By: John Zmirak – stream.org – April 12, 2018

President Trump is considering military action against the nation of Syria. Would that be justified? Would the servicemen who took part in it be acting as the legitimate sword of the state, as St. Paul wrote? Or would they be doing something deeply unjust, acting as St. Augustine described the Roman empire in its aggressions, like a “band of pirates”? Few questions are of greater moral importance than our choice to send our brave military into harm’s way, to take lives and devastate the enemy.

Let’s step back for a moment and think about the stakes.

I’m a big fan of “police procedural” TV shows. Examples include Law and Order, Criminal Minds, and CSI. One of the most poignant moments in such programs? When a cop has to shoot a suspect, and that person dies. Because they are heroes, they take no glee in ending a human life. Since they are trained to enforce the law in a free society, they worry right away: Was it justified? Will I be prosecuted, lose my badge, my pension, or even my freedom?

You’d never see such scenes in a show set in Communist China, Nazi Germany, or Soviet Russia. Only in countries where the Christian view of the person prevails would those in authority have to fear that their colleagues might arrest them for killing a citizen. Instead of just brushing it under the rug. So such scenes for me are beautiful reminders of the freedoms that we enjoy. We shouldn’t need to fear the police, since they’re taught to fear the law.

The Law that Should Govern Wars

Likewise our politicians, and the citizens who direct them, ought to be governed by moral law.

To see the 6 laws that should govern a just war, click read more.

Source: Would a U.S. Invasion of Syria Be a Just War? Or Sinful and Wicked?