Intent and action are two different things.
If Vader was as good as he suggested, and Luke was as dedicated to the cause as fans allege, he would not have struck Vader that way. In the books, it is described that Luke actually lost his control there. In the sequel, Luke did better, he restrained himself.
So, Luke struck down a man who was guilty of his crimes, and he didn't strike down a "boy" who had not yet done anything. Sounds like Luke improved over the years.
Those're the facts whether you like them or not.