All Saints Podcast
Bonus: Just War
Pastor Steve Jeffery talks about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its relation to just war theory.
- Such things are complex
- We don’t want to be ignorant of the history of conflict in the region
- “Dulce et Decorum Est” by Wilfrid Owen
- War is horrific, and ought not to be engaged in except under very specific circumstances
- This is the position of the Christian church across denominations
- This is not always a good guys-bad guys situation
- When is it right to go to war, and how ought it to be conducted?
- When is it right to go to war?
- Immediate cause must be just
- Unprovoked attacks are right out
- Goal must be to establish peace
- Must be declared by a properly-constituted government by proper declaration
- Must have a reasonable probability of success
- Must be proportional to the harms avoided by going to war
- Immediate cause must be just
- How ought it to be conducted?
- Minimize cost and end war quickly
- Weapons and tactics must distinguish between combatants and civilians
- Weapons and tactics must be proportional to the immediate threat
- Any action must be necessary to help in the defeat of an enemy (No stealing stuff and no government building)
- POWs must be treated fairly (No mistreatment, no attacking surrendering enemies)
- No means that are evil of themselves are to be used (No rape/torture of anybody, ever, no use of weapons that are disproportionately horrible, no forcing enemy prisoners of war to fight their fellows)
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