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When Do You
Start or Stop a War?
I
have been saddened and grieved over the news that has recently
broken about Cindy Sheehan. Ms. Sheehan, whose 24-year-old son
Casey was killed in the current war, has made it her personal
agenda to persuade President Bush to withdraw all troops from
Iraq and bring them home. She has already had one audience with
Bush to convey her opinions. Since then, she determined she wanted
to speak with him again, perhaps, because she thought her first
meeting had too little effect. Since the President refused a second
meeting, she camped out near his Crawford, Texas ranch and gathered
a large group of protesters. As of the time of this writing, I
understand she has returned home because her mother is severely
ill, but many protesters remain outside the President’s home.
The President spoke to the press and indicated he understood what
Ms. Sheehan was saying, and he grieved with her over the loss
of her son, but he said he simply disagreed with her views. He
said he believed it was not in the best interests of the United
States, at this time, to pull all of our troops out of Iraq. He
also indicated he was convinced that many other families in her
situation, having lost loved ones in the war, disagreed with her
point of view.
Probably
every family in America has been touched by the tragedy of war.
I had an uncle who fought in World War I, another uncle who fought
in World War II, and my own father tried to join the armed forces
right after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, but they would not take
him because of his fragile health. Like most other homes, we were
generally light hearted most of the time in my household, but
whenever a conversation about a war began, the mood become very
somber and I knew that my parents felt the sting and hardship
of those awful times during the earlier years of the twentieth
century when our country sent her own sons into warfare.
I
loved my father and I highly valued his opinion and was greatly
surprised when he suggested to me that I might present myself
as a conscientious objector during the Viet Nam draft. I never
thought that someone as patriotic as my own Dad, someone who always
showed deep and profound respect for those who served in the military,
would even think about suggesting to me that I make arrangements
to avoid military service. In later reflections, I realized that
the years had crept up on him, and as he had already experienced
the stress of two brothers in world wars, he was truly frightened
at the prospects of his own son entering battle. However, I could
never consider my dad’s suggestion.
I
registered for the draft, as required by law, with complete willingness,
but as it turned out, I was never drafted, and I never served
in the military. I never wanted to volunteer for armed service,
but I had made up my mind that if my country called on me to enter
into the military, even if I had to serve on the front lines of
battle, I would never try to avoid my duty. I certainly believed
that violence, for its own selfish purposes, was evil. I knew
the scripture well where Jesus had taught us that when we faced
personal confrontation, we were to turn the other cheek. However,
I also knew that the scripture stated in Romans 13, that the governmental
authority did not bear the sword in vain, but was carrying out
the ministry of God for order in the land. Common sense tells
anyone that the governmental authority must use its own sons to
bear the sword. Besides all of that, I felt there was an even
stronger biblical ground for military service when necessary.
The Old Testament teaches that there is such a thing as warfare
that is conducted for righteous and just causes. How could I conscientiously
object to just warfare when godly heroes such as Moses, Joshua,
Gideon, and David conducted warfare at the command of the Lord?
Certainly, war should be avoided if at all possible, but it must
be conducted to deal with evil forces as a last resort, when there
is no other alternative. One more reason for war that struck high
notes in my own heart is that some things are worth fighting for,
and some things are worth dying for. My family, my freedom, and
my faith are all worth whatever price I may ever have to pay,
even if that price is my own life.
During
the last 50 years, it seems the issue of war has returned to the
forefront of ethical discussions. I think this is partly because
American people have become more broadminded and liberal in many
points of view. However, I was fascinated, though not surprised,
to hear few people speak about the evil of entering war in the
months immediately after September 11 in 2001. It seems that no
matter how cultured, educated, broadminded, or liberal we become,
people have a tendency to return to “baser” common sense
values in the face of a horrible onslaught of evil. I believe
there were a large number of Americans who once spouted and spat
about the evils of engaging in just warfare who changed their
tunes after the tragedies of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
It is amazing how many people seem to think differently about
things when they personally face their own traumatic horrors.
I
am perhaps the last person with the right to criticize Cindy Sheehan.
I have never lost a loved one in military service, and I don’t
know what Ms. Sheehan is going through, and I don’t have
the right to suggest that I do. I realize that she has a strong
opinion, and a right to have it. I realize that she has strong
arguments for her points of view. Finally, I realize that since
I have never served in the military, I can never appreciate all
the sacrifices our military men and women make. It may be that
Ms. Sheehan is right. She may know much more than I do about whether
or not this is the right time to bring our troops home. However,
it seems to me that it might be a mistake to make a public spectacle
by making demands in the face of our Commander-in-Chief. I cannot
say what is the right thing to do or the wrong thing to do when
we are dealing with the lives of millions of people, both those
of our own people and those of another country. However, it seems
to me, when men or women in uniform go overseas, they cannot fully
do their best, they cannot fully do their duty, without fully
believing that their superiors know what is best. They must trust
their superiors, they must trust their leaders, and they need
the stability of believing, as much as possible, that we here
in America are generally of one accord in believing in their cause.
They need to believe that their leaders know when the war needs
to be fought. Likewise, they need to believe that their leaders
know when the war is done, and when the mission is finished. They
need to know that their war is worth fighting for, worth dying
for, and worth finishing. I am convinced that nothing could be
more demoralizing to our precious sons and daughters in service
than to send them over to fight, pull them out in the middle of
it, and tell them it is not worth it. It is bad to have to start
a war. However, it may be worse to stop a war before it is finished.
James
Sanders
Pastor,
August 24, 2005
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