For Canadians the last few weeks have shown an escalation in the number of our soldiers who have been killed or injured in Iraq. It seems that a "safe" operation that few considered to truely be ours is now thrusting itself into our corporate consciousness. Questions about war and peace and how go about both are all around us, so it seems only right to ask a few questions of my own.
Is there ever a good, honorable reason to go to war? Where do you begin to draw the line? In defense of human rights? To curtail a possible threat? To gain more land etc? In final defense of your country? Or never?
Martin Luther wrote a few interesting words on wether or not there could ever be a just war ... and on the responsibilities soldiers carry in a war ... let's chat, what do you think?
4 comments:
Interesting topic. To defend oneself and one's family, defend one's home and culture. But to defend is not to attack. Jesus didn't go to the marketplace and attack the cheaters there, he only went to the temple. What do you think?
Jesus wasn't on earth for a country's behalf either.
Nations exist for the commonwealth of the people; the common good. If the common good is threatened, or if there is a significant threat to allies of a commonwealth whereby we can aide, we have a duty to do do. The strong exist to help the weaker, the verbal to speak on behalf of those unable to speak, and so on. This is what separates mankind from animals: Reason and Community!
There absolutely has to be just war, simply because there has to be war! If some nutter wants to do something evil, kill a bunch of people just because, he needs to be taken down. End of story. Same thing goes for a nutter regime. If he (or she) is running the country amok and killing civilians left, right, and centre, they need to be removed. The US is trying to do just that.
Do we agree? Not all the time, but that's why there are elections, to chose someone different to run our country. In the interim, we can voice our opinions to our MP's or other governing bodies, but we should also support our leaders in what they believe to be the right thing.
Canada needs to show undying support to our men and women who are doing their duties. The do not deserve to hear about all the peaceniks' naive views that there is no need for war in the 21st Century. Get your heads out of the clouds and wake up! Evil men and women need to be in jail! Militaries have the power to do that. Let them do their job!
How's that for a late-night diatribe?!?
I thought our soldiers were primarily in Afghanistan (Taliban country)?
But as long as you have sinners, you will have war. It's not our place to declare wars, but if we or our allies are attacked, for the good of humankind, sometimes war must happen.
(This is leaving out the whole question of the book of Joshua, which is interesting in itself)
I'm sorry Joel, I can't help it but sometimes we all have a "duty to do do" (giggle):)
As for the question at hand ... I think it is true that we are all responsible for everyone else and it is greivious to allow bad things to happen to other people just cause you don't feel like stepping in but at the same time helping has to be carefully weighed against protecting those who are closest at hand. It's a no win situation. I don't think there is such a thing as a just war, wouldn't that imply that all our intentions and deed were justifiable? But I think we must do our best to do what we can to help others and defend ourselves, sometimes in order to win that objective we must attack. I'm not sure if it was right to go to Iraq but now that we are there it would be wrong to leave.
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