Christian Teachings on Warfare Essay

Just war can be traced back to the pagan teachings, which was later refined by Christian leaders to justify their followers into going to war (Cahill, 2005). St. Augustine was identified as the first to offer his view on war and justice, viewing war as a necessary evil if peace and justice were to come and labeling it as something practical when conflict arises. Later on, St. Thomas Aquinas revised Augustine’s version and added three more conditions: the war had to be waged by the proper authority, the cause had to be just, and the intentions had to be right. All of these additions and refinements lead to the same just war theory that we are familiar with today (Baer, 2006).

evil.'; (173) This is a contradiction in that war is justified if it is for the

One important theory within International Relations shows a moral aspect on how to conduct war. This theory is called Just War Theory. Just War Theory is a doctrine of military ethics from a philosophical and Catholic viewpoint. This theory consists of two parts: Jus ad bellum (the right to go to war) and Jus in bello (right conduct within war).

There are many questions surrounding the topic of war. Should we fight? How do we win? Why are we fighting? The most debatable question of all is if the war is considered just.

Historically, there has been consistent disagreement between political philosophers regarding the possibility of a justification of war. Theorists from Grotius to Gandhi have from time immemorial argued about whether violence can ever be sanctioned as a viable recourse for preventing evil. History itself, at various times, seems to offer lessons regarding the complexity of the issue—demonstrating both the human capacity, if unchecked, to cause immense destruction and evil and the inherent destruction that accompanies the common means of using war and violence to rid the world of such evils. However, it is clear that neither

War has been designed to show a ghastly frame that sets out for propaganda, defeats, and victories. Involving multiple aspects, war exhibits a product of both human choice and human actions. “And a person's definition of war often expresses the person's broader political philosophy, such as limiting war to a conflict between nations or state. Alternative definitions of war can include conflict not just between nations but between schools of thought or ideologies.” (Moseley, Alexander.

The legitimate defense of a nation and the responsibility of the Security Council to take actions in the course of maintaining peace within its areas of influence. With the establishment of United Nations and the modernization of war and its materials; the theories and doctrines of the past also needed to evolve. The modern Just war theory in composed of two principles: jus ad bellum, the right to conduct war, and jus in bello, the correct conduct within war. Each principle also has its own set of criteria to follow. Jus ad bellum contains six: Just cause, right intention, proper authority and public declaration, last resort, probability of success, and proportionality. (Orend, 2006)

St. Augustine provided comments on morality of war from the Christian point of view (railing against the love of violence that war can engender) as did several critics in the intellectual flourishing from the 9th to 12th centuries. Just war theorists remind warriors and politicians alike that the principles of justice following war should be universalizable and morally ordered and that winning should not provide a license for imposing unduly harsh or punitive measures or that state or commercial interests should not dictate the form of new peace. “The attraction for jus post bellum thinkers is to return to the initial justice of the war”. This means that war is considered as self-defense.

19. Which of the following is NOT a principle of war? (FM 3-90, p. 2-4)

The just war theory had been a fundamental principle of the Catholic Church for several decades at this point. Merton believed that this theory had been part of Catholic tradition for so long that it was not possible to set aside when thinking of plans of attack. Not only did just war theory not give much leeway for acceptable fighting, but Jesus also would not agree with the fighting (239). Shannon describes Merton’s argument that non-violence was a necessity since the heart of non-violence is love. When Jesus spoke of love, he preached that his followers should love their enemies and those who oppress them in addition to their neighbors. In this sense, although the world may be being persecuted by Hitler and his army of Nazi’s, it is necessary for us as Christians to not fight back but lead a peaceful rebellion. Merton believed that in order to live a life of non-violence one must be capable of suffering violence without inflicting violence in return or unto others

In 1095, at the Council of Clermont, Pope Urban II preached the first crusade. This event set in motion a campaign that would dramatically change the face of Western Europe. The campaign necessitated mass mobilization to the East and the creation of an ideological counterpart. As a result, Urban II and his successors cast the expedition as a Holy War by drawing upon already established communal features. Pre-existing traditions that shaped the theological conceptions of Holy War emerged from diverse sources such as societal trends and the Emperor cults of the Roman Empire. Despite evidence depicting that established patterns influenced the evolution of Holy War, popular scholarship has displayed a striking tendency to portray jihad as endemic to Islam, while the crusades are often depicted as an aberration. Points of convergence depict the consolidation of these trends. Though the formalization of these traditions initially divided adherents from the majority of the pagan populace, the resultant conceptions of Holy War helped to unite people and enabled the legitimization of authority. Therefore, both Christian and Islamic conceptions of Holy War can be viewed as the realization of certain pre-established trends.

According to traditional just war theory, a just cause must serve peace and not simply protect an unjust status quo. War must be used as a last resort and all pacifistic approaches must be

Just War Theory; Marim Ibrahim Unit 3 Activity 3 This is a direct result of reflecting upon Jesus’ life. Jesus emphasized loving your enemies and constantly called us to peace. War opposes majority of Jesus’, and thus the Church's, main moral values which are clearly evident in the Catholic Social Teachings (CST). Some of the CST mains themes are human dignity and the promotion of peace.

“War may sometimes be a necessary evil. But no matter how necessary, it is always an evil, never a good. We will not learn how to live together in peace by killing each other’s children. This famous quote is from James Earl “Jimmy” Carter, Jr., who served as the 39th President of the United States. It implies that war can be justified under strict circumstances where it can be necessary, but it is still abhorrent. War is defined as a state of armed conflict between different countries or different groups within a country. Justification refers to the action of showing something to be right or reasonable. War brings many negative and catastrophic impacts not just to the country, but to the people living in the country as well, which this paper

Additionally, there must be a reasonable chance of success and should only be entered into as a last resort.2 Basically, no one can just go out and start a war against another country without appropriate rationale.