The Just War Theory in Christianity - Essay Example

THE JUST WAR THEORY IN CHRISTIANITY Introduction The question of the relation of Christianity to the phenomenon of war and the factors that might justify it has always been of particular interest to various researchers. As is known, one of the basic ethic rules of Christianity expressed in Christ’s Sermon on the Mount states that people should not resist evil and commit violence. They should turn the other cheek and forgive their enemies.1 It may seem that based on this principle, Christianity rejects war considering it an evil that cannot be justified in any case. Nevertheless, as claimed by some authors, this is not true, because the analysis of the Christian tradition presented in, particular by the works of St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas allows one to come to the opposite conclusion. Independent research of the works of the great Fathers of the Church gives one reason to agree with the Just War theorists that war is compatible with Christs teachings. Indeed, Augustine can be seen as the first theologian who considered the question of the just war as a particular important topic. Later, his successor Thomas Aquinas developed his theory of the just war. According to the general concept proposed by both thinkers, the war can be justified by the following four factors: 1) The war should have a just cause; 2) The war can be started only by a lawful authority; 3) There must be a proportion between the aim of the war and its effects on human life and health; and 4) The war should be considered as a last resort to solve the problem.2 Thus, despite the appeal for non-violent coexistence between people, Christianity can justify the war if it meets specific requirements mentioned above. As indicated above, one of the rules to justify the war against the enemy states that the war must have a just cause. This means that the cause of the war must have the criterion of fairness to those who participate in it. "Medieval just war theory generally recognized three goals that could justify recourse to war: defense against attack, recovery of something wrongfully taken, and punishment of evil”.3 Augustine and Aquinas compared the war with the situation of self-defense when a person who is a victim of violence has the right to protect the safety of his/her life. As noted by Aquinas, “therefore, this act, since one’s intention is to save one’s own life is not unlawful, seeing that it is natural to everything to keep itself in being as far as possible”4 In this regard, the reason of the beginning of the war can be justified in self-defense if an enemy brings a danger to the lives of people. Similar to a man who in this case has the right to defend his/her life, the country that is facing an external attack might have military resistance in order to protect its people. The second reason, namely aimed at the recovery of something wrongfully taken can justify the beginning of hostilities in the case when it comes to forcible seizure of things that represent a particularly important value for the state and cannot be returned except by means of active hostilities. Finally, the third objective is consistent with the medieval conception of the role of Christianity as the religion responsible for restoring justice in the world, in particular by punishing evil. The war should aim at establishing justice and combating lawlessness. Belligerents must come from Christian motives of love of neighbor. In fact, this reason was particularly important to medieval Christianity. While the current understanding of the justification of the war does not take into account this cause, medieval theologians saw the punishment of evil that reigns in this world especially important task for Christianity. Equally important to justify the war is the factor that the war should be initiated only by a lawful authority. In fact, “Augustine’s writings indicate that the authority of the prince or state or God’s direct authorization is indispensable for just war” 5 Christianity was well aware that war is above all violence and death. The goal of Christianity has been designated as the preservation of peace between people. For this reason, the war can be justified only if it is necessary from the point of view of the legitimate authority, which is responsible for its people. Legitimate authority has the right to go to war if it sees the war as the only possible way to save the peace. Legitimate power is responsible for the preservation of peace and stability in the country. As a result, it has the right to make the decision to go to war based on national interests of the country. Responsibility for such a decision lies entirely on the legitimate authority. Nobody has the right to bare the sword without a prescription of the government. In addition, special attention is paid to the relationship between the objectives pursued by the war and the consequences, to which the war might lead: “An act may be rendered unlawful if I be out of proportion to the end.” 6 The purpose of the war must be commensurate with the price to be paid as a result of the war. In this regard, the government must take into account all the consequences and make sure that the damage caused by the war does not exceed the original aims of the war. Finally, according to the Christian understanding, the war should be considered as a last resort to solve the conflict. Christianity clearly understands the horror of war, because war is primarily a threat to the lives of hundreds and thousands of innocent people. For this reason, the war can be justified if it is the only way to resolve the conflict. The decision to start the war must be preceded by various attempts for a peaceful arrangement of the conflict between the warring parties. Thus, a just war is a war in which the resulting benefit outweighs the evil that accompanies war, and it is possible to clearly distinguish between the warring parties - those who are vitally interested in the war, and those innocent people who are involved in it. It should be understood that the adoption of the notion of a just war logically fits into the Christian understanding of the nature of the world presented in the framework of medieval society. In particular, Augustine’s ideas of war and peace are based on the idea of enduring sinfulness of human nature. Peace is an ideal unattainable in the earth, the human kingdom, and the sinfulness of people will always cause strife and conflict.7 Therefore, the state is necessary as a tool for correcting the effects of human depravity. The state provides order, including violent measures, and the duty of citizens is to comply with the orders of legitimate authorities. A Christian must fight under the banner of the emperor. In principle, participation in hostilities might be seen as legal under certain conditions outlined above. One should note that the principles enunciated by Augustine must, in his view, manage the activities both of a state and individual citizens in the conduct of the war, but they do not mean that, on the basis of them, any Christian has the right to decide whether to go on a war. Obedience to lawful authority is clearly understood as a duty of the citizen. However, one should recognize the fact that Augustine not only formulated the theory of a just war, which was destined to have a long life, but also became the creator of the first Code of warfare, which included ethical requirements to the individual soldier. On a par with the concept of peace as the main condition for coexistence between people, the phenomenon of war occupies no less important place in Augustine’s idea of the existence of two cities - the city of God and the city of Man.8 In the understanding of the thinker, the city of Man is presented by a secular state, based on the struggle of people for material things and for priority of their selfish personal interests. A distinctive feature of the citizens of the earthly City is egoism bordering on contempt for God. In turn, the city of God is a spiritual community of God’s saints. With the help of religious communities and churches, the members of the city of God are connected not physically, but spiritually and morally. Their life is based on the love of God brought to self-contempt. The city of God in the view of St. Augustine is a conditional symbolic designation of the community of the righteous, the following not the divine commands. Given the sinfulness of the earthly world and its tendency to sin, Augustine considers war as justified in cases where nothing and no one can help deal with evil and punish human sin. Thus war is justified as a last resort for justice in the name of ridding the earthly world of sin and its approximation to the ideal of the city of God. Conclusion Despite the Christian idea that people should not resist evil and commit violence in response to violence towards them, the Christian tradition is able to justify the war. War is seen as the latest method to resolve the conflict, since Christianity emphasizes the inestimable value of human life. Nevertheless, the war can be justified for a number of reasons that have been discussed in some detail by both St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas. In general, the factors pointed out by them in order to justify the war involve an assessment of the phenomenon of war before it starts and after it has already started. The war is justified under the ethical concept aimed at maintaining peace and preservation of human lives. This code of military rule indicates a particular responsibility of the ruling state leadership, the main task of which is to maintain the integrity and stability of a state. Bibliography Baumgarth, William P. and Richard J. Regan, editors. Saint Thomas Aquinas: On Law, Morality, and Politics. Indianapolis/Cambridge: Hacket Publishing Company, 1988. Childress, James F. Moral Responsibility in Conflicts: Essays on Nonviolence, War, and Conscience. Baton Rouge and London: Louisiana State University Press, 1982. Coverdale, John F. “An Introduction to the Just War Tradition,” Pace International Law Review 16, no.2 (2004): 221-277. Mendelson, Michael. "Saint Augustine," The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, last modified November 12, 2010, http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/augustine/#HisEsc The Bible: James Moffatt Translation. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1994. Read More