Just War Theory

• Just War Theory is a Christian moral theory for working out if a war meets internationally accepted criteria for fairness. The bible says ‘There is a time for war and a time for peace’.
• Conditions for a just war:

  1. Just cause
  2. Correct authority
  3. Intention has to defeat wrong doing and promote good.
  4. The good it will cause must outweigh the evil it will cause.
  5. Must be a last resort.
  6. Reasonable chance of success.
  7. Proportional methods
  8. Innocent people should not be targetted
• "Let those who are willing to trade the life of this world for the life to come, fight in God's way. To anyone who fights in God's way, whether killed or victorious, we shall give a great reward." Qur'an
• Christianity is not a pacifist religion although there are pacifists in most Christian denominations. Some Christian groups, eg the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), oppose war in all circumstances.
• The Just War theory was first developed by St Thomas Aquinas. Aquinas was one of the most influential theologians of the last 1,000 years. The theory set out conditions against which to judge whether or not a war should be waged (jus ad bellum) and if it could be justified, and how it should be waged (jus in bello).
• When wars are fought to protect people it could be seen as an example of Jesus' teaching:

  "Love your neighbour as you love yourself"
• Righteous anger is sometimes justified, eg when Jesus was angry about the presence of money lenders in the Temple, he:

  "made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables"
• Righteous anger is about using one's anger in a way that is thoughtful and controlled to bring about about justice or to protect the weak.