Answering Just Rebuttals

[Originally posted on MSN Spaces June 14, 2006]

It appears that I've missed two obvious objections to my position on just war theory - and I thank those who have pointed this out. First, the sixth commandment clearly states "thou shall not kill." Second, Jesus Christ clearly forbids any sort of violence against human beings in the Sermon on the Mount:

Matthew 5:38-39 - "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes you on (your) right cheek, turn the other one to him as well"

Regarding the sixth commandment, the command is not nearly as obvious as it may appear. For example, God does not tell us what it is that we are not to kill; He simply says "do not kill." Killing is not just an act exclusive to human beings but can range anywhere from killing an animal to killing a plant. If we are to take the Bible literally, we must assume that any form of killing is in violation of God's commandment. This, of course, is nonsense and in order to clarify what is meant by the commandment we must look at the whole of God's commands throughout the Old Testament. For example, we know that when God says "thou shall not kill" that he is not referring to animals. Why? Because God commands the Israelites to kill animals as a sacrifice to Him. God does not command people to do something contrary to His own will nor does the will of God change. Therefore, it is safe to assume that God does not include plants and animals in the commandment not to kill.

Now, let's apply this reasoning to human beings. If we look at the whole of the Old Testament, we see that God commands the Israelites to go to war. Since it is not God's nature to command someone to act in contradiction to His own will, there must be something fundamentally different about war and that something is justice. When God commands the Israelites to go to war, it is not out of conquest or for their own financial gain, He does so to achieve justice through the hands of the Israelites. Justice is not the same thing as revenge either. While God commands the Israelites to go to war with another race out of justice, He forbids them to go to war out of revenge or mere hatred for another race. The key word here is "justice" and so if we are to understand God in the Old Testament in a way that is not contradictory or void of sense, we must necessarily conclude that the command "thou shall not kill" is meant to be "thou shall not murder" or rather "thou shall not unjustly kill."

My response to the second objection of Christ's command to offer no resistance to anyone who is evil follows the same line of reasoning. In fact, Jesus was not saying anything new to the Jews during this sermon and was simply repeating commands from God that have always been. For example:

Leviticus 19:18 - Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. I am the Lord.

and

Sirach 28:1-9 - The vengeful will suffer the LORD'S vengeance, for he remembers their sins in detail. Forgive your neighbor's injustice; then when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven. Should a man nourish anger against his fellows and expect healing from the LORD? Should a man refuse mercy to his fellows, yet seek pardon for his own sins? If he who is but flesh cherishes wrath, who will forgive his sins? Remember your last days, set enmity aside; remember death and decay, and cease from sin! Think of the commandments, hate not your neighbor; of the Most High's covenant, and overlook faults. Avoid strife and your sins will be fewer, for a quarrelsome man kindles disputes, commits the sin of disrupting friendship and sows discord among those at peace.

The God of the Old Testament was very clear with the Jews that they were not to deal out vengeance of their own accord. He was also very clear with the Jews
that justice will be had by Him:

Deuteronomy 32:35 - To me belongs vengeance... I will render vengeance to mine enemies.

How does God render vengeance to His enemies?

Romans 13:4 - But if you do evil, be afraid, for it does not bear the sword without purpose; it is the servant of God to inflict wrath on the evildoer.

I bring all of this up because Catholics should understand more than anybody that there are social hierarchies established and ordained by God for our own good. Our role as individuals differs greatly from the role of those in positions of authority and 1900 years of Just War theory understood this well.

Romans 13:1-4 - Let every person be subordinate to the higher authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been established by God. Therefore, whoever resists authority opposes what God has appointed, and those who oppose it will bring judgment upon themselves. For rulers are not a cause of fear to good conduct, but to evil. Do you wish to have no fear of authority? Then do what is good and you will receive approval from it, for it is a servant of God for your good.

Jesus Christ did not come to estalish a world politic or a philosophy of social governance; He came for our personal salvation and redemption. Our society seems to understand this in every other regard except for wars. If Jesus' directive in Matthew 5 is binding to the conduct of civil authorities, then by what authority does our Government lock people in prison? Would it not stand to reason that if Jesus meant to establish norms for a system of Government that the government ought to do no harm to those who do evil? And yet the Government, in their disdain for the message of Christ, continually imprisons people, punishes them, and even issues fines against them for doing evil. Ought the Government to "turn the other cheek?" When terrorists flew planes into the Two Towers, ought the Government to offer Al Qaeda other locations to destroy? Isn't that the message of Christ? Absolutely not and to think so would be complete lunacy. Jesus' command to "turn the other cheek" is setting forth a personal norm. When reading this passage within the context of the whole of Scripture, it cannot be meant as a guiding principle for civil authorities who are rightfully "the servants of God to inflict wrath on the evildoer."

As a closing thought, if war is evil and to be considered murder, why is it that Jesus is so vocal before Jewish authorities and yet so silent before Roman centurians and authorities? When the Roman centurian asks Christ to heal his child, Jesus doesn't say "You hypocrite! You mercilessly take the innocent life of others with your wars and yet you want me to heal one of your own?" Christ wastes no time verbally lambasting the Pharisees and branding them with such vile titles as "hypocrites" and "broods of vipers" but has absolutely nothing to say to Roman authorities. Were the Romans more moral than the Pharisees? Were the sins of the Pharisees that much worse than the sins of the warring Roman Empire?