The concept of a 'just war'

In the 13th century, Thomas Aquinas, a Christian Monk, drew up some conditions for Just War, basing his ideas on Augustine’s beliefs from the 4th Century. Aquinas laid down three conditions that have to be met for a war to be considered ‘just’; the war must be started and controlled by the authority of the state or ruler (e.g. president), there must be a just cause; those attacked must deserve it, and the war must be fought to promote good or avoid evil, which was the motive behind the ongoing Iraq ‘war’; peace and justice must be restored afterwards. Furthermore, other Christians have since added three more conditions; the war must be the last resort; all other possible ways of solving the problem have been tried, there must be proportionality in the way the war is fought, e.g. innocent civilians should not be killed and only enough force should be used as it needed to achieve victory, and the good gained by victory must be greater than the evil which led to war, like in World War II.

It has to be said that the concept of a ‘just war’ is an ancient concept, and I believe that no war can be morally ‘just’ as in all situations people will die. Although, it can be said that in certain situations going to war may be the lesser of two evils, especially when an aggressor is involved. Sometimes war can be the only realistic way of dealing with a situation e.g. the Nazi’s in WW2, so in this case war is just. A total pacifist, possibly a partial pacifist also, would argue that war is wrong in all situations as it is a waste of resources given by God, a cause of immense suffering of innocent people and it encourages greed, hatred and prejudice. In response to this, someone may argue that if war is not started then even more people would die, and even more suffering would occur. They argue that going to war can sometimes be a ‘necessary evil’ and a number of Christians believe that under certain circumstances, it is morally acceptable for a Christian to fight in a war. Jesus himself was quoted in the bible as saying “Love they neighbour as thyself.” Interpreting this, you could argue that it is right to go to war if you are defending another country against the evils of an aggressor. However, Jesus also says “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,” which is certainly not encouraging people to use violence to settle disputes.

Islam adopts strict conditions that must be met before a war can be justified. These conditions are very similar to those originally proposed by Thomas Aquinas in the 13th century, and the Qur’an states that Islam allows war in self-defence to defend Islam and to protect those who have been threatened because they are Muslim and to protect the innocent who are being oppressed.

I believe that World War II was a just war, as it seems to meet all of the criteria. Someone in power started it, Germany was attacked for its actions towards other countries, the war ...

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I believe that World War II was a just war, as it seems to meet all of the criteria. Someone in power started it, Germany was attacked for its actions towards other countries, the war was fought with the right intention and it was a last resort.

There are a number of instances where people are prepared to die for their faith, such as suicide bombers. If someone went to War, there is a strong chance they are going to die. And one of the main reasons someone goes to war is that they are prepared to die for their country. So if someone is prepared to die for their country, then they probably will be prepared to die for their religious belief. Most religious believers see God as the creator of their human life and the creator of humanity. For example, most Muslims dedicate their whole life around God and to be a good Muslim you must believe that their God, in this case Allah, gave them life. Therefore as Allah gave them their life, they can sacrifice or prepare to lose it in fighting in a War. So if someone from a religious culture, who has strong beliefs for this culture as well, will surely be prepared to die for this culture. Most religious followers normally think that if they sacrifice there life for their religious culture or tradition, then they will get a better after life with God. For example, in the Islamic book the Qur’an, it states, “Those who readily fight in the cause of God are those who forsake this world in favour of the Hereafter. Whoever fights in the cause of God, then gets killed or attains victory, we will surely grant him a great recompense”

This statement prompts many Muslims to believe in the idea of ‘dying in the name of Allah.’ In the cases of suicide bombers and Muslims fighting in so-called Jihads, holy wars, they believe they have God on their side. The Qur’an states that a Jihad is permissible when all other ways of settling a dispute has failed or people are not allowed to practice their beliefs freely. Another case of holy war is the situation in Northern Ireland, with Catholics and Protestants fighting. They also believe they have God on their side, and they take heart from the fact that Jesus himself died for his beliefs. The one famous example of a Martyr, someone prepared to die for their faith, is Thomas More. More is remembered as the counsellor who clashed with , refused to acknowledge the king's supremacy over the church, and was finally imprisoned and beheaded.

To summarise, a person from a religious tradition such as Islam or Christianity might be prepared to die for their beliefs, due to the fact that they all believe they have God on their side in their so-called Holy Wars and therefore believe what they are doing is the right thing, even if this means blowing themselves up.

I disagree with the statement ‘Pacifism is just an excuse for being a coward.’ There are two types of pacifists; total pacifists, who believe that violence must not be used under any circumstances, and partial pacifists, who believe that violence can only be used in cases of self-defence against an aggressor. A pacifist would argue that war is a waste of resources given by God, a cause of immense suffering, including suffering of innocent people and they believe that war encourages greed, hatred and prejudice. A Pacifist is someone believes that violence is not the right way of solving problems; this doesn’t mean that they are a coward. Many Christians believe that if other Christians go to war, then it sometimes contradicts with Jesus’ teachings in the Gospel. There are many arguments stating that Jesus was a pacifist himself and in the New Testament it states that Jesus’ message is a Pacifist one. Throughout the Bible, Jesus shows he is a Pacifist by not retaliating and shows he isn’t a hateful person; “Blessed are the peacemakers,” “Love your enemies and pray for those who prosecute you.” Also in the bible, in the Ten Commandments, murder is forbidden, and in war murder is certain to happen.

There are a number of well-known pacifists that have proved the idea of pacifism to be more effective. Not only was Jesus a pacifist, but people like Mahatma Gandhi have shown pacifism to be more dignified and honourable. Pacifists believe that talking, exploring situations, peace protests and empathy are much more successful ways of solving problems, than going to war. If there were more pacifists in the World, then it would be much more of an easier way of obtaining World Peace.

However, there are also arguments that suggest violence may be needed in certain situations, such as where an aggressor is involved. Violence may be considered to be a necessary evil, or even the lesser of two evils. If you are a strong believer of a religion then you may say that if you do not go to war or do not believe in war then you aren’t prepared to sacrifice your life for God. Some people may see this as being a coward and going against fighting a greater good. Many Muslims or religious believers think that a good way of dying is by sacrificing your life for God as it will give a better life in the ‘after life’.

I personally believe that war is destructive, murderous and unnecessary, but in certain situations where the good gained by victory would far outweigh the evil of war, I believe that violence may be used. Sometimes war is the only way of solving problems and some religious followers think that when fighting in a War they are doing for a right reason and are fighting for their own beliefs and their own God. However, I believe that the statement is unfair and certain pacifists are only trying to do right and in religions such as Christianity, Christian Pacifists are only trying to be more like Jesus. To conclude, I disagree with the statement about pacifism being an excuse for being a coward.

By Josh Levy