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The Morality of War
2
War In the Bible
Self Defense
Pacifism
THE MORALITY OF WAR
-All uses of Violence
cannot be justified, even self defense
Pacifism
vs.
Self Defense
-Protecting oneself from injury at the hand of others
-Biblical obligation is to preserve life:
-Since society at large does not claim to follow Christ, it can't be expected to follow his mandate for nonviolence
-Our bodies belong to God therefore we do not have the right to destroy as we please.
-"Even if you are the 'good guy' you are "marked" in the eyes of God"
-Bible teaches that "we must preserve life- our own lives and the life's of other people.
-Pacifists argue that the money used to support our defense effort should be better spent on social programs aimed at helping the poor and other vulnerable groups in society
Discussion
&
Scenarios
Divine Command Theory
Torture vs Murder
Which is really the worst?
Maintains the centrality of Scripture. Reminds us of Gods Magnitude. Scripture is the foremost and central aid in all ethical dilemmas. God is greater than any human or worldly item. As humans we will never know why God does what he does, we will try to come up with the best solutions to our problems but until sin is cast out of this world we will never have a concrete answer.
Pros and Cons:
-living longer
-mental issues
-life long fear
-death
Utilitarianism Theory
Scenario 1
Matthew 24:6
(Teleological), the morality of an act is determined by the end result. The greatest number of good for the greatest number of people. Act utilitarianism uses the consequences of any given course of action to determine its morality. Before going to war it is vital to look at the consequences that it will present and how it will affect the people involved.
From the Movie "Unthinkable":
A terrorist has put bombs in three different locations across the United States. The FBI tortures the man to try to get him to disclose there locations before the bombs explode. Throughout the movie they torture his kids and kill his wife. How far is too far? It has the potential to save thousands of life's. Is this ethical?
“And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet.”
Ecclesiastes 3: 1;8
“For everything there is a season,
and a time for every matter under heaven: …a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace.”
Decision
Making
Ladder
Scenario 2
Old Testament
Romans 12:17-21
You are in a war zone in a foreign country where the gunfire is heavy and you can not trust anyone. While you are out on your convoy with your unit you come across a child. You orders are to kill anyone within 50 meters of the convoy. The boy is slowing walking closer and closer to the convoy and you try and tell him to stop, but he keeps going. What would you do? What is the ethical choice here?
“Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
-Throughout the Old Testament Israel was commanded by God to go to war and God used military force to accomplish his purposes
-God purposely put his people in the land of Canaan because of its vulnerability to military attack. God did this to develop Israel’s trust in him to protect them from their enemies.
-One should be careful to draw conclusions validating military force from the Old Testament. God does not deal with the church or nations today as he did with Old Testament Israel.
Situational Ethics
Morals are relative to the situation. There are times when certain actions are acceptable and times when their unacceptable. It does not promote “anything goes.” If war would happen to break out there are certain guidelines that should be followed by both sides.
Church of the Nazarene Manual
2 Timothy 2: 3-4
Jus Ad Bello:
“Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him.”
New Testament
1. The war in question must be prompted by a just cause; defensive war
2. The war in question must have a just intention
War and Military Service:
The Church of the Nazarene believes that the ideal world condition is that of peace and that it is the full obligation of the Christian Church to use its influence to seek such means as will enable the nations of the earth to be at peace and to devote all of its agencies for the propagation of the message of peace. However, we realize that we are living in a world where evil forces and philosophies are actively in conflict with these Christian ideals and that there may arise such international emergencies as will require a nation to resort to war in defense of its ideals, its freedom, and its existence.
While thus committed to the cause of peace, the Church of the Nazarene recognizes that the supreme allegiance of the Christian is due to God, and therefore it does not endeavor to bind the conscience of its members relative to participation in military service in case of war, although it does believe that the individual Christian as a citizen is bound to give service to his or her own nation in all ways that are compatible with the Christian faith and the Christian way of life.
3. The war in question must be engaged in as a last resort
4. The war in question must be initiated with a formal declaration by properly constituted authorities
-War is universally seen as evil and Jesus emphasized peace instead
-He advised us to avoid revenge and to extend love to our enemies
-Despite the immense evil of war, Jesus said it is inevitable that wars will continue until He returns
-He did not oppose earthly governments or their right to maintain armies
-Other passages accept the necessity of maintaining armies and the worthiness of military occupations
JUST WAR THEORY
-Only wars of self-defense are just
-Two parts of the traditional Just War Theory:
Jus In Bello:
1.The war in question must be characterized by limited objectives
-Jus In Bello (justice in the conduct of war).
2.The war in question must be conducted with proportionate means
-Jus Ad Bello (justice in going to war)
3.The war in question must respect noncombatant immunity
Torture
Code of Ethics
Our Views
Personal Morality:
Applying morals in daily life, specifically war, by demonstrating honesty, building trust through integrity, and fulfilling commitments.
Recent additions/contemplations:
Definitions :
Torture is the infliction of extreme physical suffering on some non-consenting, defenseless, other person for the purpose of breaking their will.
Deliberately inflicting physical or mental pain on a person without legal cause. This includes threats to family members and loved ones.
Torture:
-A preventative strike is just to avoid more deaths than necessary
Peace:
-Would it be right, if we can prevent unjust causes in our own country, to help other countries protect theirs?
War:
Striving for peace by doing every action possible to not engage in war. War should be considered only if it is necessary to maintain national security or to prevent the destruction of life, ultimately bringing peace.
Respecting human life by celebrating the inherent God given value in all, supporting our soldiers who fight for our freedom, and making family a top priority.
Respect:
We are in agreement with war for the purpose of self defense and for the greater good
Torture, while wrong, should be allowed if it is the only way to prevent a greater wrong; such as a bombing or mass murder or if enclosed information will help the greater good. This decision is based very much on the situation.
Authority:
Seeking to follow God in our life by making him our final authority and having respect for our government leaders and the decisions that they make even if we disagree.
Societal:
During the Bush administration. It was shown that most people agreed with the torture tactics used to get information from terrorists but they did’t want to know the details of the events.
Throughout ancient history Greeks, Persians, and Romans all used torture. Also the church regarded it as an acceptable part of there armory.
Used as a punishment, to intimidate, control, persuade, or to satisfy sadistic tendencies.
Totalitarian regimes are the most common users of torture, they use it to keep themselves in power, enforce their philosophies, and to remove any opposition against them