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One of our colleagues, Andrew
wrote:
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Hi, guys —
Before I start, please believe me that I'm sincere in this
question. It's not meant to be humorous or a trick. Also, if
you choose to publish it, please don't put my name on it.
This came about when I was reading a book (World War
Z) about a struggle between humanity and zombies. In
the book, if you were attacked by a zombie, you would inevitably
become one and start attacking other people.
- I think
I understand why suicide is a mortal sin from the Church's reasoning and view, however what if it were the case where committing
suicide would serve to protect others?
In this, admittedly unlikely
scenario, a zombie victim who killed themselves before they
start hurting others would seem to be doing a good thing.
- Would they still be guilty of a mortal sin?
If zombies are a little too hard to take seriously, imagine:
- someone infected with rabies in a remote setting without medical
help, or
- possibly a serial killer who believes that they cannot
stop killing others.
Andrew
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{
Is it OK for a zombie victim or serial killer to kill themselves before they start hurting others? }
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Mike replied:
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Well Andrew,
I'm probably going to take a ribbing from my colleagues for even
answering this question, but I'll assume you have a sincere heart.
Let's define some terms:
Zombie
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A zombie is a creature that appears in folklore and popular culture typically
as a reanimated corpse or a mindless human being.
Stories of zombies originated
in the Afro-Caribbean spiritual belief system of Vodou, which told of the
people being controlled as laborers by a powerful sorcerer. Zombies became
a popular device in modern horror fiction, largely because of the success
of George A. Romero's 1968 film Night of the Living Dead.
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It's hard for us to take seriously a made-up mindless human being from
folklore and popular culture. All men and women have an intellect and a
will.
This requires a mind, although some of the members in
our Church act like mindless Catholics, they still do have
minds.
I think at the root of your question is this question:
- Is it OK for someone to willfully kill themselves to save the lives of
many others?
The Catholic answer is No, never. The End can never justify the
means especially on issues of life.
We are all created for a specific purpose in life. Even the serial killer,
who believes that [he/she] cannot stop killing can still serve a holy purpose
if [he/she] is allowed to with proper guidance and help.
No person has any authority to kill another innocent
person or decide when another person's life ends.
You said:
- Would they still be guilty of a mortal sin?
If there is:
- full knowledge of the wrong
- full consent of the will
- the matter is grave . . . which it is.
Yes, it would be a mortal sin.
Hope this answers your question,
Mike
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Andrew replied:
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Thanks Mike,
You said:
I'm probably going to take a ribbing from my colleagues for even
answering this question, but I'll assume you have a sincere heart.
I do, and I appreciate it!
You said:
It's hard for us to take seriously a made-up mindless human being from
folklore and popular culture. All men and women have an intellect and a
will.
This requires a mind, although some of the members in
our Church act like mindless Catholics, they still do have
minds.
That makes sense. I think the zombie part was more of a catalyst
leading to my real question.
You said:
I think at the root of your question is this question:
- Is it OK for someone to willfully kill themselves to save the lives of
many others?
. . . which you identified.
You said:
The Catholic answer is No, never. The End can never justify the
means especially on issues of life.
We are all created for a specific purpose in life. Even the serial killer,
who believes that [he/she] cannot stop killing can still serve a holy purpose
if [he/she] is allowed to.
No human person has any authority to kill any other innocent
life and no human person can decide when I person's life can end.
Thanks again, Mike.
I appreciate your taking the time to answer my question.
Andrew
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John replied:
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Andrew,
Just to clarify Mike's answer. Suicide is always wrong but some acts of bravery are not considered suicide.
For example, a soldier throws himself on a live grenade in order to save
those around him from being killed might not necessarily be considered
suicide.
John
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Andrew replied:
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Hi John,
- Where would you draw the line?
My question has intentional,
deliberate suicide (even as a means to a good end), but in your example, the
death is accidental and not part of the soldier's intent.
Anonymous
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John replied:
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Hi Andrew,
I wouldn't say that the soldier's scenario is an accident. His motivation
and intent was not suicidal rather it was intended to save the lives of others.
The line is always clear. For a sin to be mortal it requires:
- a sufficient
time of reflection
- full consent of the will, and
- obviously be a grave matter.
In this soldier's scenario we're talking about
a reflex action. The soldier sees a crowd of fellow soldiers in danger
from a grenade and he has no time to do anything else (including get
away himself). His intent is to save lives.
John
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