Christians in the Conduct of Modern War - Essay Example

Running head: CHRISTIANS AND WAR What Moral Limits Should Christians Call For in the Conduct of Modern War You're Abstract When War is viewed from a Christian's perspective there are many theorizations that come into play in order to try and find the justification for its usage. The Just War Theory is one of the main theorizations utilized concerning conflicts in the world. Of course this is within the background of Christianity. This theory is often used by Christians to try and seek out the moral justification for the means of war. This compiled research will examine this theory and other moral principles from a Christian outlook concerning modern War. The discussion will encircle the principles that Christians have held for decades, using these various moral points to give emphases to when Christians should call for a moral limit in the conduct of those involved during a period of War. Theorists' points of view concerning War are also highly influential in this research and Thomas Aquinas is one of the theorists whose ideas about War can be found within the compiled pages. The conclusion demonstrates that War is not ever pretty nor is it wanted by anyone but there are times where moral obligation and intervention to protect others rights are necessary and of which can lead to a period of War in the world. The finality is the fact that War is an actual part of life and has been occurring since the biblical times and therefore the only thing that society can morally do is come to accept that it is an occurrence that will always be looming in the background of everyday existence. What Moral Limits Should Christians Call For in the Conduct of Modern War War, from a Christian perspective has to meet many moral principles in order for it to be justified. However, Vance's1 literary work (2005) defines the fact that for centuries Christians have been opposed to war under any form or even when there has been proof that there are legitimate reasons for it. Of course this is only one theologians point of view, others such as Father Webster of the Orthodox faith and Professor Darrell Cole have stated in the past and currently that there is a moral justification found in some acts of war and they both agree that the war in Iraq is one prime example for a Christian justification for the entity of war to be accepted by Christians everywhere2. For instance, when Christians look back in time, back to the biblical period it can be seen that war was a part of life even when Jesus walked among the people. There were armies of soldiers in the name of Jesus Christ and the fighting that took place in this period was considered to be morally justified and pertinent to the Christian cause. Although there no longer exists armies of Christian warriors fighting to protect the knowledge of Jesus against the Roman Empire there are soldiers who fight in wars for countries who are bonafide Christians and fight for what they perceive to be morally right and with justified cause 3. Father Webster states that for some theologians to claim that war is not justified under any means and that Christians should always turn away from it is morally wrong due to the fact that soldiers can display Christian virtue and stating otherwise is derivative of a pacifist's view point4. This brings in the concept among many Christians titled the, "Just War Theory," which as was mentioned is the main theorization put to use by those of a Christian following to try and determine the cause and justification for any war in present times and the past as well. The utilization of the Just War theory, of which this researcher agrees about as well, has been used to evaluate military actions for decades. The initial historical thinkers who first recognized this theory were wide and varied, some being Cicero, St. Augustine, St. Thomas Aquinas, Grotius, and Daniel Webster . As was stated it is a Christian based theorization which Christians and even non-Christians alike have utilized to determine whether or not the decisions to go to war in the present and from a past context as well have been directly justifiable. There are of course many different views within this theory that are varied due to its historic relevance throughout time and therefore the tradition of the theory has to be wholly understood to avoid the misconceptions that sometimes do develop through misinterpretations at the root of this theory. Many primary thinkers on the study of war have identified themselves always with Christian faith, both from Catholic Denominations as well as Protestants5 (Kolb 1997). However, even though this theory has had dominance in understanding war and justifying it for centuries it has only recently been accepted fully by Christian theologians, philosophers, and jurists as a method that passes judgments of morality or immorality on specific conflicts that have transpired recently and those from a historical context as well. It is the general Christian conception concerning the Just War theory that has developed into the core of a secular belief system from Christians concerning the ethics and morals surrounding war as well. The earlier Christian approaches to interpreting the causes and justifications of war were basically pacifistic in nature and this was due to the fact that those who followed a religious belief system considered themselves separate from the rest of society. However, as the Roman Empire began to become shaped as a more ideal body of Christianity and became more heavily influenced by the Christian Church, Christian theologians began to invent forms of justifications for the utilization of force at times, and this was basically done in