The military and fighting in wars

Do you think God likes/supports mans wars? I have heard members of the clergy many times over the years "praying for the troops". Then the troops go out and KILL other human beings. hmmm..very interesting. That does not appear to be following any principle that Jesus taught.
Do true Christians serve in the military or fight in wars?

 

Umm, praying for troops doesn't mean that we want God to guide their bullets (although i think some may be). In my theology with is invested deeply in Catholic teaching is that yes we should pray for the troops because any loss of human life is a tragedy, but therefore we should also pray for all Iraqis because they too can die, and if they die then it is also a tragedy.

What the church does teach though is that war can be just, if it is a mean to stop violence against another group or to defend yourself, albeit there are very strict guidelines of what is a just war, and Iraq does not fit. There are also provisions of personal self-defense lading to death. The provision there that the death is basically a side effect of defending yourself and is not intended. That being said, if a lower amount of reasonable force can be used, than that is what should be done.

 

I'd venture to suggest that the 2nd world war was a 'just war' - as just as any war can be. Hitler represented an evil that had to be destroyed, and there was no alternative.
I'm looking at it from a British perspective I suppose, but I think Britain was right to declare war when Hitler invaded Poland.

However, I think it's very important that anyone who says they are a follower of Christ should always try to promote peace.
War should always be an absolute last resort.

 

I was in the british army for nearly 11 years joining as a girl soldier when I was 16. I was always basically an atheist although I used to go to the obligatory church services. (actually army chaplins were generally pretty impressive people).

so when you pray for troops you're not buying into whatever war they're fighting just giving some thought for their welfare.

After all german and japanese people would have prayed for their troops during world war 2 were their prayers any less valid than british or american ones?

 

How can any true christian believe in war? What happened to "thou shall not kill". It does not specify any exception therefore any and all killing should be against 'gods' laws.

 

Perhaps it's worth remembering that Jesus Himself didn't in any way condemn the Centurion whose daughter he saved from death, but held him up as an example of true faith.

 

Agree 100%.

You shall not murder is a better translation. That being said, it leaves it open to what is murder. Murder is the intent of killing someone for an unjust reason. If a woman is being raped (extreme example) and there is a gun within reach, she can shoot the guy to protect herself if that is the only thing she can do to protect herself. If there is a non-lethal method, the church says that that is a better choice. Take into account this is only a hypothetical situation, so I don't want people to ask "What if..." to death.

There are tonnes of exceptions actually if you read the OT. Joshua killed loads of guys. David the great King of Israel for an example that everyone knows killed Goliath. I don't think it says that David did a pennance afterwards.

I am not going to try and say whether or not killing someone raping you is a sin, but in my mind it is justafiable.

BBB, that is a good NT example too. Never thought about that that way.

 

i suppose these christians that pray for the war or worse fight in it are dissillusioned. christians wiggle their way out of many commandments of god. it is unfortunate that they justify one of the big 10. we should pray for the war that it ends. we should pray for the troops that they find disgust in what they are doing. i suppose the patriotism floods their morality and they are blinded with the red white and blue rather than by the red blood of the enemy. we should always remember the blood of gods death was blood enough that nobody else would have to be killed. his crucifixion was enough..
war is unfortunate. i dont think it is christian WHATSOEVER. a murderous christian, that is an oxymoron. i cant judge tho, maybe they are spiritually uneducated.

 

Christians are not pacifists and in fact are warriors fighting in the last great battle for the hearts and minds of people but our weapons are spiritual, not fleshly.

Seeing as we are all ready soldiers in God’s war it would not be appropriate to fight in the wars between nations. We would be renouncing our allegiance to God in favor of allegiance to the nations, something we could never do.

That is why True Christians do not serve in the military of any nation.

 

What if it is in the defense of other nations?

For example, if I lived in Israel, should I or shouldn't I join the military to defend others from Hamas?

 

How would you know what you're really fighting for?

If you had lived in Germany during WWII would you have fought for the fatherland?

Most Germans at the time had no idea what was going on, they were just defending their homeland, yet they were inadvertently supporting genocide.

How could you ever, fighting in an army that is controlled by man, be sure that you aren’t fighting for something equally unjust?

 

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Turn the other cheek -Jesus

Jesus never said defend yourself and kill others if it falls into a situation where it is justified by the minds of men.