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Week 19/ 2006: Can war be justified?

“War has been a socio-ethical hot potato for churches throughout their history,” says Matti Pikkarainen, Master of Theology.

According to Pikkarainen, war has become a dilemma for churches because they have to approach it from two perspectives: through Jesus’ non-violent ethic (if someone strikes you on the right cheek, then offer him the left) and as part of life in society (the ruler’s task is to keep the peace).

In his recently examined doctoral dissertation, Pikkarainen analyses the opinions about war recorded in the documents of the general assemblies of the World Council of Churches (WCC) during the Cold War period from 1948 to 1983.

“On the one hand, the WCC rejected modern warfare and military rule, but on the other hand it stated that societies need good governance structures and armed forces to keep the peace and promote human rights.”

Pikkarainen divides the Cold War into three periods that show the change in the WCC’s attitudes to war with the development of world politics.

During the first period, the WCC created a politically neutral doctrine of a responsible society. Society was responsible for individuals, who ultimately were always self-seeking.

“Rulers were considered as having a right to war to minimise evil and cause people to have respect for one another, as it were,” Pikkarainen says.

The second period started in the 1960s when the traditional war was paralleled with a new dimension of violence as the military rule grew stronger and financial resources were funnelled from social needs to arms.

“The WCC started to resist the creation of military administrations.”

The third period began in the late 1970s and introduced new perspectives: justice, sustainable development and an individual's chance to control his or her own life.

“Attention was finally focused on the social impact of violence at both communal and individual levels.”

Text: Simo Salmela
Picture: Markku Juntunen
www.helsinki.fi/digitalcommunications

Translation: Valtasana Oy