holy Work. While we may not all be an EMT, firefighter, or police officer, there are many ways in which we can be lifesavers everyday. We are lifesavers when we help, protect, and contribute to the care and safety of the most vulnerable among us. May we remember this and strive to live each day on the side of the Life-giver.
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