Is there such a thing as a just war? Some people will say no. They say that every war is bad. But, I say that a war fought for the right reasons is perfectly fine. War may be a terrible thing, but war is necessary for safety. In a fallen world, everyone is sinful. Since everyone is sinful, you need to protect yourself, and war is the only way. War is the only war to protect good people from sinful people. Sinful people won’t care about the other person, so there will always be war. But, there is a way to fight a good war, a just war. There is a just war because of the definition of a just war, all the good things that come from war, and the fact that the bible tells us about just war.
A just war is war fought for a good cause (“What is a Just War?”). An example of a good cause would be, getting attacked or knowledge of a coming attack (“Principle of a just war.”). War must also be the last resort, the countries must have tries to resolve their conflict every other war first (“What is a Just War?”). Another
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But, it is also a very necessary thing. War is a result of sin, and in our fallen world, we have more than enough sin to go around. Not all war is a bad thing, however. A just war is a war fought for a good reason. A just war is the best possible war that could happen. While it is still traumatic and terrible, a just war has a purpose and shouldn’t be as deadly or expensive as an unjust war. Also, war has multiple benefits that make it worth fighting. People back home receive a better economy and more jobs. And even the bible allows for war. God uses wars to stop sinful people from hurting the innocent. God even allows for governments to use war at their disposal, as long as it is just. War is awful, but it is not going away. So, we have to work with what we have. You can not say all wars are bad, you have to deal with the fact that they exist. A just war is possible, because a war fought for a good purpose, is a war worth
Just war encourages peace for all people and indicates that even though it isn’t the best solution, it is still required. Everyone has the duty to stop a potentially fatal or unjust attack against someone else, even if it meant using violence against the attacker. Plus, all states have some important rights that must not be violated by either people or states, so when they’re violated or potentially getting violated, that state is entitled to defend itself through whatever means necessary. Also, the state that did the violating lost their privilege to not have their own rights violated through means of violence. Therefore, just war is ethically permissible.
There is also a confusing aspect in all of this, as Jesus states quite clearly in Matthew 5 that we should love our enemies and there seems to be many examples of God against war and violence. Yet, throughout the Old Testament, there are numerous examples of God supporting acts of extreme violence and destruction, seeming contradictory. Some would say that the Just War Theory is the best way to make sure that the war is as moral as possible and that they can justify this by referring to the Bible where we see that Jesus teaches us that we should fight against evil, “I came not to bring peace, but a sword”. It is our duty to obey the lawful authorities because they have been put there by God. If these
War can be defined as “an active struggle between competing entities. It’s truly hard to tell who is right or wrong during a war. Both sides are fighting for what they believe in and what is true to their heart. In the end there is always two things promised – destruction and death. These two objects can explain the result in every facet of war from the physical to emotional.
Another principle of just war is reasonable chance of success, these principle advices nations not to resort to war when they see the results will be futile. For example if a small nation is attacked by a greater nation, it should not opt to go to war since it has no chance of success. Such a nation needs to do nothing and hope to make use of diplomatic resolution in the future.
The legitimate defense of a nation and the responsibility of the Security Council to take actions in the course of maintaining peace within its areas of influence. With the establishment of United Nations and the modernization of war and its materials; the theories and doctrines of the past also needed to evolve. The modern Just war theory in composed of two principles: jus ad bellum, the right to conduct war, and jus in bello, the correct conduct within war. Each principle also has its own set of criteria to follow. Jus ad bellum contains six: Just cause, right intention, proper authority and public declaration, last resort, probability of success, and proportionality. (Orend, 2006)
The just war theory has a long history. Parts of the Bible hint at ethical behavior in war and concepts of just cause, announcing the justice of war by divine intervention.
According to the Just War theory, just war is separated into two domains. First is the motivation behind entering war, and second is the means used during warfare (Hu, 2). The first judgment signifies justice of war, or jus ad bellum that evaluates the terms of a just versus unjust war. The second signifies justice in war, or jus in bello, which essentially measures whether or not the ends justify the means. The relationship between jus ad bellum and jus in bello are independent of each other, meaning that even if the war passes the judgment of one area, it does not imply justification for the other
Typically, theories of what contitutes a just war include several different criteria. These can be split into categories: those concerned with becoming involved in the war and those that are concerned with actions during the war. More recently there has been the added consideration of what is done following the war (how the triumphant nation treats its opponents once they've been beaten.) (Wikipedia)
The question "Can war be justified?" plagued mankind since the first war. The Just War Theory holds that war can be just. The theory has evolved for thousands of years and modern theorists, such as Michael Walzer, author of Just and Unjust Wars, puts forth criteria for a just war, such as jus ad bellum and jus in bello. Jus ad bellum includes reasons for going to war, and jus in bello deals with the people who wage war. The criteria in jus ad bellum include; just cause, declaration by a proper authority, right intention, a reasonable chance of success, the end proportional to the means, and war as a last resort. Jus in bello includes keeping innocents outside the field of war, and limiting the amount of force used. Just War Theorists
A just war is defined as a war that is deemed as morally or theologically justifiable. One individual who shares this view is St. Thomas Aquinas, a man of theology studies, and someone with his own conditions on just war. Aquinas believes that there are three conditions that need to be met for a war to be justified. First, someone who has authority must wage war. Second, those who are attacked must be deserving of this war. Lastly, a war is only justified if it benefits the citizens. In my opinion, the U.S involvement in dealing with ISIS meets the criteria of a just war.
This theory would categorize the wars as just and unjust, respectively. The Just War Theory has its roots in philosophy and has four major components. For a war to be considered just, the country must have the right to go to war, have a just cause, with just intentions, and it must be the last resort. These guidelines are set into
War, whether we like it or not, it’s always going to be part of life and always has been. From personal wars to wars between two sovereign states and even the daily spiritual war that seems to be never-ending. War has created the culture in which we live today since the victor of war sets its nation’s policies and throughout history people from all over the world have been warring one another to gain sovereignty over lands or riches. “The first war in recorded history took place in Mesopotamia in 2700 BCE between Sumer and Elam. The Sumerians, under command of the King of Kish, Enembaragesi, defeated the Elamites in this war and, it is recorded, ‘carried away as spoils the weapons of Elam.’” Going to war is like playing a game of poker.
When you think of war, there is nothing good that comes to mind. War is a really violent thing. Nothing good comes out of it. You have people going into combat and dying because of something you might be able to resolve by talking it out. The outcome is either you have most of your army die or your army kill others, which is traumatizing.
According to traditional just war theory, a just cause must serve peace and not simply protect an unjust status quo. War must be used as a last resort and all pacifistic approaches must be
Furthermore,war is a state of conflict between different groups that potentially end with death. The action of fighting is used for many untold reasons, none of which are worth fighting for. However, if people could learn how to use their words more effectively, less fighting would take place. War is like a loop it never stops, it continues to go round and round