www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall Criteria For A Just War

Shlomo Lkhoon,
Below are the Criteria for Christians to wage war. How many here agree with each point.

Poosh BaShlomo,
Yuhannon

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The just war theory, developed over millennia by Jews and then
Christians, has a list of criteria for armed conflict to be
considered just:

� Just cause: War is justified only to resist aggression.

� Just intent: The only acceptable motive must be to secure justice
and peace. Revenge, conquest and economic benefit are insufficient
motives.

� Last resort: War is legitimate only when other means of solving the
problem have been exhausted.

� Legitimate authority: Only legitimate governments can wage war or
military actions.

� Limited goals: Total destruction of the enemy is not allowed, if
the goal is peace.

� Proportionality: Is the war's affect in proportion to the goals of
the war?

� Noncombatants: No one has the right to make war on civilians.

Yuhannon,
We had a discussion of the "Just War" thing awhile ago during one of our bible studies or it might have been during our Lenten discussions.

Our pastor commented that the Just War idea is foreign to eastern thought.

He stated that a soldier returning from a war, just or not, had to confess any "killing" he had done as it was still considered murder. That he must perform a penance and that he was proscribed from receiveing the Eucharist for a set time.

David

Shlomo Yuhannon,

Legitimate authority: Only legitimate governments can wage war or
military actions.

That would imply that a "just war' is the prerogative of the state.

What is a "legitimate' government and who makes that decision if it is legitimate? Is it the diplomatic and recognition by other states that makes ones government legitimate? If that is the case then that would mean that the Nazi state, up until the war, was a legitimate government. It hosted the Olympics for crying out loud! That would also deem the heroic resistance struggle waged by the underground (and many times anti-Zionist) Jewish fighters as "illegitimate.' This would mean that freedom struggles waged by stateless oppressed people today (Palestinians, Kurds, etc.) are illegitimate because they do not have a "legitimate' government. Of course they don't; thanks to the oppressor they don't even have a country!

These are some of the problems with such a document.

Brian,

a soldier returning from a war, just or not, had to confess any "killing" he had done as it was still considered murder.

It is not my intention to contradict your particular tradition but it IS your particular tradition.

Surely defense of ones country is not a sin. When Italy tried to colonize Ethiopia the first time (in 1896, not Mussolini's later attempt) there was a serious series of battles. At the main one, Adwa, that saw the ultimate defeat of Italy we believe that St. George himself came to Ethiopia's assistance on the battlefield. St. George's Tabot (miniature Ark of the Covenant) and Holy Mother Mary's Tabot were both brought to the battlefield. Our Icons show St. George coming out of the sky on his horse to slay the Italians. Colonialism is demonic and no one ever has to accept it. Nor does anyone have to apologize or confess for casting out demons.

It's best to just go on instincts. When you get hit the first time turn your other cheek, when you run out of cheeks to get hit go find your sword!