The Ethics of War and the War in Iraq Essay - 6365 Words

We are here tonight to talk about the ethics of war. Now to some minds this phrase â€Å"the ethics of war† will likely cause raised eyebrows. â€Å"The ethics of war? What can ethics possibly have to do with war? Isn’t war evil?† Well, of course it is. War is a terrible thing. The existence and prevalence of war in history is, in fact, ample testimony to the depravity and wickedness of Man. The conduct of war involves the intentional killing of human beings and the destruction of property. War inevitably causes untold suffering. I do not think that any rational person can ever say without qualification that war is good. War is something that we would all rather do without. And as Christians it is our earnest hope that someday God, in his mercy†¦show more content†¦Of course, it is also possible that both sides in a given war may be unjust. But, to reiterate, there can never be a just war in which both sides are justified in fighting the war. At least one side in any war will be unjust. When we look at the criteria for a just war later, this will become more clear. Now I have already indicated that I believe that war can sometimes be morally justified. So, it should be obvious that I reject pacifism and embrace the JWT. So let me now turn to discuss pacifism in more detail and explain why I reject it and why you ought to reject it too. An Evaluation of Pacifism Let me first address Christian pacifism, the view that Christians should not participate in war, though it is morally permissible for non-Christians to do so. In other words, those who advocate Christian pacifism recognize that human government has a responsibility to protect its citizens from harm, and that this governmental responsibility may require that a country go to war to fend off foreign aggression. In such cases, those who hold this view would say that most citizens of the country (the non-Christian citizens) can go to war, but not the Christian citizens. Why would someone hold to this position? Ordinarily what is permissible for people in general is permissible for everyone. If it is just and right for the non-Christian citizens to fight off a foreign invader, why would it be wrong for Christians to help out? Well, according toShow MoreRelatedEssay War Ethics in Iraq821 Words   |  4 Pagesthreat and aggravated assault. These are serious war crimes charged to a leader who was undeserving of such implications. The villains here are the politicians who prevent soldiers like LTC West from efficiently fighting the war in Iraq. LTC West a battalion officer in Iraq during on or about January of 2003 to October of 2003; made a controversial decision. LTC West and his battalion of artillery and infantry was a fighting unit in Iraq. Fighting units are the units that are actuallyRead MoreEthics As A Code Of Conduct880 Words   |  4 PagesEthics, in politics, can be used as a ‘code of conduct’ – a set of rules or norms for diplomatic behaviour. 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