There have been some religions (ones such as Islam and Christianity) that could have once defended war in a time where defense of their own was all that mattered; however, there are other religions (ones such as Taoism and Buddhism) that have chastised and disapproved the very idea of war at all accounts possible. This is because each different view on war by any religion matters on the type of beliefs and rules it follow, and it these various religious views on war I have come across through the documents given that I will discuss throughout this essay:
Some religious views supported the idea of war for defensive purposes. For example, Document #1-a selection from the Confucian Analects-says that war may be necessary to conduct at certain times; that all people should be prepared before they go to war, as said in the first and second line by the Master: “Let a good man teach the people seven years, and they may then likewise be employed in war”... “To lead an uninstructed people to war is to throw them away”. This means that before the men go off to fight in a war, you have to teach them first to keep them prepared and ready. Meanwhile, Document #2 (where a spiritual teacher named Gurus makes statements based on the Sikh faith) states that the first Guru promises for there to be peace and love for all humanity; but the second Guru says that
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there may be some reason for fighting in a war when all diplomacy has been tried and still failed to achieve anything: “When all efforts to restore peace prove useless and no words avail, lawful is the flash of steel, it is right to draw the sword.” Also, Document #4 (which contains
scriptures from the New Testament that explains Jesus’ teaching) explains to people that as some of them may turn to be followers, it is they who may wish to love their enemies: “blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God”...“love your enemies”. And lastly, Document #5 (comments and views on war made by Christians) says that war should only be used for defensive purposes, and that the people who try to invade you should have their lives spared even when you are fighting: “Defensive war is, then, righteous, and only defensive war. Aggressive war is wholesale robbery and murder. If the magistrate is armed with righteous power to destroy the domestic murderer, a fortiori he has the right to destroy these alien murderers, committing the crime wholesale”... “the “Peace Society” used to argue that all war is sinful, from the horrors of war. They are enormous. But common sense would rather argue from this the guilt of the perpetrators and the right of punishing it in some appropriate way. Who may do it if not the magistrate? But war should only be defensive.” Therefore, all four of these documents are grouped together because their overall statements all said that war is only necessary if all else fails, and that it should be the very last option, if not the very first. Then there were the religions that supported the idea of war for religious purposes. For example, Document #6 said that if you were killed in the battle you fought in or what were a part of in any way and in any case, you would always be guaranteed a place in heaven, so you may fight with vigor: “If thou fallest in battle, thou shalt obtain heaven; if thou conquerest, thou shalt enjoy the earth. Therefore, O son of Kunti, arise and be resolved to fight. Regarding alike pleasure and pain, gain and loss, victory and defeat, fight thou the battle”... “Thus sin will not stain thee”... “May your weapons be firm to attack, strong also to withstand. May yours be the more glorious strength, not that of the deceitful mortal.” Meanwhile, Document #8 (which is really a few excerpts from the Qur’an grouped together) that states you may fight in a war if you are doing it to defend God’s honor and cause
i. Difficulties faced by soldiers due to the nature of fighting in the Vietnam War - Personnel had difficulties with transportation supplied with adapted vehicles back seat faced rear to provide additional fire power (Source A) – It appears as if the government didn't worry enough to supply men with safe and capable equipment - Threat of traps led to fear as vehicles had to be parked on street at night (Source A) o Check for traps each morning became a daily ritual particularly in fuel tanks (Source A) o A request for a locking fuel cap was denied because weren’t entitled to one” (Source A) • What circumstances would have needed to arise for them to be entitled to one? The Offensive full guard was set up (24hrs a day), personnel got no sleep and were constantly on alert (Source A) – How significant would this have been in the personnel’s mental frame of mind?
War is what keeps a nation from dying, it is the backbone of a country. This is the shown throughout the course of World War I, also known as “the war to end all wars.” World War I started in the summer of 1914. Archduke Francis Ferdinand, from the Austro – Hungarian Empire was visiting Bosnia. He was shot, along with his wife, Sofia, by a young man from the Black Hand, Gavrillo Princip. What were the three main factors that started World War I? There were three main underlying causes that started World War I: greed, nationalism, and militarism.
This takes us to the concept of just war. Aristotle saw just war as a means to a higher goal. You don't just fight the war to win the war there needs to be a purpose to fighting the war. He goes on to tell us how others view just war. The Romans said war was just only when conducted by the state, and only accompanied by a declaration of hostilities, meaning war had to be declared on someone. Rebellions and revolutions were not considered just wars. The Japanese did not define when war was just or proper. Early Christians rejected war; this came from the effort to be more Christ like, the Golden Rule, due unto others as you would have them do to you. Later the Christians could no longer be pacifists; they were going to have to go to war sometime after Constantine became emperor and declared Christianity as the main religion of the time.
The astonishing book, the Wednesday Wars, takes place in Kentucky in the 1960’s during the time of the Vietnam War. Education and social is in a different style then known today and religion played a big part of the people’s lives. The protagonist feels he is different from anyone else because he is the only Presbyterian in his class and on Wednesday's when all the Catholics go to Catechism and the Jews go to Hebrew school he is alone with his English teacher. And he believes for this reason and many untold of his 7th grade English teacher, Mrs.Baker, hates him and his guts. When he addresses this issue to his family his mother assures him that the teacher doesn’t hate him,his father tells him to be good to Mrs. Baker because she was related
Generally, war results from arguments between nations over things like land, power, money, or religion. War over religion contradicts religion itself. In the passage titled “On War”, James Boswell states, “That amiable religion which “proclaims peace on earth,” hath not as yet made war to cease.” If religion proclaims peace on earth, then war goes against those morals.
