Self-critique is very important to balance and truthfulness in life.
I have till recently been uncomfortable with a major accusation coming from India (my former home country) that Christians and Muslims have waged the world's deadliest wars.
Its always been easy for me to retort back as a historian and show evidence of Hindu emperors from Indian antiquity decimating millions in wars.
But the demands of critical thinking especially during the days of my doctoral research trained and equipped my earlier lightly built propensity for objective analysis.
I just checked to see the religious demographies of Russia and Ukraine. Russia is 99.6% Christian (Orthodox, Catholic, and other denominations) and Ukraine is 85% Christian (Orthodox, Protestant, Catholic, and other denominations). Two Christian countries at war with each other.
So then from where does the longing for war in Christian nations come from?
It is almost certain to come from a strong sense of right and wrong which Christianity obsessively promotes; of being on the side of right which too is a very Christian obsession; of GOD being on the side of right and defending it - key to Christian apologetics; of GOD hurting the wrong doer - a foremost dogma of Christian apocalypse and eschatology; and of GOD being on one's side because one seeks GOD and worships GOD - Christian self-assurance.
All these elements and more are essential to what is called THE JUST WAR concept in Christianity.
It is time to get rid of a JUST WAR understanding.
The Creator is not in the business of dropping bombs on people and mass killing them.
The Creator is not in the business of helping the mighty in war threaten, harass, mock, and destroy those unable to defend themselves.
The Creator is not in the business of inducing massive man-made cruelty, pain, harm, and death.
The Creator is not in the business of making arms producers rich.
Christians need to get rid of this self-promoting notion of JUST WAR which falsely makes them assume that GOD is so impressed with their righteousness that GOD would encourage them to go out and massacre others.
War isn't right. It is terribly cruel and indefensible. It destroys families and unleashes unbearable pain, misery, destruction, and death.
Just heard on television: 'There is no purgatory for war criminals. They go straight to hell.' - Ukraine's Ambassador to the United Nations.
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