\u201cIt is only through love that a warfighter can flourish as a warfighter qua just warfighter\u201d<\/p>\n
-Marc LiVecche-<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Some Christians have an understanding of original sin, the sin resulting from acts of violation of God’s commands committed by the first human parents, Adam and Eve, as something that has a destructive impact, not only on them but on all of humanity. Augustine was one of the church fathers who had the doctrine of original sin. According to Augustine, \u201cman was created with a free will which means that human nature was created with the possibility, but not the necessity to sin. The fall of man leads to a redirection of man\u2019s will away from God to the world and its changeable, finite goods \u2013 causing man to lose his original free will and to become enslaved to sin. This fall-away of man\u2019s will was an unexplainable act whose cause is deficient \u2013 for there is no cause. Desire, a natural tendency, becomes after the fall and en-slaving concupiscence.\u201d[1]<\/a> One of the human desires is the desire to injure or kill others. Maybe we can say we don’t agree with murder, war, genocide, and so on. But we still have to be careful if inside us there is a certain “pleasure” when we see people who are classified as criminals being killed. Marc LiVecche writes, \u201cI find it sometimes hard not to take joy in the death of the wicked.\u201d[2]<\/a><\/p>\n If humans are not careful with this particular passion, the impact can be dangerous to humans, especially their mental health. LiVecche in his book shows clearly the impact of the war and the killings that occurred in it. One of those is PTSD. He writes, \u201cPosttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has long been recognized as a psychiatric wound among warfighters, there is an increasing recognition that something else is at play as well. Many combat veterans suffer symptoms atypical to their PTSD diagnosis. Many do not present\u2014 or do not only present\u2014 the paranoia, hypervigilance, or other typical responses to life- threatening ordeals. Instead\u2014 or additionally\u2014 they display what is best described as soul wounds: crippling degrees of guilt, shame, sorrow, or remorse.\u201d[3]<\/a> On the other hand, when a soldier has to murder in war, the potential for moral injury is very large. According to research cited by LiVecche, \u201cMoral injury has proved to be the chief predictor of combat veteran suicide.\u201d[4]<\/a><\/p>\n Even though war has many negative impacts, it has occurred throughout human history until today. This is because there are still groups of people who are hungry for power and wealth and who want to seize it from other countries. Even though there was a war that occurred, it wasn’t because of that. The theory of just war, namely war that arises as an effort to protect those who are weak, poor, and persecuted, allows war to occur.[5]<\/a> However, LiVecche also warned, \u201cAlthough, in a just war, there is cause, and even obligation, for pride in a hard and necessary duty done with probity, compassion, and honor, there is also cause, and even obligation, for lament.\u201d[6]<\/a> This means that the impact of just war remains large and also has the potential to bring harm to many people, including yourself.<\/p>\n Niebuhr, as quoted by LiVecche, shows that human historicity, the concepts of justice and love, although often seen as two paradoxical things in life, can be two complementary ideas. But reality also shows that humans often have to choose justice to realize love. \u201cNiebuhr emphasized that just because perfect love is a Christian obligation, there is also an obligation to realize justice.\u201d[7]<\/a> According to Niebuhr, justice sometimes conflicts with perfect love. However, for him, if we fail to strive for justice, at that moment we are in opposition to perfect love.[8]<\/a> Niebuhr’s view emphasizes that the contradiction between love and justice must sometimes be acknowledged in reality. This means that Niebuhr invited Christianity to move from an attitude of total pacifism towards justice as an embodiment of total love. Using Niebuhr’s approach, LiVecche wants to reconcile human internal conflicts about war and killing in war. I have no objection to that view. For me, it certainly really helps me as a Christian leader in addressing and responding to this phenomenon. Although deep in my heart, I still have hope that love and total justice can coexist together without going through war (and the killing in it).<\/p>\n Perhaps for many people, this idea is just a utopia. But I believe in what Peter B. Ely, former associate professor of theology and religious studies at Seattle University in his book Adam and Eve in Scripture, Theology, and Literature<\/em>, says, the narrative of Adam and Eve and their fall into sin means that humans are basically good, but humans have deviated from their original goodness. Therefore, for Ely, the way back is compassion and forgiveness.[9]<\/a> This means that if everyone truly felt what love and forgiveness are, then hatred and war could be eliminated. If everyone felt the depth of the meaning of love and forgiveness, then everyone would realize goodness and justice for each other and all creation without discrimination. This is the task of Christianity. This is our job as churches and leaders, to spread and share love and truth. I then remember what Joseph Bentley and Michael Toth write in their book, Exploring Wicked Problem<\/em>, \u201cOur challenge is twofold: to make changes in ourselves while at the same time we are making changes in the world.\u201d[10]<\/a> Thus, the Bible prophecy will be fulfilled, \u201cLove and faithfulness\u00a0meet together; righteousness\u00a0and peace kiss each other.\u201d (Psalm. 85:10).<\/p>\n <\/p>\n [1]<\/a> Vorster, N. “Calvin\u2019s Modification of Augustine\u2019s Doctrine of Original Sin.” In die Skriflig<\/em> 44, Supplement 3 (2010): 79-80.<\/p>\n [2]<\/a> Marc LiVecche,\u00a0The Good Kill: Just War and Moral Injury\u00a0(Oxford University Press, 2021), 146.<\/p>\n [3]<\/a> Ibid, 3<\/p>\n [4]<\/a> Ibid.<\/p>\n [5]<\/a> Ibid, 107.<\/p>\n [6]<\/a> Ibid, 119.<\/p>\n [7]<\/a> Ibid, 63.<\/p>\n [8]<\/a> Ibid.<\/p>\n