question 1: in the last few weeks you've hard Nicaraguans raise questions about the virtue of the US government. although none of you came to Nica not knowing the US could be unethical, it is sometimes difficult ot hear so much criticism, especially when you are abroad and perhaps feeling your american-ness in a new way. how do you respond to what you've come to know about US involvement in Nicaragua? what does it mean to call yourself an American and a Christian in this context? in the 1960's, theologian John Courtney Murray, SJ argued that Catholics (who had originally been suspect to the Protestant majority because they were members of a church led by a pope) were good Americans, because they could affirm basic American beliefs in the primacy of God over any government, human rights, and the rule of law. Murray's critics believe that even this limited loyalty is too much for Christians who should stand apart from all nations, pledging loyalty only to God. Is it possible to pledge allegiance to both Christianity and America?

my response:

No. I wish I had my laptop to look up my reflections over this very
question in my war and ethics class that i took a couple semesters
back. I haven´t changed my mind- I still hold that "patriotism",
which in my opinión is always a form of nationalism, has no place in a
world of peace, of human rights & the kingdom of God. Coming back
from El Salvador I had nothing good to say about capitalism,
consumerism or the government. If anything I feel my Americaness, my
whiteness, my blondeness more here than anytime or anyplace else in my
life and I feel the need to apologize; feel the weight of
responsibility & wish to God that people could see beyond what they
see. The thing is that I am being seen, my presence speaks before I
open my mouth, unlike the invisibleness of the marginalized or the
blindness the enslaved peoples throughout history have faced. Even in
that sense I can´t shed my privilege; can't take off this huge neon
sign I seem to be wearing & I want to scream that's not who I am! I'm
not demanding your attention, your favor, your time I want to be
another face in the crowd for just a second & I want that my presence
speaks of me and not this rich, spoiled American (but then again I may
well be those things). How often do we really see beyond appearances
and see someone for who they are-that is seeing God in one
another; loving in a way that has no labels, no numbers, no categories,
no brands. I think that if one can accomplish that, they have
accomplished something of salvation.
We´ve been learning something here about having a prophetic voice and
so in that spirit I feel there is something very very wrong and sick
with American culture, and especially in the values that we hold, the
dreams we dream, and the mentality with which we relate with one
another and with mother earth. Carlos Ruiz said it very well that we
human beings are the biggest epidemic the world has ever seen and our
love of wealth is destroying the very planet. And so how can we, as
Christians, profess a pledge of allegiance to America when everything
that America stands for, especially in a world we're dominating and
exploiting where the majority of the world are living on less than a
dollar a day; how can we claim that this dream is Christianity in the
sense that we're following Christ. Liberation theology has perhaps
succeeded the most in recovering the humanity of the historic Jesus
and in doing so recovering the fact that he was poor, he lived a
simple life, and ultimately he died a humble death on a cross willing
to sacrifice his very life to bring about social change, to liberate
the poor from their oppression. And so in answer to the question I
lack all sense of patriotism and I'm highly suspicious of someone who
can pledge unfailing allegiance to any flag, any nation, any King on
this earth.

Medieval Pacifism & The Classical Just War Tradition

Reading Response Assignment

Amy Nuismer

2/19/07

The first question posed in Just War, Lasting Peace is whether or not one can be both a pacifist and allow for a just war. The answer to this question seems quite obvious to me. The answer is no. The early pacifists were absolute pacifists and completely rejected violent resistance. I think the authors of this book: Kleiderer, Minaert, and Mossa would agree with this stance based on their treatment of the pacifist tradition, “Christians who hold to the pacifist tradition, therefore, believe that it is not permissible for them to participate in war under any circumstances and that peace must be brought about in nonviolent ways” (Kleiderer, Minaert, and Mossa, p.20). However, in Fahey’s book War & the Christian Conscience he defines pacifism very differently and allows for selective pacifism in which supporting a particular just war is deemed possible (Fahey, p.30). I disagree with Fahey’s treatment of pacifism and while I agree that pacifism can be exemplified in varying degrees a true pacifist cannot allow for a just war because under no circumstances is war and bloodshed considered acceptable- it wasn’t acceptable for Jesus and it will never be the right answer.

The second question posed in Just War, Lasting Peace is about self-defense, both personally and as a nation. This is always a hard area to address within the pacifist tradition. The most important thing is to remember that Jesus did not counsel complete submission to oppression or persecution but rather his message was of non-violent resistance. The struggle that faces non-violence is that it is often misunderstood as weak and ineffective. Society is so engrained with violence- in the news, on television, in movies- and it is so often romanticized and idealized that we become desensitized to just how much it has taken control of our thoughts. Non-violent resistance also requires a calmness and awareness under pressure that must be honed and practiced, it requires creativity and strategy and a refusal to demonize the attacker or oppressor. All of these things make it a very difficult pursuit and yet I believe that non-violent resistance is indeed the most powerful transformative agent that we have and if we fail to use it in both our personal relationships and as a global community we will never overcome the violence that threatens to destroy our humanity.

The main justification for just-war theory by Cicero and later Ambrose and Augustine is practicalities and realities. They cannot formulate anything else to combat the problems facing their nation (Rome) except warfare and violent force. They therefore must formulate theologies and justify warfare because the only alternative that they can see is the destruction of self and of God’s created republic. However, the idea of fighting wars with the ultimate goal of peace cannot escape irony. I follow their arguments and I put them in their historical context and yet I wonder if they grappled with what they were writing. Did they believe this to be the ultimate truth-that war was inevitable and Jesus would condone it out of necessity?

In response to the second part of the question of whether we should consider ourselves Americans or Christians first I hope that our generation of globalization and instant communication will finally realize that we are all apart of a global community, our fate is tied up with the fate of man-kind and not just of America or Iraq or Vietnam. If we truly want an end to wars and peace on earth what other way is there than enacting our moral beliefs and converting our enemies? Some will say it isn’t practical, it isn’t reality but what I see is a war being fought in Iraq supposedly in defense of our American way of life and for our safety that is destroying more and more people daily.

The three most important points of the pacifist model in my opinion are: 1) social justice is the foundation of peace, 2) resistance should be nonviolent and 3) we must love our enemies. I feel that several of the ten key points listed overlap. For instance loving ones enemies encompasses there being no “good” and no “bad” guys. Additionally, in order for resistance to be nonviolent, nonviolence must be taught and inculcated in the general population for it to be effective. Social justice is essential in any endeavor to create peace because without that justice there cannot be the state of harmony, order or shalom that defines peace itself.