By Rev. Crystal Silva McCormick

Thou shall not kill. It is one of the fundamental values shared by the world’s religious traditions.  It seems very straightforward. There is no ambiguity in the commandment- it is a seemingly easy principle. Yet, in so many cases we tend to accept the idea that killing can be necessary and even justified. Capital punishment, self- defense, mercy killing, collateral damage, war – we have multitudes of exceptions and justifications for breaking the commandment. 

These past few months, we have seen unimaginable violence unleashed on such a small and densely populated strip of land. The images from Gaza have bled through our phones. The images of suffering children and parents in despair have left us with heartache. Our heartache also extends to the hostages lost in the same rubble. There seems to be no solace or remedy for the bloodshed in Gaza, and the number of victims rises daily.  

With anguish and heartache, many across the globe are asking what could bring the violence to an end. My heart gravitates back to the ancient principle and commandment, “Thou shall not kill.” 

The answer is actually not complicated. It is simple.  

No killing. No taking of life.  

And, even more, we must come together to ensure that every human being has access to human flourishing and human dignity. That means we must resist our tendency to justify killing – to see it as inevitable.  

Those of us who are religious must stand with our religious and non-religious neighbors to have the moral imagination to cast visions for a world where political solutions are our friends and companion – not violence. We must commit to our traditions’ core values that stand firmly against the taking of life. There is nothing offensive or controversial about standing against the taking of life.  

“Thou shall not kill” speaks most loudly to us at this moment in history. This commandment can stand on its own, and not be followed by “except” “but” or “however”.  There should be no grey areas. We must not deceive ourselves about what is good and right. Thou shall not justify the killing of another; thou shall not kill. 

In the name of the sacredness of life. Ceasefire now.