There are criteria for a ‘just ‘war which I think certainly should be applied in any context. A ‘just’ war requires that the causes must be serious enough to justify the amount of killing and suffering which a war causes. In 1945 the prospect of the Japanese army fighting to the last man, slaughtering the POW’s they held, both Army and civilian, and creating the possibility of their own civilian population being exposed to the type of saturation bombing which had been experienced in Germany seemed to the Allies a sufficient justification for the use of nuclear weapons. However the criteria also require that ‘the methods used in the war must be morally legitimate’ and in view of the long term consequences that can be seen as doubtful; the criteria also require that ‘it must not result in disproportionate evils to the enemy population to the home population or the international community’. Again, I wonder whether in the light of later events whether this criteria was fulfilled.
However, some Catholics will agree on conventional wars but not
nuclear wars, this is because nuclear wars are never to be justified. Nuclear war can cause innocent deaths in seconds after the explosion while conventional war can be controlled to not kill the innocent. Many Catholics will argue nuclear war can never take place as it is against many evidence from the bible, Matthew 5:38-48, where Jesus mentions how Christians should never being lead into violence and killing innocent people. Another quote from Matthew 26:47-53 is where Jesus told his disciples not to interfere the soldiers from arresting him, because violence should not be acted against with violence, this is taken not only for nuclear wars but
conventional and any violent acts. However, freedom fighters known as
terrorists fight for what they believe in can cause deaths of innocent
people and conventional war is acceptable from Christians in order to
stop it, Mark 11:15-18 said, but nuclear war should not take
place since it is no different form terrorists. In the Romans 12:9-21, it
says that any evil sins and violence should be left to God to be punished rather than using violent to solve it, this means nuclear war and any other type of violent should not take place in any ways. Unilateral disarmament and militarily disarmament can be done to reduce threats of war from each nation to another reducing risk of using violence to solve problems, especially nuclear weapons, which can cause deaths as well as damage to nations.
In conclusion, I think that if conventional war is acceptable or not
acceptable nuclear war should never be allowed anyways, this is
because it causes innocent deaths and too much damage to the victims,
however, if nuclear war is a possibility of ending a conflict
conventional war or any other solution should be considered and used
first, it should be considered like a just war.
Haakam Sandhu
Poetry
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