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Welcome to Holy War Land
A prime is a number whose only divisors are 1 and itself. The complete history of even primes is very short: the number 2. An argument could be made that the even prime is all that's needed for the complete history of "just wars:" World War 2.
But I'm not as confident about there being only one just war as I am about only one even prime. The word "just" is not as well defined as "prime." No country, no matter how terrible its government, goes to war thinking its cause is unjust. While wars are viewed as "just" going in, the story is often different going out. At that point, people can easily judge a war to have been unjust, but they can't bring back the lives of those who died in an unjust war. Any criteria for a "just war" will always have close calls. When the call is close, I would rather err on the side of it not being "just" enough to enter.
It's easier to count the number of just holy wars. Hint: It's fewer than the number of even primes. Even for a semi-pacifist like me, holy wars give "war" a bad name. If ever there were such a thing as a "good" war, it would be one in which people would generally be better off after than before; there would be a serious effort to minimize civilian casualties; opponents would be treated with as much respect and dignity as conditions allow; peace negotiations would be attempted at each stage; at the end, those involved could look toward a more optimistic future in this life. In other words, it would be a war that is by no means "holy."
The holiest of holy wars in Western "Civilization" were the Crusades, typified by the Cathar Wars. Abbot Arrnaud Amaury, legate for the ironically named Pope Innocent III, was a military adviser during the Crusades. His troops succeeded in carrying out the Abbott's 1209 battle orders, "Kill them all. God will know His own." Amaury was rewarded in 1212 for his holy war service with an appointment to archbishop.
People who choose to die in the name of their gods are free to do so, but they have no right to take others. For those who believe that the One True God is on their side and that the other side are infidels, that the world is black and white without shades of gray, that this life is a dress rehearsal for an imagined afterlife, that you get extra eternal benefits for killing and being killed in the name of God, then welcome to Holy War Land.
By
Herb Silverman
|
December 21, 2009; 6:56 PM ET
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Posted by: jonesm2 | December 17, 2009 8:59 AM
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If the dollar is holy, or holier, then the list of holy wars is expanded to cover all. And then we may have atheists going to war or being engaged into war, can their motive be holy?
I believe that you can only have a war from organized societies that separate themselves from an other organized society. Nationalism, religiosity, a unique lifestyle, must be cultivated first in the collective mind to be able to engage the warriors into a war. Failing to do so may result in a war of let's say 300 thugs killing themselves for nothing.
My favorite of all wars is the war against violence!
Posted by: ZeroTolerance | December 17, 2009 8:36 AM
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Certainly among mankind's greatest misuses of religion is justifying war in the "name of God." While I am not a pacifist and believe that it is sometimes necessary to fight to protect and preserve, I do not believe that there is anything "holy" about war.
Posted by: LorettaHaskell | December 16, 2009 11:33 AM
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The worst war perpetrated by the U.S. is the current endless War on Drugs. Most of us just tune it out unless someone we love gets involved by being hunted or a hunter, but this war has affected millions of lives around the world, and destroyed families and cost billions of dollars. Drugs, alcohol and tobacco are just basic mood alterers with the potential for addiction, and people should note that risk before using them. The difference is that getting caught using or providing drugs is a criminal act, with all the life-affecting punishment that entails. Yet the U.S. government thinks this is a JUST war (even though the last three presidents have all used drugs--but didn't get caught by the hunters.)
Posted by: Louise10 | December 16, 2009 9:38 AM
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War and human aggression in general are complex phenomena, and it would be simplistic to think that religion is truly the root cause of most hostilities. Still, there is no denying that religion is one of the key factors that allow various people to divide themselves into "us" and "them." It also provides a basis for otherwise irrational behavior. Becoming post-theological will not ensure an end to hostilities between societies, but it will be a step in the right direction.
Posted by: DAN46 | December 16, 2009 9:25 AM
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What makes WW2 a just war is the fact that it was self-defense. Even apart from the fact that we were reacting to the attack on Pearl Harbor, it was clear that Hitler was not going to stop short of dominating all of western civilization, and Japan appeared to have similar ambitions in east Asia. In the long run, our choice was fight or die.
Posted by: LAltman | December 16, 2009 9:24 AM
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I still love Carl Sagan's moving speech in the documentary "Pale Blue Dot" in which he argued against war. I'm sure that it's on youtube somewhere. There is also an interesting book called "Demonic Males" in which the author makes the case that our belligerent nature evolved from our common ancestor with the chimpanzees. Worth a look.