But a careful reading of the scripture leaves us not being able to say much of anything. We can base our arguments, either pro or con, on other factors, but the Biblical evidence as to whether abortion is murder is NOT conclusive. In the case of rape or incest or if the mother's life is threatened, the church has said that abortion is a legitimate consideration. There are lots of stories about war in the Bible, a number even picturing God as commanding general. The issue for us this morning, of course, is whether or not war violates the sixth commandment because people are killed in war.
Some soldiers think so.
But the soldier protested. It was not fear that concerned him - he had already killed three of the enemy in battle, and he was afraid that if he were sent back, he would have to kill more, and he did not want to do it, enemy or not. He felt like a murderer. The scripture does not say so. In the 13 th chapter of Romans, Paul goes on at some length about a citizen's responsibility to the state.