“You Have Shed Much Blood, and Waged Great Wars”: Killing, Bloodguilt, and Combat Stress

Are all warriors who have killed somehow polluted and prevented from an intimate relationship with God? This essay seeks to answer this question both affirmatively and negatively by correlating biblical literature, psychology, and the experience of veterans. Although killing in war defiles soldiers...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Bosworth, David A. 1972- (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Routledge 2008
In: Journal of religion, disability & health
Year: 2008, Volume: 12, Issue: 3, Pages: 236-250
Further subjects:B Killing
B Bloodguilt
B Religion
B ritual purity
B Stress
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Description
Summary:Are all warriors who have killed somehow polluted and prevented from an intimate relationship with God? This essay seeks to answer this question both affirmatively and negatively by correlating biblical literature, psychology, and the experience of veterans. Although killing in war defiles soldiers with bloodguilt and mars their relationship with the divine and with humans, ritual acts of purification in conjunction with appropriate psychological and pastoral care may cleanse this bloodguilt and restore relationships.
ISSN:1522-9122
Contains:Enthalten in: Journal of religion, disability & health
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1080/15228960802269364