the fourth and fifth centuries in Rome. This eventually developed into the idea of Just War Theory today, and even in the past time period was looked upon in much the same manner by Christians as it is in present times6 . History shows that the first Christian theologian that placed clear faith and trust in the theory was St. Augustine, and following him it continued on into other theologians ideas on the concept of war and the morality of it. Most importantly it was St. Augustine who developed the idea of the Just War Theory further than what it was when it initially came into being. He was well known in disallowing for the usage of ones life or property as being placed as a means for justification to attack anyone else7 . He also stated that the view for war did not only involve one nation but it included many for it is and was the obligation of the rulers of sovereign nations to ensure and protect peace for the people. He states it is this alone which gives a nation the right to declare war against another and the following quote does well to emphasize this fact: The natural order conducive to peace among mortals demands that the power to declare and counsel war should be in the hands of those who hold the supreme authority8 Furthermore, St. Augustine also claimed that the Just War Theory was (and is) not about avenging the wrongs done against another individual but more importantly it was (and is) about punishing a nation or state for wrongful actions of which disturb the natural balance of peace in the world. Therefore the main view from St. Augustine's towards the justifications of war were to have a country make amends for the damages that they placed onto another country and to restore a balance of normalcy and peace once again. Another very pertinent point in this research that needs to be noted is the intention of war in itself. St. Augustine had a personal Christian view point in this area as well which he states as: The passion for inflicting harm, the cruel thirst for vengeance, an unpacific and relentless spirit, the fever of revolt, the lust of power, and such things, all these are rightly condemnded in war9 Hereby it is seen that St. Augustine did not uphold any of these types of characteristics as being good and virtuous qualities of war and they were condemned as being evil. In fact, these qualities were some of the causes of war as well. St. Augustine believed that in order to maintain peace or to have a restoration of peace, the theory of war was at time necessary. Here the following statement defines him as speaking the following: We do not seek peace in order to be at war, but we go to war that we may have peace. Be peaceful, therefore, in warring, so that you may vanquish those whom you war against, and bring them to the prosperity of peace10 Thomas Aquinas was a true believer of the Just War Theory as well and followed many of St. Augustines personal sentiments in relation to war. However he added some amendments to the more basic idea of the Just War Theory himself which still holds bearing among Christian theologians and philosophers to this day. The three conditions of which Aquinas added on to the Just War theory have lead to many debates among Christian theologians and philosophers on the issues but they have remained as steadfast as when he first introduced them despite the differing opinions. The only true changes that were made were to refine the theory by adding in a more personal argument such as the bulleted outline shows: 1. Authorized Authority: Aquinas emphasizes that the sovereign has the major responsibility for ensuring and keeping the common good of those he is in charge of. It is only the sovereign leader who can declare war. Moreover, the sovereign has the dutiful and lawful right of recourse to violence of which to defend his people against any form of internal or external strife by punishing those who would do evil 2. Just Cause: This is required to wage war. Acquinas described it in a way that "those who are attacked, should be attacked because they deserve it on account of some fault" 3. Rightful Intention: This is meant to explain the right intention of war and there are only two possibilities which Acquinas points out. These are to further the good of the people or to avoid some form of evil that is promoting hardship11 When this traditional theory is taken and applied to the current times that society is not living in it can be easily seen how there is a Christian perspective that would agree the wars that have taken place in the last three years have been justified. This is due to the fact that these other nations would try and destroy the peace that has been situated in the world and place a danger such as with the utilization of nuclear weapons, to promote fear and distress. The September 11 occurrence that took place a few years back is just one idea to define the morality of war and what concretes it as being just and right from a Christian perspective. A country can not sit idly by and let issues such as terrorism and those with weapons of mass destruction go unpunished. In this regard, Aquinas, St. Augustine, and many other historical theologians would agree wholeheartedly that the wars initiated have had a definite purpose to defend the well being of the people and to oppose those who would do evil12. Furthermore when realism is introduced into this equation of what is right and wrong and what makes work justified, the truth of the matter is obvious. If a nation can not stand up and ward off the evil that does live among all people in the world then destruction of good is inevitable. Therefore, as was stated, the war on terrorism and the war in Iraq are both considered to be justified because