St. Blog's Parish Just War Debate #10293382799

• Bloodshed and Soldiers ("Thou Shalt Not Kill") Vox Nova August 19, 2007:

  American soldiers, though often courageous and self-sacrificial, fight with weapons of futility: swords. Why? Because they are being led by faithless princes who have no understanding of the power of God. . . .

  It is time we took seriously what our God has done, what our God has commanded, what power he has granted us to defeat evil and sin in not only our world, but our hearts. Violence is counterproductive, and death finds its source not in God, but in Satan. Satan deals death (a murderer from the beginning), and those who deal in death work for him. Good men serve Satan unknowingly, and are unknowingly led to spiritual and bodily ruin.

  Christians must sometimes go to war. We must sometimes use force against our enemies. But this must never mean picking up the sword and killing. Once we do so, we have already lost.

• Can Christians Kill? For the Greater Glory August 19, 2007:

  Pacifism has always been in the Church. Individuals will always feel compelled to leave jobs that call for killing, as Nate has done. These individuals clearly show an appreciation for the great value of human life. However banning all killing does not protect human life. The Church recognizes that there are situations in which killing is required to establish peace & protect life. This is why she has no problem canonizing soldier saints and proclaiming just war theory.

  The fight between good & evil is a fight in which we are called to participate. We participate in this fight knowing that we must play in it but that ultimate victory comes through Christ. Sometimes that fighting requires a death in order to lessen the number of dead. But through the love of Christ, the wound of death can be healed and the situation made anew.