War for God

Is war, if ever, ethical? The simple answer, and the most commonly accepted, is a resounding “no”. Throughout history there have been many wars. Most of the time, wars could be avoided if the parties involved try to reach a solution through diplomacy. There is also the matter of the people that fight for their religion. These “soldiers of God” believe that they are fighting for their God and wage war against other parties which they believe differ in religious views. According to society’s morals, wars are not ethical, however, if a divine command is received, society’s views on morals may be overlooked in favor of the divine command. To judge the actions of these people that fight for God, we would have to first determine if their doings are indeed willed by God. It is important to note that the only word that may be valid in this instance is the word of our Christian God. Thus we have the problem that not all societies believe in the same God. Thus, we can conclude that what may be unethical for us may be ethical for other people. To follow the will of a divine command, we have to take into account the teleological suspension of the ethical; people can avoid society’s moral laws in order to fulfill the will of God. So while waging war may not be ethical in the society, if a divine command requires one to wage war, then it is up to the person to decide if they want to stand by society’s ethics or to follow the divine order.