I'm in Seattle for a couple of days and when I travel I like to catch the local news to see what people have going on in different parts of the country. You can tell a lot about what the people of a region think is important by what's communicated to them. One thing I've noticed that's common to most everywhere I've been is reports of local men and women who are killed in combat. Almost every place has been touched by our current war in some way and the local stories are important to people.
I try not to get too political on this forum, although I'm not sure why. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that I want it to be an opportunity for dialogue (although I have no clue how many people might ever see any of it) and politics is a polarizing topic. We've made it something that mandates rigid choices and denies the opportunity for dialogue. That's a shame, really. Although I do talk a lot about faith and many people want that to be a polarizing topic as well; when what really seperates us is trying to talk about religion. They aren't the same thing.
Back to the war--and what I really want to say about it is also about faith (religion?). So many of the people that I interact with--at my church and at others--have this basic assumption that if you are someone who claims to be an evangelical Christian then you have to be a Republican and that in so doing you have to blindly support whatever comes from the party, and especially this administration (Bush). To them, anyone who does otherwise is not a patriot and just may not even be a Christian.
Here's a couple of clues for those folks. First, Jesus was a peacemaker and he made it a point to specifically tell us that peacemakers will be blessed. Does that mean that I am a pacifist or that I believe that the Bible teaches that all war is wrong? No. But I think we (humans, Christians) better be very careful about how we choose to enter into armed conflict and aggression and how we choose to support such acts. Augustine laid out some very Biblical tenets for evaluating whether or not such actions can be considered "just" and they are just as valid today as when he wrote them several hundred years ago. I'm not going to revisit the theology or the academic treatments of what he wrote, but if you're interested just Google 'Augustine just war criteria" and you'll have enough material to keep you busy for a while.
Part 2 is that our current involvement in Iraq does not meet Augustine's (or anyone else's) criteria for a 'just war'. Over 4000 of our men and women, many of them National Guard and Reserve soldiers, have died on foreign soil since the first attack. The reasons for us being there in no way minimizes their sacrifice. They do what they do in the name of their country, their families, democracy and, in many cases, their faith. I pray for them and their families often. Now that they are in this situation I understand that they need the full support of all of us--most of all their government (which, by the way, hasn't been very forthcoming; especially for the survivors, wounded or otherwise; what does that say about patriotism and motives?). What our being there should do, especially for Christians and especially under the circumstances (hidden agendas, lies, profiteering), is demand that we ask why. We should ask it again and again and again until we get a real answer and not a truck load of political BS and excuses.
If you read this and it pisses you off then do me a favor before you comment--read about just war, read about what happened leading up to our invasion and think about it for a while for yourself. Don't write and recite what your pastor or somebody else told you was the truth. Figure it out for yourself. If you still disagree with me--that's cool. Let's have a dialogue about it, not an argument. I've learned the hard way that I'm not always right, but I've also learned that it's OK for us to disagree and that we can talk about things and still be friends, still respect each other. And I've also learned that the church is not always right, even though getting it to admit such a thing is harder than juggling chain saws. If you don't believe me just read the post from last night about WBC in Topeka--especially what they say about why our troops are dying in Iraq. That's something you should really be pissed about.
Whether you are for the war or against it, I think we can all agree that peace is better. Pray for it and pray for our kids' safety while we wait for it.
Mike
Showing posts with label Just war. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Just war. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Friday, December 28, 2007
Ten Lessons for Understanding and Surviving War--Especially for People of Faith
The following 10 points were put forth by Jim Wallis shortly after the war with Iraq began and are included in his book, God's Politics, on pages 120-123. If these things make you mad because you think Bush is infallible then I recommend you read the whole book. If you are still mad for the same reason, I suggest you read the Gospels--pay special attention to the red parts. If you will read them with an open mind you will see that they have proven to be quite prophetic.
1. Nobody should be surprised that a vastly superior American fighting force will vanquish a vastly inferior Iraqi army. But one of America's worst characteristics is hoping that success wipes away all the moral questions. In the long run, it won't. War is always ugly, and this one was too.
2. There are many more civilian casualties in modern warfare than military casualties. Smart bombs are never as perfect as boasted, and not all Iraqis may want to be "liberated" by an American occupation. Above all, we must remember that "collateral damage" is never collateral to the families and loved ones of those killed in war. Don't accept the first reports on casualties from governments (on either side) or "embedded" journalists--many of whom now sound more like cheerleaders than reporters. Be sure that technology does not ultimately usurp theology or morality. Find alternative sources for information. Watch and wait for the real story.
3. Humanitarian aid must never be co-opted by the military. Instead it is the painful task to be taken on after the destruction caused by war. Many predict that the aftermath of this war could be far more dangerous and costly, in human terms, than the military campaign. Listen to the non-governmental relief organizations as we move forward.
4. If an evil, dangerous and unpopular regime does collapse quickly, that is not an endorsement of war as the answer, but a sign that a better way to resolve the threat might well have been possible. The best wisdom of most church leaders, Nobel Peace Prize laureates, and a majority of international political figures and diplomats around the world was that alternatives to a full-scale military assault on Iraq were not adequately tested. This was not a war of last resort.