they have been introduced and carried out to try and maintain peace and ward off weapons of mass destruction, not promote more violence and atrocities against the world. When viewing the "war on terrorism" it is critical to take a stance away from any political rhetoric's and approach the issue with reasonable and logical objectivity. Andrew Valls attempts to justify the war on terrorism in ways that are somewhat contradictory to the views from the past13. Research has defined that Valls argues in some cases the Just War Theory sets to many moral limits on the waging of war and justifying the legitimacy of it. To a point I am in agreement but I still wholeheartedly believe in the stigmata that the Just War Theory represents to Christians at the same time. However, Valls is clear in his points that terrorism is and should be punishable by using a method such as war to defeat what it represents to the world and that is destruction of peace. The only differentiation that there is with Valls theorization and historical theologians is the fact that he is to broad with his ideas of what the justifications for war actually are. For example, bombing an abortion clinic is very wrong and morally questionable yes but is it something that a nation should go to war for My perception on that is no, it is not, not if an individual follows the true codes of the Just War Theory. So in this regard one can not judge every adverse action that takes place as a means for war because then a country would find themselves battling many other countries with no foreseeable way to maintain and protect the safety and well being of the people. There has to be a line drawn somewhere and violence is not the answer to every violent adversity that does take place in a nation or through an international perspective either. In summation, the existence of war is a perennial reality of human existence in itself. This has been stated in this researched literature. War was a part of life from generations ago and it is felt it will continue to be a very prudent part of human life. While war has been a somewhat constant part of the human experience, there has also been great evidence given as to the moral and ethical implications of it from a Christian perspective utilizing the Just War Theory to give credence to this statement. This theorization has been utilized from theologians throughout the decades to try and justify war and also to try and limit the extent of war as a damaging agent to mankind's morality as well. In Western civilization the limitation on warfare has been pointed out as being a determination consisting of trying to determine when war is appropriate and what means are morally right to use in forms of battle. Within the legal, political, and moral arena of western society this has lead to a great deal of examination throughout time. Again the basic conceptualization that has come into being has been the Just War Theory, being one of the most influential theorizations ever to have come into being for those of a religious structure to utilize in order to find relevance to the meaning of war and all its implications. This theory now proclaims to have widespread acceptance within the Western culture, the international community, and also in many religious denominations all around the globe. In current day it can be seen how the recent acts of war have evolved and they have done so to safeguard the wellbeing of the people and to maintain world peace, with these being two of the cornerstone reasons in the Just War Theory to inevitably go to war at all. In Iraq the war has obviously been to bring respect for the citizens, to improve upon their great civilization, and to protect their religious faiths of which they practice. Other than these reasons, there have been no selfish ambitions in the country, other than to remove the threat that was preventing peace and well being to the people of the country. In finality, Just War Theory has shaped the way occurrences such as wars are looked upon today, as this research has demonstrated. St. Augustine and others promoted this theory and outlined its limits and authority so that other Christians who were attempting to view the reasons for war and attempting to understand it could have a clear idea of the parameters that it offers and of the legitimacy that it points out towards any war that transpires in the world. Therefore, using any of these points of evidence it can easily be inferred that the war on terrorism and the current war in Iraq have both been conducted with the rightful steps in mind and the motives that have been carried out have only been done so due to the assertiveness of the instigators. From a Christian standpoint, any other reasons for war besides what has been discussed in this research are considered to be morally and ethically wrong. It is the thought of this researcher that any possibility of war needs to be judged in this same way in order to be able to reach the proper conclusions about its transference in the world. . References Donnally, Jack. (1992). Twentieth Century Realism, Traditions of International Ethics, Cambridge Publications. Jourten, Charles. (1955). The Church of the Word Incarnate. New York: Waterbrook Press. Kolb, Robert. (1997). Origin of the Twin Terms Jus Ad Bellum/Jus en Bello. International Review of the Red Cross, 320, 553-562. McCormick, R. A. (1967). Morality of War. New York: McGraw-Hill Publications. Webster, Alexander & Cole, Darrell. (2004). The Virtue of War: Reclaiming the Classical Christian Traditions East and West. New York: Regina Orthodox Press.. Vance, Lance. (2005). Christianity and War and other Essays against the Warfare State. New York: Vance Publications. Read More