By Stephen Wolemonwu

(Exodus 20: 13; Deuteronomy 5:17)
Slander or “Character Assassination,” which is socially, ruining someone’s reputation dowm through malicious lies. It is also called character assassination, which is often metaphorically and morally equated to murder.
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Refusing to uphold the truth: Because lies and deceit are considered “homicidal” in nature (John 8:44), deliberate dishonesty that harms another person’s life or safety is considered a form of murder.

Social And Legal Definitions (Types of Homicide)
Socially, murder is defined as the unlawful ending of a person’s life with malice aforethought.

• Premeditated Killing: A planned, intentional, and unlawful taking of a human life.

• Felony Murder: A death occurring during the commission of another violent crime (like robbery, arson, or kidnapping), even if the murderer did not intend to kill the victim.

• Poisoning: Considered in literature and history as a particularly sneaky and nefarious form of homicide.

• Vehicular Homicide: Killing someone due to extreme recklessness, such as driving under the influence or excessive speeding.

Indirect or Negligent Murder
Both legal and spiritual standards hold that causing death through reckless disregard or intentional omission is murder.

• Criminal Negligence (Negligent Homicide): Ending another’s life through “reckless indifference to an unjustifiably high risk” to human life.

• Neglect of Duty: Failing to provide necessary care to someone dependent on you (e.g., a parent to a child, a caregiver to a patient) that results in their death is considered a grave form of indirect murder.

• “Social Murder”: A broader social concept where a society or entity (like a corporation) creates conditions that lead to the unnecessary deaths of people, such as unsafe working conditions or cutting off life-saving medication.
Specific Contextual Acts Considered Murder

• Abortion and Euthanasia: Considered by many religious teachings to be the intentional, wilful taking of a human life (a creature made in God’s image).

• Infanticide: The killing of an infant, often closely associated with female madness in old legal studies, but widely condemned as murder.

• Genocide: The mass destruction of a specific group of people is seen as a crime against groups analogous to murder against individuals.

• Assassination: The targeted killing of a prominent person, often for political or ideological motives.

• Murder-suicide: A dramatic, violent event in which a person commits murder and then immediately takes their own life.

Key Distinctions — murder and killing
While all murder is killing, not all killing is murder. Laws generally distinguish murder (unlawful/intentional) from manslaughter (heat of passion/less culpable) or justifiable homicide (self-defence).
Scriptural View on Accidental Killing

In the Bible, even an accidental, unintentional death (like an axe head flying off) was treated with extreme seriousness and was considered “blood guiltiness” that required exile to a city of refuge, though it was distinguished from premeditated murder

Conclusion
In a society like ours where the value for cow seems to be more valuable than human life.

In a time when people are slaughtered like animals, we must understand that every life is precious irrespective of age, sex, creed, faith, tribe or colour. We must intentionally through act and art place value to life created in the image of God.

• The Ven Stephen Wolemonwu, Rector, The Ibru International Ecumenical Centre 08035413812; [email protected]