This Week - The World - Just war
With the Chilcot Enquiry continuing to gather evidence, what might be a Christian view of the rights and wrongs of going to war? You may like to reflect on what you read below and ask what God speaks to you. David Pickering
There are two strong traditions, that of pacifism and that of the Just War. A war considered to be 'just' (as in justifiable) must meet all seven of the following conditions:
1. Just cause – that the reason to go to war is just, that innocent life is in imminent danger and intervention is motivated to protect life
2. Comparative justice – accepting rights and wrongs on all sides, the use of force can only be justified if the suffering involved in taking action is significantly less
3. Legitimate Authority - the war must be lawfully declared by a lawful authority.
4. Right intention - the intention behind the war must be good, correcting a suffered wrong is acceptable, making a material gain or maintaining an economy is not.
5. Last resort - all other ways of resolving the problem should have been tried first.
6. Probability of success - there must be a reasonable chance of success.
7. Proportionality - the means used must be in proportion to the end that the war seeks to achieve.
In contrast, pacifism embraces both the advocacy of personal non-participation in war and in seeking non-violent ways to resolve conflict. A poem that reflects an aspect of the pacifist tradition is by G A Studdert-Kennedy, so-called Woodbine Willie, an Army Chaplain to WW1 Troops in the trenches who gained his tag by giving cigarettes to soldiers.
Waste
Waste of muscle, waste of brain
Waste of patience, waste of pain
Waste of manhood, waste of health
Waste of beauty, waste of wealth
Waste of blood and waste of tears
Waste of youth's most precious years
Waste of ways the Saints have trod
Waste of glory · Waste of God
War!
G.A Studdert-Kennedy
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