First of all to those are serving in the military or who know some close family member in the military, I would say that I honor your commitments to our country, and the necessary sacrifices you have made that keep this country at peace. I think it’s excellent that we have people as brave and self-sacrificing, because that is something truly noble: to lay ones’ life down for their brother (as the Bible says) is the greatest love of all. And seeking justice in the world, what could possibly be a nobler task? It is no small effort, and soldiers often receive little thanks in the matter; many come back with scars both physical and emotional that no one should have to bear.
The problem with war, as I see it, is not that our intentions are bad, because we do want to see justice in the world today. And America often stands alone in seeking justice in areas of the world where no one else would go. But I want to specifically address what happens in war when our soldiers get there.
I’ll be honest, I have never been in war, nor have I heard any first-hand accounts of it. What I do know of war is what General Sherman (during Civil War) says: “war is hell.” And I think under most circumstances people are more concerned about winning the war as quickly as possible, and not about ensuring that our methods are above reproach. For example, we are fighting a war, and the enemy uses bombs to attack our civilians, uses illegal gases to poison our people, and then tortures and mutilates our POW’s, and how should we respond? Are we to use any means at all in order to ensure that the enemy is defeated? How many enemy civilians would we kill in order to ensure their surrender? Or, on the other hand, how many of our soldiers can we sacrifice in order to ensure that our cause is still truly just? I think we all know what America’s response has been in the past, and that is “our country’s lives are worth more than other country’s lives.” I don’t know whether people really believe this or not, but it seems to me that that’s how we treat the matter.
But if we are to morally consistent in fighting a war, I think we should hold ourselves to a higher standard, before we become a tyrant bully nation, and other nations see fit to depose us for our unjust actions. Just because we have the most guns, and generally speaking, the best weapons, does not give us the right to be the global bully of the world.
I would go even further in saying that Christians, as followers of Jesus Christ, citizens not of this world, but of the world to come, hold a very unique and higher position when it comes to morality and war. I think that the decently moral thing to do (for non-believers) is as I have explained above: to wage war according to basic just war principles; a nation should only go to war if it has the following:
-Proper Authority
-Just Cause
-Right Intent
-Proportionality of Cause (the benefit outweighs the cost)
-Reasonable Prospect of Success
-Last Resort
-Just Means
Otherwise the war is not just, and should be condemned by its citizens. Christians, I think hold a unique position, because if you do believe in Jesus Christ, and you have been “crucified with Christ, and no longer live, but Christ lives in you” (Galatians 2:20), then we ought to act as Jesus does, and do what Jesus says to do. And in order to make my point as completely as possible, I want to talk about it in 3 ways…
1. 1. What is justice?
Perhaps the fundamental question behind this whole argument is what we all think justice really is? Aristotle said that in order for a person to act in accordance with morality, he must do the just thing, over and over again, and so eventually become a just person. When we prosecute people for doing something wrong, we hope in some way to teach that person a moral lesson. A perfectly logical and sane person, not lacking for food or other resources, should he decide to become a thief and steal a car, he should be punished because it is wrong to steal. In this case the punishment (generally speaking) suits the crime. If someone steals something, it is necessary that they return it and then serve time in a jail or prison as a punishment (stealing time perhaps?). It is our hope that justice is served because the car is returns (or paid for) and more importantly the criminal will have learned something from his actions.
Now for example if the crime is murder, we have another different case. For what punishment is suitable for a person who has stolen that most valuable of all things: a person’s life? Even God said in the Old Testament, in Genesis 9:6- “If anyone takes a human life, that person’s life will also be taken by human hands. For God made human beings in his own imagine.” (anyone want to argue about capital punishment while we’re at it??) Anyways, it actually IS just according to many belief systems to take a person’s life if they have taken someone else’s. It’s that old eye for eye and tooth for tooth mentality that Jesus speaks of during his Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). But what does Jesus say Christians ought to do now? Jesus says that he has come to perfect the law, and not to abolish it. This is an important distinction because we know according to Old Testament and essentially the 10 commandments what is right and wrong. And it IS morally acceptably in Biblical terms to take life in seeking justice (I don’t argue that fact). But Jesus here gives us an additional command that goes above and beyond what is “decently” just. So, let’s get to it, then, what does Jesus have to say?
“Do not resist an evil person”
“Love your enemies”
“Pray for those who persecute you!” (Mt 5:39, 44)
Okay, you might ask, what logic is there in that? Well, let me get to my next point…
2. 2. Teaching a Lesson?
Jesus principles in the Sermon on the Mount demonstrate the powerful principles of non-violent resistance. I also really enjoy Paul’s description of the principle in Romans 12:20-21 “If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads. Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.”
Granted this seems absolutely illogical and bird-brained at first. Who would seriously give aid to one’s enemy? Who would seriously offer the other cheek to someone who had just slapped the first? Is Jesus asking us to go around asking for pain? No, and I believe Jesus knows what he is talking about. If we were to resort only to Old Testament methods of “eye for eye” and “tooth for tooth” we all end up blind and hungry, don’t we? And more importantly, I think no one walks away from such punishment a better person.
I don’t feel I have the words to articulate the power of non-violence, and actually loving one’s neighbor, sometimes you just have to see it in action, and that’s the only way you can believe it works. I know of no better example of non-violent resistance than Gandhi and his followers. Imagine being a British soldier stationed in India and charged with maintaining the status quo of oppression there. When you see someone willing to lie down in the road and refuse to move, even when beaten, and only moving when carried away, you know even though the person you beat had done nothing wrong personally, he demonstrated for all the world to see how your own actions carried you to do something wrong. Maybe in one such instance it does little to change the oppression of India. Quite true. But then again, even if no one will listen, that doesn’t mean it’s not worth saying something.
3. 3. Grace Rules over the Sword
If there is one thing I have learned it is that love is more powerful than hate, and grace is more effective than violence. Yes it may lead to Christians being ridiculed, walked over, and persecuted. And yet they will KNOW we are Christians, by our love. There’s nothing more I can say to anyone through words. As my favorite author said “most good things have been said far too many times, and just need to be lived.” And I would like to re-state something I put in my first blog, perhaps the most important point I want to make overall: “we are not called to be successful; we are called to be faithful.” When God tells us to love our enemies, that doesn’t necessarily mean that it will result in our enemies loving us back. Maybe someday we can hope and pray that they will change their hearts. But Jesus exhorts us to be like God, in genuinely selfless love, who “gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust.” Let us not forget that God chooses to love us when we are not perfect, and so we must also love our enemy, even when he does not love us perfectly (or at all).
So I truly hope this in enlightening to some, and I hope we can all think more deeply on the matter. And if you are interested in asking more questions, and digging deeper, I would recommend either watching the movie “To End All Wars” or reading my favorite author’s book, The Irresistible Revolution, by Shane Claiborne. These will give you the stories to back up what I can only say in theory. Happy ponderings!
