“Christian Just War Theory”

Dear Military Religious Freedom Foundation:

How can you say the course “Christian Just War Theory” violated the constitutional separation of church and state.
I don’t understand such hatred for the things of God. The only Religious Freedom that you are asking for is the freedom from God.
You and others have taken this Church and state things way too far. God will judge you for keeping him out of every part of our lives.
Our laws were based on the Bible so that we could be a civil society. When God is welcomed in our daily lives, our lives become better not worse.

(name withheld)

---

Hi (name withheld),

I have been asked to respond to you.

Thank you for contacting the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) with your concerns over the “Christian Just War Theory.”

First and foremost, we are not anti-Christian. In fact, there are many mainline Christians that volunteer with the MRFF. I am one of them and I am also an ordained minister in the Assemblies of God. What we fight against is the rampant proselytizing by the fundamental/evangelical/dominionist Christian. They believe that they have to cleanse the earth of all non-Christians or not the “right kind” of Christian so Jesus can come back and rule for 1,000 years. They want a pure Christian military with “Soldiers for Christ” and believe every war is a “crusade.”

As a Christian I am in agreement with you that God is a very important part of my life. I would have it no other way. I live by Jesus’ teachings and they have framed who I am.

Every soldier joining the military must take an oath of enlistment.

The Oath of Enlistment

“I, _____, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.”
This oath is to support and defend the Constitution not the bible.

The first amendment in the Constitution states;

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion (establishment clause), or prohibiting the free exercise thereof (free exercise clause)”

Congress authorizes funds our military so these two clauses are in effect.

Article VI of the Constitution states;

The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious Test.

Roger Williams (near 1603 – between January and February 1683) was an English Protestant theologian who was an early proponent of religious freedom and the separation of church and state. In 1636, he began the colony of Providence Plantation, which provided a refuge for religious minorities. Williams started the first Baptist church in America, the First Baptist Church of Providence, before leaving to become a Seeker. He was a student of Native American languages and an advocate for fair dealings with Native Americans. (Wikipedia)

In 1664 Roger Williams wrote “A hedge or wall of separation between the garden of the church and the wilderness of the world.”

Thomas Jefferson wrote a letter on January 1, 1802 to the Danbury, Connecticut, Baptist Association that was published in a Massachusetts newspaper;

“I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should ‘make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,’ thus building a wall of separation between Church & State”.

The US Supreme Court has upheld the writing of Thomas Jefferson.
Jefferson’s metaphor of a wall of separation has been cited repeatedly by the U.S. Supreme Court. In its 1879 Reynolds v. United States decision, the court allowed that Jefferson’s comments “may be accepted almost as an authoritative declaration of the scope and effect of the First Amendment.” In the 1947 Everson v. Board of Education decision, Justice Hugo Black wrote, “In the words of Thomas Jefferson, the clause against establishment of religion by law was intended to erect a wall of separation between church and state.

The Treat of Tripoli

This is the first treaty between the USA and Tripoli signed in Tripoli on November 4, 1796. It was submitted to the Senate by President John Adams, receiving ratification unanimously from the U.S. Senate on June 7, 1797 and signed by Adams, taking effect as the law of the land on June 10, 1797.

Part of the Treaty states;
As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion,—as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquility, of Mussulmen,—and as the said States never entered into any war or act of hostility against any Mahometan nation, it is declared by the parties that no pretext arising from religious opinions shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries.

As you can see, America was not founded on Christian laws and the separation of church and state has a long history upheld by the Supreme Court.

We at the MRFF fight for the “establishment clause” and the “free exercise clause.” We are the most ardent defenders of the Constitution. The Air Force Academy has, by its teach of Augustine’s “Christian Just War Theory” (and remember…it’s a theory…but not Christian), has trashed the 1st Amendment of the Constitution.

The MRFF is not keeping God out of every part of your lives. We do not hate God because if we did we wouldn’t be fighting for the religious freedom of all people. We are putting God back where it belongs as a personal expression of your own faith, in whatever type of religion you believe in, whether it is Protestant, Methodist, Lutheran, etc. or no religion.

The last I heard was that Jesus was the head of the church, not Augustine. Jesus never uttered one word on warfare. In fact, he spoke against it. Here are His words.

Matthew 5:9 – “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.”

Mathew 5:38 – “Ye have heard that it hath been said, an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:

Matthew 5:39 – “But I say unto you, that ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.”

Matthew 5:43 – “Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.”

Matthew 5:44 – “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

Matthew 5:45 – “That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for He maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.”

Augustine’s wording leaves plenty of room for “pre-emptive strikes”.

