Killing is not necessarily murder and to defeat is not the same thing as to

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 157187

--"Bruce Alan Wilson" <bawilson at ...> wrote:
>
> --- Lady Lawyer <mouthpiece49@> wrote: 
> <snip>
> > by the way I don't think that killing someone in
> > pitched equal battle is the kind of "murder" that
> > will split your soul. I think the soul splitting
> > murder has to be with extreme cruelty. Else every
> > soldier would have a split soul.
> <snip> 
> 
> Cassy:
> > Well, there's this nice thing called "Vietnam 
> > syndrom" .... I think that qualifies as split soul
> > in a certain way. 
> 
> BAW:
> 
> ...
> 
> JKR says that to create a horcrux one must commit a 
> murder, but not all killing is murder!
> 
> My legal dictionary defines murder as the unlawful 
> killing of a human being with malice aforethought.  
> Not all killing is murder.  
> ...
> 
> Also, note that part of the definition of murder is 
> the killing of a HUMAN BEING.  It might be argued that 
> Voldemort is no longer human.
> 
> Hence, even if Harry ends up killing Voldemort, he 
> won't necessarily be lost; ...


bboyminn:

I'm going to have to side with what I think Cassey is 
saying here.

We are dealing with the Soul, not the law. Keep in mind 
that which is immoral does not have to be illegal, and 
that which is illegal doesn't have to be immoral.

When we speak of Law, we are speaking of what society 
will tolerate. We will not tolerate the killing of each 
other, mostly because we ourselves do not want to be 
killed. 

Killing in a war, in the heat of combat, is not legal 
murder, but war in and of itself is an offense to the 
soul and a failing of mankind. I guess we could call 
it a necessary evil. When called upon by circumstances, 
men must do what men must do.

I think any kind of harm to a fellow human being harms 
the soul, though doesn't necessarily full tear it. So, 
as seems reasonable from that position, I believe that 
harm occurs in degrees and that it can be healed. 

I'm reminded of many World War II (WWII) veterans who 
came home from a horrible war having done horrible things 
that offended the soul, and they stoically went about 
their lives never burdening their loved one with the 
horrors they experienced. My own father stormed the 
beaches of France with the Allies in WWII. 

Yet, when I watch WWII documentaries, now these many 
many many years later, these veterans are move to tears 
while recounting their experience. Clearly, that experience 
has touched their souls, but while some scars may remain, 
I believe these basically good and decent men have healed 
those soulful wounds. 

Now to the story at hand, if Voldemort were a good and 
decent person who truly regretted and repented the 
mistakes of his past, and more importantly if he has keep 
his soul all together, then he would have had a chance at 
some soulful healing.

But he didn't, he externally stored pieces of his soul, 
piece that can never heal. To use a physical metaphor, if 
you cut off your finger and place it in a jar, you can never 
expect finger and hand to join together in healing when they 
are kept apart. Further, he stored pieces of his soul to gain 
power and defeat the natural order of death. More so, he is 
wholly unrepentant of his past acts and continues those 
horendous acts in the present and plans more in the future.

A torn off piece of soul can never be heal if the person 
does not engage in a healing process. If he continues to do 
harm to others, then he continues to harm himself. 
Metaphorically, he keeps picking at the scab.

Now to Harry; I really really hope JKR finds some why to 
move the story so Harry doesn't have to flatly and coldly 
kill Voldemort even though Voldemort thoroughly deserves 
it. If Harry pulls Voldemort through the Veil, I wouldn't 
consider that murder. I would say that it would damage 
Harry's soul to some unknown extent, but not to the extent 
of cold-blooded, heartless, compassionless, calculated 
murder. 

If Harry can find a way to rob Voldemort of his power, so 
much the better. Harry suffers minor harm to his soul and
 his emotions, and Voldemort is not only defeated by 
humiliated; the greatest wizard in the world, now a mere 
muggle.

So, I hope JKR can find a way for Harry to defeat Voldemort 
in a not so cold-blooded way, and if that is the only way, 
then I at least hope she shows us that later in life Harry 
experiences some healing from the experience.

JKR isn't crystal clear on this whole teat the soul thing, 
so the best we can do is guess. I say souls can be healed,
 but keeping a part of your soul away from the rest pretty 
much guarantees that no healing can occur.

Just a few thoughts.

Steve/bboyminn