The war in Iran has triggered an interest in many people to examine the tenets of the so-called “Just War Theory.” People have been sent scurrying to the library (if they still do such a thing) or scouring the internet (which is sadly an increasingly unsuitable place to find “the truth” about anything) to find out what it is in the first place.
Many say they support the war against Iran and consider it “just” — “just because” they have seen the terrorism and murders instigated and funded by the fundamentalist Islamist leaders of Iran since 1989.
Others say they are against the war against Iran and don’t consider it “just”— “just because” they hate President Donald Trump and don’t consider him to be an honorable leader.
At least people are being forced to consider the deeper meaning of the word “just” as a derivative of the word “justice” and come to a conclusion about what sort of “just” government they want in North Carolina and the United States.
Many are going to church for the first time in a long time — or the first time ever — to discover what is “just” and the right thing to do. After all, the concept of “justice” or being morally righteous and transcendent has to come from somewhere. Given the history of mankind over the past ten thousand years, the concept of an overriding universal principle such as justice has to come from an other-worldly source. G.K. Chesterton masterfully observed in “Orthodoxy” that original sin was an easily provable part of Christianity simply by reading the news or looking around town.
The word “just” in this context derives its meaning as an adjective from ancient Latin, French and Old English words that conveyed the strong sense of making serious decisions after a lot of thought and reason which would be considered morally upright and in conformity with the prevailing religious belief at the time, Christianity. Some etymological sources now indicate this interpretation is archaic in nature, as if the true depth of its meaning no longer is relevant in the 21st century.
“Just War” theory is derived from the writings of St. Ambrose, his student Augustine and other ancient theologians and philosophers. “Just War” has been deeply analyzed and debated by the Catholic Church over the past two millenniums, although other denominations such as the Lutherans have contributed to the important debate of when war may be considered “justifiable.”
Having the freedom where philosophers and theologians could examine the moral, ethical and religious implications of going to war was a major breakthrough in civilized human progress. Making public policy decisions on every major issue ranging from education to transportation deserves the same sort of rigorous intellectual, moral and ethical scrutiny that can be exchanged in forums of free speech in a civil and disciplined manner.
Trying to determine what is “just” or “done in the name of justice” is not something that can or should be picked up in a random focus group session or online poll taken by a partisan political group with strong leanings one way or the other.
Try to imagine the depth and quality of our governed life together if every political issue was determined and discussed at the same level of seriousness and gravity that great thinkers in the past used to examine the merits or demerits of going to war against an adversary. What is “just” about the breakdown of the American family in many parts of our country, and what can be done about it? What is “just” about the lack of proper education many young people of our nation receive, especially when they are entering a workforce that is vastly different from the ones their parents and grandparents entered.
Serious debate and thought can’t just be reserved for going to war, can it? Alexis de Tocqueville toured the young American republic several decades before the onset of the Civil War and observed that the religious faith of America is what held the new nation together. Without the integration of faith from our private life into our public life together, he essentially came to the conclusion that the transcendent allure of a free America would be lost to the world forever.
As we approach the 250th anniversary of the founding of our great country, this is not the time to sit back and wait and see if someone else will do the big things necessary to help restore our basic American traditions and values that can ensure “just” outcomes for the future.
We all have a stake in the future and have a seat at the table to do something about it today.
