Justice and Peace: The Road to Christian Salvation Essay examples -- R

Justice and Peace: The Road to Christian Salvation War appears to be the most vicious and unpleasant form of human interaction. No other setting allows people to kill each other in such substantial numbers or to cause such incredible and extensive distress. Wars often take many years to develop and they can last for years longer than that and the effects duplicate for decades and even centuries afterwards. A question that is frequently asked is: If war is so terrible, why do people continue to allow it to occur? A simple answer to this can be why isn’t war simply eliminated. Oddly, some actually seem to be fond of war. Armed battle is glorified for making us superior, stronger, and worthwhile beings even though we still have the power and strength to kill others. In the United States society today, the average person feels that war is simply miserable and a vicious act. The Christian majority seem to have bought into the myth that making war, like the rest of foreign policy, is not a moral issue, just a matter of fact. Faith requires Christians to determine when, and under what conditions, they may participate in the war making process. Christians strive for peace but realize in certain extreme cases that war may be a necessary evil to rectify certain situations and this can be shown through the current situation with Iraq. Unfortunately, at this point in time war appears to be inevitable with Iraq. The United States has done everything in its power to communicate with Iraq and discuss negotiations as well as trying to get Iraq to disarm. According to the tenets of Christianity it is imperative that they try to find a peaceful resolution. A Christian â€Å"faith is a relationship with God† (Thomps... ...ar is unavoidable then a just war can take place if necessary. Is war truly the answer to all of our problems or is peace our only means to justice and freedom? Christians would say that peace is our only means to justice and freedom because nonviolent confrontation is much more effective than violence by any means. This can be carried out through love, courage, strength, hope, and wisdom. â€Å"Such action is faithful to the vision of a people living out a life of reconciliation in a violent world† (Yoder 134). Works Cited Kegley, Charles W Jr., and Raymond, Gregory A. From War to Peace. New York: St. Martins Press, 2001. Thompson, Milburn J. Justice and Peace: A Prime for Christians. New York: Orbis Books, 2002. Walzer, Michael. Just and Unjust Wars. New York: Basic Books, 2000. Yoder, John Howard. What Would You Do? Pennsylvania: Herald Press, 1992.