5. A preemptive war of choice, rather than of necessity, fought against over-whelming world opinion and without approval by the United Nations, will not create an atmosphere of cooperation for postwar reconstruction or, most significantly, for the crucial international collaboration needed to defeat the real threats of terrorism.
6. A new world order based on unilateral rather than multilateral action, military power rather than international law, and the sole decisions of the world's last remaining superpower over the deliberations of the community of nations will not create a framework the world can or should trust for peace.
7. Unresolved injustice--such as the Israeli-Pakistanian conflict, feudal Arab regimes protected by oil and globalization policies that systematically give advantage to wealthy nations over poor countries and people--remains a root cause of violence and will not be overcome by the imposition of American military superiority.
8. Dissent in a time of war is not only Christian, it is also patriotic. A long and honorable record of opposition to war in church tradition and American history puts dissent in the mainstream of Christian life and American citizenship. Rather than acquiesce to war, prayerful and thoughtful dissent is more important than ever.
9. The churches have demonstrated the most remarkable unity in our history in opposition to war, even before the war with Iraq started. The American churches didn't just say not to war, but offered compelling and credible alternatives. These alternatives were seriously considered by many political leaders around the world, but not by our own government. An American president who increasingly uses the language of Christian faith refused even to meet with American church leaders for discussion and prayer as he made momentous decisions to go to war. The American churches are now in deep solidarity with the worldwide body of Christ and may have to choose between their Christian alliances and the demands and policies of their own government. We must learn to be Christians first and Americans second.
10. The onset of war with Iraq does not demonstrate the failure of the peace movement, but rather the failure of democracy. Tens of millions of people around the world have become engaged in active citizenship against the policies of preemptive war for resolving the greatest threats to peace and security. It is time to build on that movement, rather than withdraw from collective action. We must learn the differences between grief and despair, between lamenting and languishing, between hope and hostility. We are stronger now, not weaker. Our action has just begun.
1. Nobody should be surprised that a vastly superior American fighting force will vanquish a vastly inferior Iraqi army. But one of America's worst characteristics is hoping that success wipes away all the moral questions. In the long run, it won't. War is always ugly, and this one was too.
2. There are many more civilian casualties in modern warfare than military casualties. Smart bombs are never as perfect as boasted, and not all Iraqis may want to be "liberated" by an American occupation. Above all, we must remember that "collateral damage" is never collateral to the families and loved ones of those killed in war. Don't accept the first reports on casualties from governments (on either side) or "embedded" journalists--many of whom now sound more like cheerleaders than reporters. Be sure that technology does not ultimately usurp theology or morality. Find alternative sources for information. Watch and wait for the real story.
3. Humanitarian aid must never be co-opted by the military. Instead it is the painful task to be taken on after the destruction caused by war. Many predict that the aftermath of this war could be far more dangerous and costly, in human terms, than the military campaign. Listen to the non-governmental relief organizations as we move forward.
4. If an evil, dangerous and unpopular regime does collapse quickly, that is not an endorsement of war as the answer, but a sign that a better way to resolve the threat might well have been possible. The best wisdom of most church leaders, Nobel Peace Prize laureates, and a majority of international political figures and diplomats around the world was that alternatives to a full-scale military assault on Iraq were not adequately tested. This was not a war of last resort.
5. A preemptive war of choice, rather than of necessity, fought against over-whelming world opinion and without approval by the United Nations, will not create an atmosphere of cooperation for postwar reconstruction or, most significantly, for the crucial international collaboration needed to defeat the real threats of terrorism.
6. A new world order based on unilateral rather than multilateral action, military power rather than international law, and the sole decisions of the world's last remaining superpower over the deliberations of the community of nations will not create a framework the world can or should trust for peace.
7. Unresolved injustice--such as the Israeli-Pakistanian conflict, feudal Arab regimes protected by oil and globalization policies that systematically give advantage to wealthy nations over poor countries and people--remains a root cause of violence and will not be overcome by the imposition of American military superiority.
8. Dissent in a time of war is not only Christian, it is also patriotic. A long and honorable record of opposition to war in church tradition and American history puts dissent in the mainstream of Christian life and American citizenship. Rather than acquiesce to war, prayerful and thoughtful dissent is more important than ever.
9. The churches have demonstrated the most remarkable unity in our history in opposition to war, even before the war with Iraq started. The American churches didn't just say not to war, but offered compelling and credible alternatives. These alternatives were seriously considered by many political leaders around the world, but not by our own government. An American president who increasingly uses the language of Christian faith refused even to meet with American church leaders for discussion and prayer as he made momentous decisions to go to war. The American churches are now in deep solidarity with the worldwide body of Christ and may have to choose between their Christian alliances and the demands and policies of their own government. We must learn to be Christians first and Americans second.
10. The onset of war with Iraq does not demonstrate the failure of the peace movement, but rather the failure of democracy. Tens of millions of people around the world have become engaged in active citizenship against the policies of preemptive war for resolving the greatest threats to peace and security. It is time to build on that movement, rather than withdraw from collective action. We must learn the differences between grief and despair, between lamenting and languishing, between hope and hostility. We are stronger now, not weaker. Our action has just begun.
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