Theological Understanding of War Essay

“War is hell, but that’s not the half of it, because war is also mystery and terror and adventure and courage and discovery and holiness and pity and despair and longing and love. War is nasty; war is fun. War is thrilling; war is drudgery. War makes you a man; war makes you dead.” (80)

On September 11th, 2011, an attack and a resulting war against terrorism had come forth in broad daylight, knocking at the doorstep of about 3,000 innocent civilians who were to unknowingly die that day. As a result, one of the inevitable questions Christians had to sorrowfully face and ask was the view, position, and stance upon war; particularly, the matter of consistency between the biblical emphasis upon forgiveness, forbearance, and love where it is most notably pin pointed in the Sermon on the Mount. John Howard Yoder argues against the criticisms towards pacifism, indicating the differences between the sacredness of a neighbor’s life and the sustainability of the ethic with exceptionless prohibition. Despite his eloquence and successfully

Only very long ago was a war a new concept. Maybe a tribe often fought with a rival tribe over some hunting grounds or some fertile land. One of the tribes would back yield and another would claim their prize. But obviously, this is the best-case scenario for one tribe and worst case for another. As time went on and civilisation became more civilised multiple religions began to be practised and cultural values by different civilisations developed. But war, war never changes. The reasons to fight a war are still self-motivated by an entity or country needs or wants. This way of an argument between two groups has persisted and will likely continue to persist for many thousands of years. Religions fought to spread their religion to save people

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.

There is a debate about the justification of war. Pacifics like Walter Wink believe that nonresistance is the method of dealing with one’s adversary, and war is unjustifiable. They used the biblical references, more specifically the Matthew Section, to validate their claim. The scripture from the Matthews text that affirmed their opinion was Matthew 5:38-41, which Walter Wink summarizes by saying, “Jesus commands his followers not to resist evil, but to turn the other cheek, give the second garment, or walk the second mile” (129). Many others in academia, including the Editors of “First Things”, believe that the Pacifist view on war is “monumentally wrong”. (127) The Editors extend their suggestion by adding a war can be justified if it meets

Religion is used as a tactic to violently advance one’s political beliefs. So, religion becomes that fault line between war and politics that creates an assumption that religion is the cause. But, the global governance of resources and power, known as politics, is the focus of war. Of course, us humans will always have the tendency to assume religion is the cause of war, I mean we have done it for hundreds probably thousands of years, so the traditional statement “religion is the cause of all wars” will continue to be held as truth by many. But, as we become more interconnected as a society, we will realize that religion is the exploration of our values and that politics is the true cause of all

Christianity may be formed under the same beliefs, but today, most everyone has a dif-ferent way of understanding it. All Christians interpret the Bible in their own way. Yes, we all follow under the same book, the Bible, and serve under Jesus Christ, but somehow there are peo-ple who say that we shouldn’t take everything the Bible says literally, while others say that we should. This is because it is written both ways. It is hard at times to tell what's what, but if you pray and spend lots of time studying it, God will open up His truth.

Realistically in war, men use all of their willpower to fight for what they believe is correct, in relation to their moral standards. Even if the outcome is not always positive, they feel they are doing the right thing. Romantically, war is not seen as what it really is, and what it really symbolizes. Generally, God is seen a source of light or guidance. People are very reliant on God, and hope that he will deliver them from their troubles.These people do not perceive war to be as serious as it truly is, and often international problems are far

Imagine a fiery barrage of artillery guns firing at the unit and hits a fellow soldier. Imagine leaving a friend behind in combat or telling a loved one or a friend he or she is dead. War isn’t glamorous. But instead of telling the sadden soul bad news, on the contrary soldiers substitute it, by saying the fallen soldier showed immense bravery for peace, to relieve the violence and suffering, for the country. However many question the reason of war. Is it merciless or wholesome, or is there and in-between? War cannot be defined in one sentence, nor can its meaning be expressed using a few words. The word simply means more than just a military conflict between nations. War is complex. It stimulates feelings of aggression,

War. War never changes. At least that is what Fallout, a post-apocalyptic role playing game always suggests. Throughout all of history, animals, which includes us humans have competed with one another for survival. People can’t help it; it is encoded in our DNA. Just as thunder always trails a lightning strike, war is never far behind from competition. War in its purest form is simply a conflict carried on by force of arms. Whether it be battles between people or nations, the premise is always the same. The word war has so much history behind it. It is so old that it has developed many meanings. For some war can be a struggle to achieve a goal, like the war on cancer. For others war can also mean a business conflict, like a price war between two companies. A word as old as time itself, war, it is

Religion has always been the central worldview of traditional civilizations. For most of these civilizations, religion explains existence and ethical thinking for governments. Each religion mentioned wages war according to their principals and beliefs in order to gain power over another. Also, they each have their own view for when war is considered just or unjust. Focusing on Christianity, Islamic, and Buddhism religions and their understanding of warfare will help to understand the relationship between earthly orders. For one to understand the relationship and impact that waging war has on individuals and their faith, one must first understand and accept each individual faith and the belief that they have.

For in the end, many innocent lives are taken, therefore a just war is waged only for the right intentions. After all, the Bible does tell us that “there is a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace” (Ecclesiastes 3:8). War is not wrong, but it is wrong if waged for the wrong reasons.

May I ask how many wars you know of? From the Battle of Waterloo on Sunday, 18 June 1815 to WW2, September 1, 1939 – September 2, 1945, or maybe the ancient war when Alexander the Great conquered Egypt in 332BC, war has outraged across the globe. What are your current beliefs about War? Is it a benefactor or a major problem, nature or manmade? I look to change your beliefs and enlighten you about reality. I am a human being, just like you so we view the mercilessness and blood loss caused due to war first but have we ever thought of the natural benefactor of it or is it a definite manmade problem?

war are part of life, and as God fought for the good, the Devil fought for the bad. The theme of good

Many people say that peace is an ideal. That peace is obtained through mutual understanding, but that there will never be agreement of any kind amongst the 7.4 billion people that share this earth. Many people say war is inevitable, that war is born from disagreement, and that there will always be disagreement. “I hate war as only a soldier who has lived it can, only as one who has seen its brutality, its stupidity.” -Dwight D. Eisenhower. Matt Cole, Gary Sukowaty and Art Hasler are the soldiers who have lived it. They are not only capable of hating war on the scale Eisenhower expresses, but they are also capable of opening the eyes of people who have never seen it. They can proceed to explain unexplainable thoughts and feelings. How war can unlock the coldest part of your soul, torturously poking at your darkest thoughts, while you practice displaying a content facade. War will always stay the same, and it will continue to change men and women over time, for better or for worse.