Religious scruples against killing can be dissolved through biblical persuasion and prayer

Evidence

The moral reconstrual of killing is nowhere more dramatically illustrated than in the case of Sergeant Alvin York, one of the most phenomenal fighters in the history of modern warfare, who with only a handful of men overpowered a much larger enemy force (York & Skeyhill, 1928). Because of his deep religious convictions and despite being an expert marksman, York registered as a conscientious objector, but his numerous appeals to be exempted from military service were rejected. His battalion commander quoted chapter and verse from the Bible to persuade him that under certain conditions it was a Christian duty to fight and kill. A marathon mountain-side prayer vigil finally convinced him that he could serve both God and country by becoming a dedicated combatant. He fought heroically in the service of his faith. — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement, 344

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Sacralized scriptural precedent is invoked to authorize killing enemy civilians in the IDF — Nadim N. Rouhana and Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian, When Politics Are Sacralized:…, 893