Just Cause – “To avenge or AVERT evil; to protect the innocent and restore moral social order.”

We are allowed to DEFEND ourselves as Jesus told His disciples to do.

Luke 22:35 – “And he said unto them, When I sent you without purse (a money bag), and scrip (a leather sack to carry provisions), and shoes, lacked ye anything? And they said nothing.”

Luke 22:36 – “Then said he unto them, but now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword let him sell his garment, and buy one.”

Luke 22:38 – “And they said, Lord, behold, here are two swords. And he said unto them, it is enough.”

While Jesus was on earth his disciples were under His protection and care. They wanted for nothing. Now that He was going away they had to fend for themselves. The two swords were for their protection against robbers…self-defense.
As an ordained minister I fight against the distortion of scripture that has been taken out of context to fit an agenda by these dominionists. They don’t tell the whole story only bits and pieces. The perfect example is David. “David is a warrior and also a man after God’s own heart.” This is stringing two separate ideas together to form one. Yes, David was a warrior but the “after God’s own heart” means that David loved to read the OT scriptures, he repented of his sins and asked forgiveness, he constantly prayed and always praised God jubilantly. This is what God enjoys in His heart. When David wanted to build a temple to God to place the Ark of the Covenant in it, God said a profound “no.” ” But God said unto me, Thou shalt not build an house for my name, because thou hast been a man of war, and hast shed blood.” (I Chronicles 28:3) Another is “John the Baptist doesn’t tell the Roman soldiers to leave the army before being baptized.” John also doesn’t tell the poor to get a job first because there are no conditions attached.

In the Book of Revelation, Jesus is the mighty warrior.

Revelation 19:11 – “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.”

Revelation 19:14 – “And the armies [which were] in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.”
This speaks of Jesus coming back with the armies of heaven. Not our armies here on earth doing battle for Him.

To follow Augustine’s “Christian Just War Theory” is to not follow our God, Jesus, but a man born over 400 years after Him.

Please visit www.militaryreligiousfreedom.org and you will understand who we fight for and why. This site will give you a better understanding of who we are.

God bless,
Pastor Joan

---

I dissagree, we need to include God in every aspect of our lives. It is no wonder to me the shape our country is in today.
We have taken God out of schools, children today are not prepared to be moral. We decided that abortion was a womans right.
The whole law was based on a lie but we bought into it.
The devil doesn’t need an advocate, there are enough willing to do his work.
The Gospel is hard for people to swollow, but it will improve every area of our lives.
There is too much Apostasy today, and it seem like we have lost our way.

Take a look at Jeremiah 1:9,19 (New King James Version).

9 Then the LORD put forth His hand and touched my mouth, and the LORD said to me:
And against the people of the land.
19 They will fight against you,
But they shall not prevail against you.
For I am with you,” says the LORD, “to deliver you.”
Notice it said “they will fight against you”. They don’t wan’t to hear the Gospel, so we get gun shy and don’t say a thing.
I have heard the saying that kindness leads them to repentance, but in reality it is not our kindness.
It is the goodness of God.
When will we stand, even though we seem to be fighting a losing battle.

(name withheld)

---

Dear (name withheld)

I agree that we Christians need to include God in every aspect of our lives. But that is a personal choice that cannot be rammed down the throats of others.

You cannot blame the schools for the moral behavior of the children today. You are giving way too much parental control to teachers. They are there to teach…period. It’s the parents job to instill morals in their children. The parents failure is the cause of the decline in immorality today.

As far as abortion goes, it was legal in the Christian colonies until 1821 when it was outlawed after quickening…when the woman can feel the body moving…in Connecticut. So, before the baby was felt moving, all women could have an abortion. Our early Christian women were also having abortions according to a writing during that time by a minister.

I am NOT an advocate for the devil. I am an advocate of the Gospel of Jesus Christ that teaches to love your neighbor as yourself, pray for your enemies and live by the Golden Rule.

The apostasy of today is those who teach a false Christ and it is they who have lost their way.

Jeremiah 1:19 has nothing to do with not wanting to hear the gospel. The word fight in this sentence means a physical war against the Jews and when they come against them, God will prevail. You cannot read into this scripture something that is not there.

May I suggest you get a good concordance to look up the words in a sentence to get their true meaning. The Bereans of the early church searched the scriptures daily to see if what they were being taught was true. When you go to church, bring a notebook and write down all of the scriptures that are being used in the sermon. Then take each scripture and read the context it is in and look in the concordance for the meaning of that word in that sentence.
God bless you in your personal search of the scriptures.

Pastor Joan