Why do most Christians support war?

Question

I always wondered why most Christians are supportive of war, most recently the war in Iraq. I grew up in a Christian home where war was seen as an avenue to peace. War and peace seem like opposites to me.

I have read the bible extensively and looking at Jesus' life, it seems that he stood for peace; love your neighbor, turn the other cheek, blessed are the peacemakers. What I want to know is why Christians today seem to overwhelmingly support war, as well as political leaders that support war and violence? I am stating this as a generality, as there are lots of Christians I am sure who do not support war.

If people say they are Christians (christ followers, little christs) shouldn't they be following in the footsteps of peace and love as Jesus did, instead of continuing to segregate and cause divisions among people?

I am basing this assertion on all of the Christians that I have personally met (I am from the Midwest).

Answer 1

It seems to me that the majority of christianity approves any action that will reduce other religions. It started with the Crusades and has never completely stopped. Just from their questions and answers in this room, the majority in this room show nothing but sarcasm and hostility towards all others outside of their religion.

Answer 2

You left out a word. We support only a "just war". Is this a term you are unfamiliar with? St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Augustine were eleoquent in describing this theory. Perhaps you should read it an familiarize yourself with basic Christian thought and docrtine on the matter before you go off half-****** in an area that you clealy do not understand.

If you wanna preach....don't pose it as a "question" - you really look fooish.

In the meantime .... here.... learn something today:

A just war can only be waged as a last resort. All non-violent options must be exhausted before the use of force can be justified.

A war is just only if it is waged by a legitimate authority. Even just causes cannot be served by actions taken by individuals or groups who do not constitute an authority sanctioned by whatever the society and outsiders to the society deem legitimate.

A just war can only be fought to redress a wrong suffered. For example, self-defense against an armed attack is always considered to be a just cause (although the justice of the cause is not sufficient--see point #4). Further, a just war can only be fought with "right" intentions: the only permissible objective of a just war is to redress the injury.

A war can only be just if it is fought with a reasonable chance of success. Deaths and injury incurred in a hopeless cause are not morally justifiable.

The ultimate goal of a just war is to re-establish peace. More specifically, the peace established after the war must be preferable to the peace that would have prevailed if the war had not been fought.

The violence used in the war must be proportional to the injury suffered. States are prohibited from using force not necessary to attain the limited objective of addressing the injury suffered.

The weapons used in war must discriminate between combatants and non-combatants. Civilians are never permissible targets of war, and every effort must be taken to avoid killing civilians. The deaths of civilians are justified only if they are unavoidable victims of a deliberate attack on a military target.

Answer 3

Wow you are absalutly right. You know that is why Jehovahs witnesses refuse to kill people in war they rather go to prison then displease God. Thou shall not kill, Right. We must obey mans law unless it conflicts with Gods law.



Like Jeremiah, Christ Jesus and the early Christian disciples fearlessly proclaimed the unpopular message of God’s Kingdom to the Jews and the nations. Although previously jailed for preaching, Peter and the other apostles courageously answered their religious accusers: “We must obey God as ruler rather than men.” On the order of the religious authorities, they were flogged for their boldness. How did the apostles react? “Every day in the temple and from house to house they continued without letup teaching and declaring the good news about the Christ, Jesus.”—Acts 5:29, 40-42; Matthew 23:13-33.

Answer 4

avoid it as much as possible is my opinion but there are times when it comes down to you, your family, and thousands of people coming under a rule that is just wrong and I feel convicted about letting them rule over me then I will go to war. However I realize that even though my enemy is not the flesh but is a battle field of the mind I am fighting so prayer is just as necessary. Its important to be led by God in all that you do however which is why it is so important to have a relationship with God and know Jesus. However what occurs in the mind eventually effects the flesh so war is unavoidable. The battle field is actually us and the thoughts we allow to control us. For instance if you read the Koran and its stance toward Jews and Christians you get a very hostile picture. This was the thought pattern present at the time it was written. The suicide bombings, hostility toward Israel, and be-headings with hand saws are an example of the haltered being stirred up in the middle east and spreading. I do not believe these bomb makers are illiterate either. They can read and understand. However prayer can break even the strongest of regional spirits. Many of us Christians need to unite in prayer for their Muslim brothers so that they can break free from this mind hold and be free. Remember thou shalt not kill is in essence cold blooded murder. Even God Guided Israel in War time. As many Americans and others have experienced miracles in combat.

Answer 5

I'm not saying that the Iraq war in particular was right or wrong, but in general it is possible to make a Christian case for standing up against evil. Remember that everyone is going to die, so in one sense the way you die is irrelevant. From an eternal point of view all that matters is what happens after you die. in the meantime, God has given us a mandate for looking after the world, for populating the world, and for living in nation-communities. God told Noah that murderers should be executed. Which you could loosley interpret as - those that do not want to live in community should not be allowed to spoil it for everyone else. Using this kind of reasoning, it is quite easy to justify stopping people like Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot from causing untold misery for millions.

Answer 6

Haven't you heard? Our enemy isn't human. That's why our government can feel OK about torturing them.

Religion insidiously divides people into the saved and the not-saved. Those who are not-saved can only be helped to a point, because to embrace them would be to show complicity or approval of their not-savedness.

That's the benevolent version. The more orthodox sects (in all religions, let's not forget the Crusades) believe it is an outright duty to kill non-believers.

Answer 7

i think most Christians, like myself, don't really support war in the context that war is a good thing, but if there is one then we sure as heck give our support to the TROOPS who are dying to defend a country of people who will probably majority make fun of them

only two types of people have ever died for anyone else: our Savior, and the troops of the Armed Forces

Answer 8

If you say War against another people, I think not most Christians will support war.

But our war is not against flesh and blood. This evil has clouded our leaders' judgments. We must pray that Thy Kingdom come like it is in heaven so it is on Earth.

Answer 9

So we should just roll over as Christians and let people stomp us into the ground just to promote peace, Jesus was not the the person you think he was, he will come back with a flaming sword to conquer his enemies.

Yes sometimes war is necessary would you allow your family to be killed in front of your eyes and do nothing just to promote peace?

Answer 10

Who says so? Most of the Christians worldwide who have spoken out on the way the Iraq War have not endorsed aggressive or premptive war at all. The opposite is true