WAR IS HELL - DO WE REMEMBER THAT?

 

    In the classic movie, “The Godfather,” we are told that whacking an enemy is, “business, not personal!”
But trying to adopt that sort of self-declared neutrality when embroiled in national - and international controversies - is a mistake.
That was a movie; we, however, must live with the consequences of our choices

Black Or White

    By politicizing moral doctrine, we simply deflect the personal consequences of sin, and end up devolving into Manicheanism, which goes something like this:

- “Our side is good, but our opponents are pure evil.”
- “In war, we celebrate our bravery and sacrifices, and condemn our enemy’s atrocities.”

    It's often many decades before we understand the personal atrocities that took place on all sides during our modern wars.

    Antagonists inevitably think in black and white terms. Take the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, for example.

- The default American position is the unconditional support of Ukraine and Israel.
- Meanwhile, some suggest that America and NATO provoked the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and are called, “Putin stooges.”

- Those who suggest that the Israeli Defense Forces indiscriminately kill and starve civilians routinely suffer accusations of “anti-Semitism,...” and some probably are closet Nazi-like antisemites.
- But the other side is concerned with the killing of Gaza civilians, deploring the brutal Hamas attacks, killings, and hostage-taking,... and the outright anti-semitism of the so-called Islamic “Palestinians.”

We Are Clueless

    The problem is that sufficient evidence to enable realistic judgments in such situations is quite hard to establish from our cozy life an ocean apart from hostilities.
    Most depend upon cable “news” networks, internet “news,” and social media for their information...even as we know these outlets editorialize and spin-doctor pretty much everything that comes from them.
    Even so, we tend to give in to the propaganda of their repeated sound bites....especially when they reinforce what we've already been manipulated into thinking by these same sources.
    Suppressing evidence is a weapon in the Manichean approach to waging war.

What Is Our Role?

    Church authorities have a right to political opinions as citizens. But they wade into questions of war at the risk of partisanship, real or apparent. They also succumb to sloganeering and ideological sound bites, like anyone else. And they face the same lack of unbiased evidence as the binary and tribal laymen of the world.

    The upshot of this is that the Church tends not to witness in a Christian manner. Clerics rarely invoke the personal consequences of obeying—or disobeying—the Church’s moral theology about hell.
    That is the real problem, because this denial neglects God’s JUSTICE and our personal responsibility for unrepentant sin.

    In matters of war, Church member and its leaders should appeal to the consciences of individual statesmen and soldiers, because the business of war is personal.
    The Church accentuates personal responsibility, virtue, the sting of conscience, and the consequences of mortal sin for everyone else – so why not them?

The Sin Connection

    To define a mortal sin, it is an action—thought, word, or deed (not a feeling)—that is a grave offense against God.
    Mortal sin is always personal, and includes sufficient evidence of evil choices, full knowledge, and free consent of the sinner.

NEWSFLASH: Statesmen, soldiers, and others who commit mortal sins without repentance risk the fires of hell.

Every statesman should be wary of these mortal sins:

• Various forms of injustice that provoke wars are mortal sins.

• Entering into an unjust and aggressive war while neglecting diplomacy to resolve differences is a mortal sin.

• Categorically refusing to negotiate an end to hostilities is a mortal sin.

• Directing soldiers to kill innocent civilians and take hostages is a mortal sin.

• The reckless endangerment of soldiers is a mortal sin.

• Directing attacks without due regard for—or abusing—the principle of double effect is a mortal sin.

Imagine politicians pointing at THESE injustices and their eternal consequences in a negotiation.

Every soldier, too, should be wary of these mortal sins:

• Inhumane treatment of non-combatants, wounded soldiers, and prisoners is a mortal sin.

• The extermination of a people, nation, or ethnic minority—genocide—is a mortal sin.

• Participating in the indiscriminate destruction of whole cities or vast areas with their inhabitants is a mortal sin.

• Participating in starvation tactics to subdue a population is a mortal sin.

• The use of atomic, biological, or chemical weapons to commit war crimes is a mortal sin.

Imagine pointing to the guilt of war crimes and their eternal consequences with a soldier trying to claim post-traumatic stress syndrome.

The Take Away

    Being fully invested in the personal consequences of sin helps us restore our understanding of human freedom, responsibility, God’s justice, and mercy.
If we only remember that opponents are people - not things - with rights and duties, we can discuss the prospect of hell and disturb the consciences of those that need it.

Let OUR approach be this:

    “I don’t know if you support, or are, in fact, indiscriminately killing civilians with your Hellfire missiles. But if you are, you risk the fires of hell.”

- Taken from an article by Fr. Jerry Pokorsky at catholicculture.org