At some point in everyone's lifetime, a tough choice emerges. The characters in John Marsden’s
Mo Tzu was a well-known Chinese writer, philosopher, military strategist, and the founder of Mohism, a school of thought that preached “universal love, or the love of all human beings” (Austin 253). In Against Offensive Warfare, one of three works written by Tzu in opposition to the civil wars taking place in China, he criticized man’s ability to praise offensive warfare and commend it as righteous, while condemning lesser acts of civil crime and violence and denouncing them as unrighteous. He argued that all acts of offensive warfare and aggression against a fellow human being should be considered unrighteous and that no distinction should be made between the two. As a military strategist, Mo Tzu was no stranger to the atrocities of military conflict and adhered to the belief that war should be avoided unless fought in self-defense. Mo Tzu believed that war was sinful and the immeasurable sacrifice both of lives and resources were a waste that would eventually destroy the world (Osborne). War is a horrible and perilous affair that shatters the lives of millions and rips apart the threads that knit our society together. It separates families and divides countries and leaves only death, disease, and destruction in its wake. While war is always terrible and should be avoided at all costs, sometimes war is necessary to restore order and freedom in a lost and broken world.
“Never think that war, no matter how necessary, nor how justified, is not a crime.” As depicted in the quote by Ernest Hemingway war is a difficult situation in which the traditional boundaries of moral ethics are tested. History is filled with unjust wars and for centuries war was not though in terms of morality. Saint Augustine, however, offered a theory detailing when war is morally permissible. The theory offers moral justifications for war as expressed in jus ad bellum (conditions for going to war) and in jus in bello (conditions within warfare).The theory places restrictions on the causes of war as well as the actions permitted throughout. Within early Christianity, the theory was used to validate crusades as morally permissible avoiding conflict with religious views. Based on the qualifications of the Just War Theory few wars have been deemed as morally acceptable, but none have notably met all the requirements. Throughout the paper I will apply Just War Theory in terms of World War II as well as other wars that depict the ideals presented by Saint Augustine.
If wars were declared, innocent people would be threatened; therefore, some may argue that wars are unfogivable. Given the devil destruction of wars, those conflicts carried on by arms are conditional. Only defensive war should be righteous, but even the defensive war should be considered as the last resort. According to various religious views, though peace is usually the mainstream from different religious perspectives, defensive wars seem to be a moral exception.
The just war theory is described by Thomas Massaro in his book Living Justice as the “principle that warfare might be justified under certain conditions” (108). The complexities involved with international relations makes determining a just war very difficult. Even though historically pacifism hasn’t gained much traction within Catholic circles, it currently is gaining popularity with many mainstream Catholics. With so many differing views on military action, one might ask, “What determines a just war? How can we balance the need for peace with self-defense?” An examination of criteria for a just war and critiques written on this topic might shed light on these two questions.
The Thirty Years War was a series of conflicts, not-knowingly involving most European countries from 1618 to 1648. The war, which was fought mainly in Germany, was started when Bohemian Protestants furiously attacked the Holy Roman Emperor in terms to impose a restriction on their religious and civil liberties. By understanding the Thirty Years War, you will notice the notable religious, political and social changes. The changes paved the religious and political maps of Europe. Not only did this war affect the religious and political demographic, it caused populations to perish and lose large amounts of their goods. What was known as a religious battle, turned out to be a political feud in competition of which state has the greater power affecting men, women, soldiers and civilians. “[The bohemians] had no idea that their violent deed would set off a chain reaction of armed conflict that would last thirty years and later be called Europe’s “first world war” of the modern era.” When the war ended, the lands were defiled and over 5 million people were killed.
War has always been, and will always be, a necessary action perpetrated by man. There are many reasons for war: rage, passion, greed, defense, and religion to name a few. When differences cannot be solved or compromised through mediation with an opposing party, war is the last remaining option. Muslim historian Ibn Khaldun wrote in fourteenth-century Spain, that “War is a universal and inevitable aspect of life, ordained by God to the same extent as the sky and the earth, the heat and the cold. The question of whether to fright is not a significant moral question because fighting is constant; the minor decision not to fight this war will be made only in the context of knowing that another war will present itself soon enough because it is simply always there.” (Peter S. Themes. The Just War)
According to Clausewitz, “war is an instrument of policy”. Political purposes are which should determine the use of the military forces - as conquest, struggle against aggression and survival, territorial and economic achievements, influence on other States, or others. It goes to war to obtain either a better peace to preserve the existing situation before the start of the war. Going to war to extending it endlessly and without prospects for peace is meaningless . Sometimes, to make peace is extremely difficult. Without a doubt, as argues Boff, "all war is perverse because it violates the commandment of natural ethics" .
Every day we are surrounded by stories of war. In fact, we have become so accustomed to it, that we are now entertained by it. Video games, movies, and books filled with heroes who once dominated the battlefields. However it is constantly stated, “no good comes from war.” Even famous songs state “war... what is it good for… absolutely nothing.” But what if war was actually necessary? Throughout history, we see examples of the good things wars have brought. War has freed slaves, modernized medicine, brought down evil empires, and even brought countries together
War has been around for centuries. From the time modern civilizations began, war has played an integral part in human history. It shaped the world into the modern world we live in. War has been said to be a great motivator, for example, the Great Wall of China was built to fend off the attackers from the north. However, the negative aspects of war far outweighs any positive effects it might have. The destruction of civilizations, cities and countries, mass killings of men, woman and children alike, the disastrous effect it has on economy and the after effects of war can last for centuries.