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Military Service And Christianity


Wolf

Military service and Christianity  

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Galloglasses' Alt

Military service is in no way immoral until in times of war individual soldiers commit attrocities, (under orders or otherwise), even then that does not immoralise military service.

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I said yes, because I know what you meant,
but on the other hand, joining say a Nazi era fascist military would be immoral, as would the military of a corrupt unstable country like Zimbabwe, in my opinion.

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cmotherofpirl

[quote name='Wolf' post='1768949' date='Feb 1 2009, 09:48 PM']Yes, I know not all causes are honorable ones.

But it's a career area I'm definitely aspiring to.[/quote]
Make sure you get absolutely everything in writing for your contract, verbal agreements do NOT count.

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[quote]Make sure you get absolutely everything in writing for your contract, verbal agreements do NOT count.[/quote]

Very sound advice, thank you!

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The military helped my brothers grow closer to God. I want to join the military but due to my disability I'm not allowed to; recruiters get annoyed to find someone who wants to join but can't. I'm taking a military attitude to my faith.

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Madame Vengier

Absolutely. It is a great honor to serve one's country, provided the service is always in the interest of justice and fairness. God has given man dominion over the earth--the earth was made for us--and he has endowed us with the right to defend the nation to which we are born into (or immigrate into). So we HAVE to have a military. Unfortunately, evil exists in the world. Christians should make the best soldiers in any case, so it's definitely a great service to lend one's efforts to.

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[quote name='Wolf' post='1768867' date='Feb 1 2009, 08:41 PM']Is a military career something for the Christian?

I believe so - wonder what you think?[/quote]


Given the statments by Pope John Paul II and Joseph Ratznger before his election about the war in Iraq I would think a Catholic would give a lot of thought before joining.

Q: Eminence, a topical question that in a certain sense is inherent to the Catechism: Does the Anglo-American war against Iraq fit the canons of a "just war"?
Cardinal Ratzinger: The Pope expressed his thought with great clarity, not only as his individual thought but as the thought of a man who is knowledgeable in the highest functions of the Catholic Church. Of course, he did not impose this position as doctrine of the Church but as the appeal of a conscience enlightened by faith.

The Holy Father's judgment is also convincing from the rational point of view: There were not sufficient reasons to unleash a war against Iraq. To say nothing of the fact that, given the new weapons that make possible destructions that go beyond the combatant groups, today we should be asking ourselves if it is still licit to admit the very existence of a "just war."

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[quote name='Hassan' post='1769013' date='Feb 1 2009, 10:36 PM']Given the statments by Pope John Paul II and Joseph Ratznger before his election about the war in Iraq I would think a Catholic would give a lot of thought before joining.

Q: Eminence, a topical question that in a certain sense is inherent to the Catechism: Does the Anglo-American war against Iraq fit the canons of a "just war"?
Cardinal Ratzinger: The Pope expressed his thought with great clarity, not only as his individual thought but as the thought of a man who is knowledgeable in the highest functions of the Catholic Church. Of course, he did not impose this position as doctrine of the Church but as the appeal of a conscience enlightened by faith.

The Holy Father's judgment is also convincing from the rational point of view: There were not sufficient reasons to unleash a war against Iraq. To say nothing of the fact that, given the new weapons that make possible destructions that go beyond the combatant groups, today we should be asking ourselves if it is still licit to admit the very existence of a "just war."[/quote]

He's not talking about war itself hes talking about joining the service.

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[quote name='Wolf' post='1768867' date='Feb 1 2009, 08:41 PM']Is a military career something for the Christian?

I believe so - wonder what you think?[/quote]
i'm a christian and i'm a veteran

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TeresaBenedicta

I'm reserving judgment until a later time. I'm currently in a course called the Ethics of War and Peace (essentially Just War Theory) being taught by a prominent Monsignor. I want to go more in depth into the issue before I make any decisive decision on where I stand on this issue.

My answer, before having begun this course, would have been "Absolutely."

I am leaning towards, "Yes, it's okay, but it's not something that I myself would do."

But again, I'm reserving judgment until I've at least gotten further into our material.

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