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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | Is war biblical? | John 18:36 | Churon | 153129 | ||
Is war biblical? First off: Probably it seems ridiculous to you but I've been thinking about this topic for almost a year now and I'm still looking for statisfying answers. So please look into this thread again if you answer it in case new questions or arguments come up. Once again the basic question: Is war or violence in general biblical under any circumstances? I came to the conclusion that it is not, but in the USA almost all Christians vote for the Republicans (War in Iraq) and also my former church believed that war and violence are biblical under certain circumstances. Hopefully somebody will be able to help me in this forum..... |
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2 | Is war biblical? | John 18:36 | DocTrinsograce | 153130 | ||
Hi, Churon... Orthodox Christianity in general and Reformed Christianity in particular embrace what is called the "Jus ad Bellum" (Law to War, or what might be more familiar, the just war theory). You can find it defined in a secular sense at http://www.iep.utm.edu/j/justwar.htm St. Augustine carefully considered this question many centuries ago, and his thoughts form the basis of most modern deliberation. I've included his major tenets below. In Him, Doc 1. A just war can only be waged as a last resort. All non-violent options must be exhausted before the use of force can be justified. 2. A war is just only if it is waged by a legitimate authority. Even just causes cannot be served by actions taken by individuals or groups who do not constitute an authority sanctioned by whatever the society and outsiders to the society deem legitimate. Romans 13:4: "for it (civil government) does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil." 3. A just war can only be fought to redress a wrong suffered. For example, self-defense against an armed attack is always considered to be a just cause (although the justice of the cause is not sufficient --see point #4). Further, a just war can only be fought with "right" intentions: the only permissible objective of a just war is to redress the injury. Augustine says "A just war is apt to be described as one that avenges wrongs, when a nation or state has to be punished, for refusing to make amends for the wrongs inflicted by its subjects, or to restore what has been seized unjustly." 4. A war can only be just if it is fought with a reasonable chance of success. Deaths and injury incurred in a hopeless cause are not morally justifiable. 5. The ultimate goal of a just war is to re-establish peace. More specifically, the peace established after the war must be preferable to the peace that would have prevailed if the war had not been fought. Hence Augustine says, "True religion looks upon as peaceful those wars that are waged not for motives of aggrandizement, or cruelty, but with the object of securing peace, of punishing evil-doers, and of uplifting the good." 5. The violence used in the war must be proportional to the injury suffered. States are prohibited from using force not necessary to attain the limited objective of addressing the injury suffered. 6. The weapons used in war must discriminate between combatants and non-combatants. Civilians are never permissible targets of war, and every effort must be taken to avoid killing civilians. The deaths of civilians are justified only if they are unavoidable victims of a deliberate attack on a military target. |
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3 | Is war biblical? | John 18:36 | Tamara Brewington | 203881 | ||
Say Doc, I already had a grasp of the criteria from the Reformed position on the "just war" concept. I wanted to see some scriptures other than that of Hebrews which might suppport their position. And the reason is these men of faith in Hebrews were engaging on war at God's command. I can see the concept of there being "just wars" in the OT because God commanded it. But I am trying to find out what is the scriptural basis for a "just war", or whether these theologians just extrapolated the idea based on their observations of the unjustness of tryanical rule... Help me out Doc! Thanks Tamara | ||||||
4 | Is war biblical? | John 18:36 | DocTrinsograce | 203894 | ||
Hi, Tamara... This is why people call it the just war theory. These are principles drawn from Scripture, but they do not consist in explicit commands. We know, for example, from Romans 13 that God grants authority to the state to take the lives of wrongdoers. However, we are not given precise parameters for how and when this is to be carried out. Over time, the Christian world has debated this question, adjusting their behavior accordingly. We've adjusted the means of administering death and the circumstances. Sometimes we've done that in an effort to better implement the principles of the Word. Sometimes we've done it contrary to the principles of the Word. One idea that has been kicked about by theologians for a long time, is the interpretation of Romans 13. We know from that passage that states are to punish evil deeds and reward good deeds. But what happens when a state punishes good deeds and rewards evil deeds? If the state operates under the auspices of the Lord in the former case, do they still operate by His authority in the latter? These questions are still open to debate, because the Scripture simply doesn't give us a clear answer. In Him, Doc |
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5 | Is war biblical? | John 18:36 | lionheart | 203896 | ||
Doc, This is one of rhe best responces to this question I've seen in a very long time. Thank you brother. I don't know how many times over the years while I was in the Navy that I would hear that I could not be a Christian and be in the military. They were right about one thing though. I wasn't a Christian, but not because I was in the military. I had just fooled myself into thinking I was. Doc I'm curious though, is this a subject that Spurgeon deals with in any depth. Again thanx brother. In Him, lionheart |
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6 | Is war biblical? | John 18:36 | DocTrinsograce | 203900 | ||
Dear Lionheart, You asked, "...is this a subject that Spurgeon deals with in any depth." Not to my knowledge. By Spurgeon's day, the notion of covenant nations had finally been abandoned. Much changed in 250 years. We have a lot to be proud of in that time period, as well as a lot for which we should be ashamed. Sometimes things were done wisely, but sometimes things were done in a less considered fashion. The question of how to administer violence in appropriate and controlled doses tends to come up in the last hundred years, at least in America, when war is in the offing. Frankly, I think it is a good thing to discuss. A knee jerk jingoist is little better than a knee jerk rebel! Our faith teaches us to carefully think things through. As technologies and circumstances change, it is good and right to carefully reflect on how we live and what we do, individually and collectively. In Him, Doc |
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7 | Is war biblical? | John 18:36 | lionheart | 203901 | ||
Doc, Thanx brother. This is really appreciated. I wish more people would approach things in this manner. In Him lionheart |
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8 | Is war biblical? | John 18:36 | DocTrinsograce | 203904 | ||
Hi, Lionheart... I'm no better than anyone else. I just am willing to read the history and theology of a bunch of dead guys. We're a simple-minded, shallow society. It takes a lot of work to wade through what those guys went through and preached. Most people don't even know their names! Truth is, the Holy Spirit has been bringing light through the Word to the church for a lot of centuries. Satan knows, though, that if you keep a people ignorant of the past, their own prideful hearts will cause them to think that they are the pinnacle of wisdom and knowledge (Ephesians 4:11-18)... note particularly that Christ gave us all those dead guys specifically so that we'd not walk with darkened minds. In Him, Doc |
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9 | Is war biblical? | John 18:36 | lionheart | 203908 | ||
Doc, But you do what allot of people dom't or won't do. You take the time to dig in the Word and do the leg work and that my friend does make a difference. In Him, lionheart |
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