183. Why the military is an honorable occupation
183. WHY THE MILITARY IS AN HONORABLE OCCUPATION
Why isn’t true Christianity pacifism? “War is Hell.” I can’t imagine Jesus with a gun.
Augustine says in a sermon on the son of the centurion (Lk 3:14): If the Christian religion forbade war altogether, those who sought salutary advice in the Gospel would rather have been counseled to cast aside their arms and to give up soldiering altogether. On the contrary, they were told: “Do violence to no man . . . and be content with your pay.” If he commanded them to be content with their pay, he did not forbid soldiering.
In order for a war to be just three things are necessary. First, the authority of the sovereign by whose command the war is to be waged. For it is not the business of a private individual to declare war, because he can seek for redress of his rights from the tribunal of his superior. Moreover it is not the business of a private individual to summon together the people, which has to be done in wartime. And as the care of the common weal is committed to those who are in authority, it is their business to watch over the common weal of the city, kingdom or province subject to them. And just as it is lawful for them to have recourse to the sword in defending that common weal against internal disturbances, when they punish evildoers, according to the words of the Apostle (Rom 8:4): He bears not the sword in vain, for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil, so too it is his business to have recourse to the sword . . . in defending the common weal against external enemies. . . .
Secondly a just cause is required. . . .
Thirdly, it is necessary that the belligerents should have a rightful intention, so that they intend the advancement of good or the avoidance of evil. Hence Augustine says: True religion looks upon as peaceful those wars that are waged not for motives of aggrandizement or cruelty, but with the object of securing peace, or punishing evildoers, and of uplifting the good. For it may happen that the war is declared by the legitimate authority, and for a just cause, and yet be rendered unlawful through a wicked intention (II-II,40,1).
War is not Hell. Only Hell is Hell. Don’t exaggerate when it comes to Heaven or Hell!
War is a great evil, but there are many things worse than war. Auschwitz was far worse than war. Hitler’s conquest of the world, with an Auschwitz in every country, would have been far worse than the 55 million deaths (often noble deaths) caused by World War II.
If immortal souls are more important than bodies, then hatred in the soul is more evil, and does the person more harm, than death in the body. When one soldier kills another out of duty, not hatred, the deed is harmful physically but the motive can be pure spiritually. It is bad, but it is not the worst thing in the world—except to a materialist.
The idea of resolving conflicts by killing people (which is what war is) is not a just thing, a just idea. In that sense there is no such thing as “just war”. But to wage a given war may be a just action. A forest fire is bad for a forest, but a backfire to stop it may well be good for the forest, better than letting it all burn down. Hard and painful deeds, like amputations, may be necessary in a world of sin.
If Jesus had been a pacifist He would never have called John the Baptist the greatest of prophets, for when soldiers asked John for advice he did not tell them to leave their profession.
Since the natural moral law can be added to by additional social circumstances, but never subtracted from (ST I,94,5), other qualifications for a just war need to be added today to the three commonsensical ones mentioned by St. Thomas. For instance, weapons of mass destruction, whether biological, nuclear, or even conventional, cannot avoid slaughtering tens of thousands of innocent noncombatants and are probably intrinsically immoral.
You can’t imagine Jesus with a gun—what follows from that? Muslims can’t imagine a prophet on a cross; that’s why they deny the crucifixion. Our imaginations are not infallible. God’s Word is.