Justifying War
What is the value of a human life?
We can really only value our own lives. Most of us would give anything we own to stay alive. On the other hand, there are very few things that we would die for. Some would be willing to die to save the life of their spouse or a child, but that would be a hard decision. Few of us would be willing to die for anyone else. We all place a very high value on our own life.
If a single life is worth such a high value, what are a thousand lives worth? Yet even a small war these days will cause a thousand casualties. What cause could be worth a thousand lives? I find it very hard to think of one.
The implication is important. There are almost no situations where the uncertain benefits of war sufficiently outweigh the cost to justify war. Maybe there are none at all.
3 comments:
Honestly Ron,
I admire your theology so much and have said so again and again. You have no bigger fan than I am.
I am just puzzled by your pacifism. No reasons to go to war? Really?
There must be a personal and not theological root to all that. I would love to see you develop that thesis as you have so well so many other times like "caring for the poor" which I printed off and distributed to the church.
It's not enough to just say, I hate war, or war is bad, or people die in war. All that's true, but to say there is no or very few justifications for war is really hard for me to get my mind around.
I would suggest there are many situations where war is not only justified but mandated. The language of the Word of God is constant in its use of battle language. And if you believe as i do that God is God and that from Genisis to Maps is all the Word of God then you have to look at the unfulfilled covenant and the fulfilled covenant as seamless.
That include going to War against the Enemy whoever that may be.
If we have Enemies in the world, I submit we have many real and evil enemies, then we are mandated to do battle.
I know I am a warrior at heart and run to the battle like David did.
You and I disagree profoundly on this one issue.
One of us is wrong.
Thanks Gene.
Acutally, I am not a pacifist. If you go to the linked article, you will see that I believe there are some situations where war is justified. I believe that a local community is justified in defending itself from attack. However, I also believe that there are very few other situations where war is justified. As I look back at history, I can see very few wars that did more good than harm. In these situations the role of the Military Leader will be important.
The United States seems to use war as the first solution to every problem (maybe because it was founded by war, whereas New Zealand was founded by a covenant). This has done a great deal of harm, because there are very few problems that can be resolved by war.
I would like to discuss this further. Can you give me some examples of the type of situation where war is justified.
Blessings
Ron
"If a single life is worth such a high value, what are a thousand lives worth? Yet even a small war these days will cause a thousand casualties. What cause could be worth a thousand lives?"
Well, my life is worth such a high value, and a thousand others are worth little each. Saving my own life would be worth a thousand others, of course!
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