U.S. and Israeli land and sea forces are raining down terror on Tehran and other Iranian military targets.
Critics are asking if the conflict passes the Just War Theory test. That answers the question of whether waging a war is the right and moral thing to do. Plato and Aristotle came up with the moral logic, St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas added the theological component.
Dr. Richard Land of Southern Evangelical Seminary says there are five criteria.
“It has to be a just cause. Wars of conquests are never acceptable. Don’t start it,” he said.
You don't have to let the enemy take the first shot, but that shot must be inevitable. Next …
“It must be non-combatant immunity. It's never justifiable to target civilians,” Land said.
Fourthly, it has to be the last resort. All diplomatic solutions must be exhausted. And finally…
“You have to deal with proportionality. Will the good gained from fighting outweigh the bad suffering that has caused,” asked Land?
So, does the current war qualify?
“Well, I think it qualifies more than most. In my opinion, they've tolerated it far too long under numerous presidents and finally Donald Trump said, 'all right, we're going to deal with this.'”
Marc LiVecche, a scholar and author on the topic, agreed as he shared his thoughts on the "Washington Watch" program this week.
The war against Iran is an ongoing act of self-defense.
“They want to kill us, and they want to kill our major non-NATO treaty ally, Israel, and the interests of Israel are vital national interests to the United States as well. We have to take them at their word and come to Israel’s aid,” LiVeeche told show host Tony Perkins.
