Can a Christian support war?

[FlyingTeaPot]

The individual. Are you saying that there are no just wars?

There are no just wars. Wars involve killing innocent people. That is not just. And for the people who at this point would suggest that 'War is Hell' and there will be collateral damage, I put to you that this is exactly why wars are unjust.

 

[Desert Snake]

There are no just wars.

What about a country defending itself from attack? You don't think that is a "just war"?

 

[nnmartin]

and how about the pre-emptive strike?

Recently there was a thread about Hiroshima and the Enola Gay and whether it was just or not......how would this fit in with Biblical thinking?

 

[FlyingTeaPot]

What about a country defending itself from attack? You don't think that is a "just war"?

That is still an unjust war, because the attacking country is being unjust in this case. Wars involve two or more countries. It is always unjust to one or more of them.

 

[Desert Snake]

That is still an unjust war, because the attacking country is being unjust in this case. Wars involve two or more countries. It is always unjust to one or more of them.

I suppose what I'm getting at is can you blame a country for defending itself against attack? Of course the war is going to be "unjust", that's sort of the default position of wars.

 

[FlyingTeaPot]

I suppose what I'm getting at is can you blame a country for defending itself against attack?

Two points
A) I don't believe in the man-made construct of countries. This means that I don't think unrelated people should rally behind their "country" to defend itself from another "country".
B) And ofcourse, in the world that we live in, it is obvious that I cannot blame a country from defending itself from attack.

Of course the war is going to be "unjust", that's sort of the default position of wars.

And that is exactly my point. Wars by definition are unjust.

 

[InformedIgnorance]

Of course a christian can support war (in general or in specific cases), the question is whether a christian SHOULD support war - in general, in specific cases, or according to various criteria... are there criteria identified in christian theology that might justify christians supporting wars? Certainly not by Jesus - but according to some of the other works? Sure; after all, only part of Christian theology is determined by what Jesus said and did.

 

[Chisti]

It generaly means celebrating customs thar you really don´t care about and are outdated, or the same with ways of dressing, food, etc.

Is putting an overly importance in either land or completely irrelevant little things. Most often than not it is either completely pointless or it even evolves into chauvinism.

Exactly. Besides, the whole patriotic stuff is based on the accident of birth, which in itself is quite silly. You can't control or plan where you take birth, so being proud of something over which you had no control ... well, that's ridiculous.

 

[kai]

It has been my experience that Christians can and will do most anything.

agreed.

 

[Protester]

when can a Christian support war or should they be opposing it at all times?

In some instances it could be argued that war is needed to prevent deaths but how about when they are mainly political in cause.

for example: Vietnam, Iraq, Korea, Somalia, Cambodia, Nicaragua.

what would the Christian stance be on these kinds of war?

How about places like North Korea, Serbia, Soviet Union, Rwanda etc.. if the leaders there, were or are, so bad, then why not just go in and kick their butts?

Yes, Banana Wars - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ,oil wars, etc. are wrong. Korea was a righteous war, If we hadn't gone in there all of Korea could have been like North Korea,:no: A lot of killing was stopped in the former Yugoslavia by the intervention.. I would have Rwanda should have been a French mess to clean up, and not an American one, but the French fell down on their obligations there. Can the U.S. clean up all the messes in the world or should it? I don't think so.

A short monograph on the topic, What does the Bible say about a Christian serving in the military?