Waiting On The World To Change by John Mayer
Featuring Futura, Tats Cru and Daze. From the album 'Continuum', released September 12, 2006.
Anyway I would like to speak a few words about the Christian notion of Just War in relation to the book Christian Jihad : Two Former Muslims Look At The Crusades and Killing in the Name of Christ (pub. 1904 ) And further I will briefly discuss the authors belief - in my view the mistaken belief - that Bush's invasion & occupation of Iraq meets the standards of the criteria of a " Just War ". Much of what follows has been discussed in more detail with numerous examples in a number of my posts over the last couple of years .
To begin here is the definition of a " Just War " as defined by St. Augustine:
JUST WAR
the most famous and lasting treatment on the subject was by Augustine of Hippo (354-430), arguably the greatest of the Fathers of the Church. In his description of the "just war," Augustine laid out basic principles of conduct:
1. The war is just in intent. There must be a high-minded reason to start the war.
2. The war is just in disposition. Hatred of the enemy is not an ingredient.
3. The war is just in auspices. A lawful authority has declared the war.
4. The war is just in its conduct. The means used are just and non-combatants are spared.
ST.Thomas Aquinas later added a couple more caveats to the notion of a " Just War ":
1. The war is authorized by legitimate authority. That is, on the authority of the sovereign.
2. The cause must be just and the belligerents must have rightful intentions.
3. The war is declared as a last resort, after other means have failed.
4. The means used in the war are just.
5. There is a reasonable chance of success.
6. The good achieved in victory will outweigh the evil produced during the conflict.
For more from St Thomas Aquinas check out his SUMMA THEOLOGICA on line at Christian Classics Etheral Library
And check out interview of Dr. Ergun Caner on the Christian Broadcasting Network :
CHURCH HISTORY
Christian Jihad: The Crusades and Killing in the Name of Christ
By Craig von Buseck
CBN.com Ministries Director
Interview with Dr. Ergun Caner at CBN.COM: one of the Authors of CHRISTIAN JIHAD
In their book " Christian Jihad " Dr. Eugene Caner & Emir Caner two brothers who were brought up as Muslims & became Christians argue that The Christian Crusades & the Inquisition & the rabid anti-semitism of Christians & the forced conversions of various indigenous peoples in the Americas & the slave trade were all unjustifiable actions on the part of Christians. But they claim that Christians need not be pacifists since they can appeal to the Augustinian argument of the so called " Just War "-
Though they seem to forget the Lynchings in southern United States or the ongoing terrorizing of African Americans by the KKK & other White Supremacists or that Segregation continued in the united States up to the late 1960's yes lest we forget the 1960's not the 1860's -
nor do they spend much time speaking about the lack of basic human rights for women in America up until the 1920s & that women were discriminated against up until recent times -
Nor do these authors see a parallel between Islamic fundamentalist & Christian fundamentalist who also wish to turn back the clock a few hundred years when it was OK to stone heretics, witches , pagans , adulterers, fornicators , gays & all so called Sodomites while denying any scientific fact which may contradict the Bible or the irrational beliefs of the Christian community.
so after going through a litany of the horrors & barbarity & cruelty & prejudice of the Christian Churches & of Christians they then argue that though much of what Christians have done was unjustified & went against the teachings of Jesus they then claim that the American led war on Iraq was justified & that the kidnapping & torture of prisoners is OK since it is being done for the right reasons - right cause & right intention - right intention is everything - so if you intend good but commit questionable acts rape, plunder, massacres, torture that's OK your intentions were good- as they say the road to Hell is paved with good intentions-
They gloss over the facts about the reasons given by the Bush Regime for going to war with Iraq- WMDs which no longer existed ; non-compliance with UN inspectors which was not true, that Saddam helped orchestrate 9/11 attack which was not true ; that Saddam presented a threat to America's security which if ever true was no longer the case after the first Persian Gulf War & ten years of crippling unjustified sanctions & that Saddam had no real connection to Al Qeda or Osama Bin Laden or any other terrorist organization -
But the Bush Regime lied about why it was going to invade Iraq which contravenes the principles of a " JUST WAR " -
& there is the question about whether or not George W. Bush was the legally elected president but we shouldn't talk about that because most Neocons & the Religious Right don't care about such legal hair-splitting since in the end Bush became president because God chose him to be or it was his destiny & Americans are told they must support their president no matter what unless he is Bill Clinton or some other liberal- note Hilary Clinton wants to be seen as a true patriot & so was very Hawkish about going to war with Iraq & these days Hilary & other pseudo-liberals want to drop a couple of Nukes on Iran to prove their loyalty to America & to the American version of Christianity-
One of the principles of Just War is that there is a reasonable chance of success but as we see with the recent video of Dick Cheney being interviewed in 1994 he said then that there would be little chance of success if the Saddam & his government were replaced by force that the country might fall apart & the United States would find itself in a hopeless " quagmire " . America would also be seen as acting as an Imperial power if it were to invade Iraq & bring down its government.
