Since we don't discuss religious issues on this board, I hesitated to offer this. However, since the sermon I heard last night included so many illustrations from "the war", it may be interesting to some of you.

The topic was historic Christian views of war. There are three: pacifism, holy war, and just war. Based on the 6th commandment (Thou shalt not kill), pacifism assumes that all war is sinful. However, that commandment is properly understood as divine condemnation of murder, which doesn't normally apply to warfare. Sin precipitates war. However, the Bible includes many instances of God directing Israel in war, usually as judgment on a nation. The sincere pacifist must make God responsible for sin in the form of war, and that cannot be. This position is not tenable for orthodox Christians.

Pursuit of "holy war" presumes a divine directive, or direct revelation from the Almighty. We read of this in scripture, but should be skeptical when anyone appeals to it today. Needless to say, the burden of proof is very high. Again, this position is not tenable for orthodox Christians today.

This leads us to the concept of just war, and relevant examples from the American past. Just war is a concept developed by Augustine, which I can outline if anyone wishes. Examples from the sermon to illustrate ways just wars have been prosecuted included General Lee's prohibition of violence and robbery against civilians. If I recall correctly, six Confederate soldiers were executed during the Gettysburg Campaign for violating Lee's order.

In contrast, General Sherman encouraged just the opposite. We are all familiar with the particulars of his campaigns in Georgia, Mississippi and the Carolinas, and Sherman's justification that war against civilians weakened the South's will to fight. In the Christian perspective, however, ends do not justify means. Our pastor went on to remind us that many of the same officers who prosecuted warfare against Southern civilians -- Sherman, Sheridan, Custer and others -- were responsible for even more harsh treatment of Indian peoples in the West. Their actions are serious and reprehensible blights on the history of our country.

Attributes of a just war include reasonable anticipation of victory and an ability to protect non-combatants. Along those lines, our pastor cited Lee's decision to surrender the Army of Northern Virginia as among the five most important decisions in American history. If Lee or any other major Confederate military leader had decided to disband their forces to pursue partisan warfare in the hills, results for the people of our country would have been devastating. Many of you are already familiar with Lee's words on the subject, so I will not repeat them here.

The suggestion was made that had Lee decided otherwise, people in this country might still be at war with one another today. To those inclined to doubt this proposition, we were invited to consider the sad case of Northern Ireland, where violence and death have been a way of life for centuries. Of course there are the Balkans and other areas of the world in which strife has continued for even longer.

Finally, just war implies a gracious treatment of defeated enemies. The philosophy behind the Marshall Plan was based on this principle, the results being that our former enemies, Japan and Germany, are normally considered our allies today. The final example from our past involved Union general Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, whose 20th Maine fought the 15th Alabama on Little Round Top. Chamberlain was responsible for Union troops during the surrender at Appomattox Courthouse VA, where Confederate troops were directed to stack their muskets. As General John B. Gordon marched his troops between columns of Union regiments that lined the road, Chamberlain signaled Federal soldiers to bring their rifles to the 'order arms' position, an action which Gordon and his Confederates instantly recognized as a military honor, a salute to "the brave survivors of so many hard-fought battles". This unexpected courtesy by a Christian officer from the North did much to soften the bitter feelings of the time.

I hope regular readers will forgive this digression, and trust that there may be something here of interest to many of you.