STAN REFLECTING ON "JUST WAR", AND HOW HE BECAME A PACIFIST:click here to listen (9: 30)
MY THOUGHTS:
"Let the Christians of the world resolve not to kill one another."
I wonder if as the church, we could ever agree in the very least to agree that we'd encourage all Christians to not engage in any practices that would kill other Christians. What a different question than "do you think war is right or wrong?". Would you agree to not partake in any action that might voluntarily kill another brother or sister in Christ? My other thought is, putting aside the rhetoric of nonviolence/just war/war is necessary, is there something very wrong morally within the boundaries of war between nations when a Christian kills another Christian? Does Christianity transcend national boundaries? Or does Christianity pay homage first to it's nation's flag and then to Christ? These are tough questions I believe.
1 comment:
Jonathan - The taking of life is regrettable under any circumstances, a tragic deviation from God's intention in creation.
When circumstances (and reasonable human justice) require the use of lethal force, I don't see how the religious preference of the targeted "other" is a deciding factor - whehter you are talking about an individual defending a neighbor, a police officer discharging his sidearm or a soldier sending an artillery round down range. I don't see how Christians owe Christian perpetrators a greater obligation than non-Christian perpetrators, much less an absolute obligation.
So, no, I won't take that pledge. I think it proceeds from a misunderstanding of how and why force is sometimes necessary to achieve a measure of justice in this age.
In other words, if this the use of force is required, it is required. Regrettably.
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