The fact is that as the American occupation of Iraq grinds on day after day things have become worse in Iraq rather than better .
It is also a fact on the ground that the majority of the Iraqi people now want the Americans to withdraw .
The majority of the Iraqi people see the government installed by the Americans there as a puppet regime
which is no better than Saddam's regime & is not acting in the interest of the Iraqi people or of the country in the long run but rather are more interested in gaining more power & wealth for themselves. ( Though to be fair isn't this a good description of the Bush Regime in the United States or the Harper Neocon Regime here in Canada )
Another principle of Just War has to do with the rules of engagement in that the invading force is to act with restraint & concern with the populace as a whole & to do as little damage to the infrastructure of the country & to protect the well being of non-combatants .
But the US troops in Iraq have committed numerous atrocities & see no difference between combatants & non-combatants everyone is seen as the enemy .
And when the US military is forced to take actions against Us soldiers accused of misdeeds these soldiers are often acquitted or given small fine or minimal prison sentence & even mush of this is just window dressing to appease certain segments of the American populace since most Americans see no problem with rape, indiscriminate killings , massacres, torture , kidnappings & the use of death squads - one wonders is this just part of the American psyche or its fundamental arrogance & Imperialistic attitude towards most of the various nations, religions, cultures & peoples of the rest of the world - as US soldiers are often quoted as saying " If they screw with us then we will f..k them up " or some other bit of wholesome American wisdom -
So for instance the Us military has used indiscriminate bombing of villages towns & cities in Iraq & has committed acts of retaliation on innocent civilians .
So far the Us has been unable to reconstruct the basic infrastructure of Iraq
IE roads, water & sewage treatment plants, power stations , hospitals , police stations , fire stations, schools, universities,
or to re-establish TV or radio stations -
There is no freedom of speech or freedom of the press in Iraq except for the media which support the US occupation & the puppet regime -
Most of the country is dangerous & deadly for anyone living in Iraq - daily chores become an act of bravery & necessity .
The US military in its ongoing war to terrorize the Iraqi people now wantonly targets Mosques, hospitals & schools
The US military uses illegal weaponry like cluster bombs, Napalm , low grade uranium/ radiation bombs .
It is also true many people in Iraq & around the world question the true motives of the American occupation of Iraq- was it to topple Saddam , to capture terrorist or was it to get at Iraqi's oil fields or just to expand America's presence in the Middle East & to show the world that America is the country that calls the shots from now on -
And it is odd how Caner & Caner like other Christian Apologists & supporters of the Bush Regime do not see the horror & hypocrisy of how the US treats the people of Iraq & those who have been arrested & confined to prisons like Abu Ghraib & Guantanamo & the many secret prisons around the globe run by the USA or their proxies but that we are told is OK because we in the West are Superior to all other nations & what we do we do in the name of the TRUE GOD-
So it goes the history of Christianity has one of ignorance, prejudice, arrogance, racism & one war after another- if there is at times when reason & peace are prevalent it is more likely in spite of Christianity & not because of it - There have been those few exceptions among Christians such as Martin Luther King or Desmond Tutu as for the others they either partake in the madness & bloodshed or applaud it from the sideline or hide in their ignorance worse remain silent in the face of Tyranny & injustice .
( And remember it is not only Christianity which has over the centuries behaved badly but so have other religions at various times but the worst abuses are by those religions which claim that they must convert all of the world to their beliefs & those who refuse are to be subjugated or killed .)
take care,
GORD.
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