Warrior's Dilemma, 4

Continued from "Warrior's Dilemma, 3"

First, let me say, "What great responses, so far!" They are thoughtful & insightful, and I appreciate them a lot.

The consensus up to this point seems to find disfavor with Georg's joining the military. As it is wrong for a nation to initiate an unjust war, so it is wrong for an individual -- one who is cognizant of the unjust nature of his nation's war -- to volunteer to fight and kill in that war.

Could we draw an analogy here between the Nazi war machine and an inner city gang? The gang's objective is to use illegitimate force to further its ends. Their use of force includes killing rival gang members, citizens who resist the gang, and officials who get in the way.

A nation state that utilizes war in its pursuit of illegitimate ends has no more legitimate authority in that particular enterprise than the urban gang. To my way of thinking, the Christian Martialist who knowingly and voluntarily participates in either the gang's war or the Nazi's war has perverted his calling as a warrior.

So far, the application seems clear-cut. But it's always easier for a Republican to see the mote in the eye of a Democrat than the beam in his own (and vice versa).

At this point, I believe it would help to present a quote from deolexrex's email that sparked this series. The entire text of the email, without editing or comment, follows:

Please feel free to fire-bomb this thought if you would like.

A man believes his country is involved in an un-just war.

He believes he has always been called to military service.

He joins the marines, hoping for frontline duties.

If he lines up sights on another mother's son and pulls the trigger, is he guilty of murder?

To be continued

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