just war

Byrd. In his book Byrd analysis how the ministers during the period of the Revolution, the use of key scriptures to install and the sense that this war was to be fought under divine providence. Byrd used a large amount of wartime sources, and biblical citation, to address how these sacred scriptures were used to lead to this sacred war. The American Revolution. Paine understanding how the cause of patriotism would need” a dose This is a book review of Sacred Scripture, Sacred War, written by James P. Byrd.

Theory of War The Theory of War is an ideology of what is acceptable in the context of war which covers aspects of war including reasonable cause, treatment of prisoners, what kind of tactics are aloud, and so. All of these are split in to two different categories; with one being the right to go to war, and the conduct of war. Many influences of the Theory of War include many Christian ideals which can reflect religions impact on the world. Some of the first known ideas that relate to the Theory of War date back to 400 BCE with the Mahabrarata, an Indian epic which doesn't directly establish war theory but lays down some of the principles of war theory in concern with how war should be conducted. In the epic there is a talk amongst a bunch of brothers who contemplate if war is ever justified.

The Christian majority seem to have bought into the myth that making war, like the rest of foreign policy, is not a moral issue, just a matter of fact. Faith requires Christians to determine when, and under what conditions, they may participate in the war making process. Christians strive for peace but realize in certain extreme cases that war may be a necessary evil to rectify certain situations and this can be shown through the current situation with Iraq. Unfortunately, at this point in time war appears to be inevitable with Iraq. The United States has done everything in its power to communicate with Iraq and discuss negotiations as well as trying to get Iraq to disarm.

Many times we can’t pin down the precise reason as to why wars are caused, but we can say as to why we choose to fight. We fight to defend what we believe in. Many would say that war is not caused by religion, but what exactly is religion? Religion is “Something one believes in and follows devotedly; a matter of ethics or conscience.” (dictionary) Although many things cause war, one cannot discount the role religion plays in the cause of war. According to Prominent US Catholic theologian Dr. William Cavanaugh “If one tries to limit the definition of religion to belief in God or gods, then certain belief systems that are usually called “religions” are eliminated, such as Theravada, Buddhism, and Confucianism.

As Caputo puts it, “The only just war is the war against war” (Caputo pg#). Additionally, Caputo keeps mentioning this idea of a ‘just war’ being justified as a lesser evil, but that does not make it just, so to speak. Caputo argues that if Jesus were to be considered a political thinker then Jesus would be a pacifist, as depicted in the New Testament. This means that under no circumstances would war be considered as an option to Jesus. Rather, every conflict would be settled through peaceful negotiations.

Crusading, much like Imperialism in the 20th century, was all about expansion. During the middle ages however, it was more about the expansion of religion rather then power, or at least that’s the way it was preached. Crusading by definition is; “ a holy war authorized by the pope, who proclaimed it in the name of god of Christ. It was believed to be Christ’s own enterprise, legitimized by his personal mandate” (1). This essay examines the background of the crusades to offer a better understanding as to why they occurred.

Radical Islam: Medieval Theology and Modern Politics. Enlarged Edition. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2001 Spencer, H. Islam and the Gospel of God: A Comparison of the Central Doctrines of Christianity and Islam, Prepared for the Use of Christian Workers Among Muslims. Delhi, India: S.P.C.K., 1998 Stott, John R. & Coote, Robert, editors. Down to Earth: Studies in Christianity and Culture.

In Hermann Häring’s, Religion as a Source of Violence: Overcoming Violence in the Name of Religion (Christianity and Islam) and Working Hard to Overcome Violence in the Name of Religion, he focuses on the notion of violence in the name of religion and the role of religion in the name of peace. All religions know violence and killing are unacceptable, but when religion is questioned or disputed, violence is used as a means to protect ones authenticity or credibility. Violence is no longer an acceptable means to reconcile conflict. The use of non-violent tactics, communication, and formal steps to settle conflicts should be enforced to overcome violence and show reconciliation for past conflicts to create solidarity and trust amongst different religions. Hermann Häring’s argues that religion only leads to violence when it is combined with other factors.

The goal of this paper is to explain this subject to someone unfamiliar with this subject. 1 Thesis The thesis of this paper is that the classical just war doctrine hammered out from Scripture by the early Fathers, organized by Thomas Aquinas and honed by the Reformers, offers a cogent answer to the question of whether violence can ever be virtuous, and stands opposed to liberal pacifism and the moral realist theories. Just war doctrine teaches that self-defense is rooted in the character of God, the God who hates evil and who restrains evildoers, often through the hands of His children. The Subject Until recently, traditional Christian teaching in all its major branches has held that violence can be worthy of Christian support when certain criteria are met (jus ad bellum). This theory is known as “just war” ethics.

There are also some groups that may believe the same basic definition of Jihad, but interpret it or apply it drastically differently within their own religion. There are two better known or accepted definitions of which Muslims refer to as the “greater Jihad,” and the “lesser Jihad.” “Greater Jihad” is defined as the internal spiritual struggle of one’s self in submission to Allah, the struggle of moral reformation, and converting others to Islam; while the “lesser Jihad” is considered the external, physical endeavor of an Islamic obligation to take up arms against the nonbeliever infidels in defense of the faith against tyranny and persecution. In the Sunni’s historical belief of the “greater Jihad,” Mohammed is thought to have told his followers returning home from war that they had, “returned from the lesser jihad of struggle against non-Muslims to a greater jihad of struggle against lust,” per Menhab Khans’ article on Modern Gangha. This is believed to be the first time the “lesser jihad” and the "greater jihad" had been differentiated. According to John Heit, the “greater jihad” is also then further divided into three types of internal struggle: “One, Jihad of the Heart (the struggle for moral reformation and faith); two, Jihad of the Tongue (the struggle to proclaim God's word abroad; right ... ... middle of paper ... ...hese young men found solace and inspiration in the works of the Iraqi Muslim Brother Muhammad Ahmad al-Rashid; who demonstrated a sensible mind toward political action, but also stated that jihad with the sword- the way of the true Muslim-was inevitable.