The Sentimentality of War

Exactly 89 years ago, the First World War came to a whimpering halt. A year later, President Wilson proclaimed the first Armistice Day with the following words:

To us in America, the reflections of armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations.

Since then, this day each year has been celebrated in many of the former Allied nations as a day of remembrance. In many parts of the world, people take two minutes of silence at 11:00 in the morning as a sign of respect for the 40 million casualties of the War to End All Wars.

As stated elsewhere, I maintain that war cannot be justified unless a number of very specific conditions have been met. For the most part, that means that most wars are unjust in one way or another. I do hold that there can be just sides and motives for engaging in warfare; there truly are times when drastic measures must be taken. I have great respect for anyone who dons a uniform and fights for his or her country but is it not more appropriate to remember those killed in wars by calling an end to all war rather than "honoring" the sacrifices of those men and women who fought on behalf of my country?

I pose the question because I have no fear of being seen as somehow less patriot as my neighbor. I am a Christian first, an American . . . somewhere down the list. So, I do believe, despite the fact that those who decide to serve in the military are decent, honorable people and that their jobs are sometimes necessary, the preparation and execution of war is stupid, wasteful and immoral. Maybe this is a case of trying to walk the unwalkable tightrope of “Loving the warrior; hating the war”. I don’t really know. You might be right if you accused me of waffling. Perhaps, there is a part of me that believes that those who train to kill are knowingly engaging in condemnable acts. Perhaps, on the other hand, being a combat soldier is something I’ve always secretly wanted to be (at least while I’m being sentimental about the “adventure” war).

Whether you think the current war is just or not, I think it is very appropriate to give honor to those who have severed our country. As a Christian, I have the duty, no, high honor, of praying for our service people, the soldiers in the field and those who fought and died around the world and throughout history. We should, though, avoid the sentimentality of war. War is not fun or exciting. War is never a good thing.

In the end, the sentimentally I so often see should be replaced by an awed reverence. Astoundingly, Jesus instructs us to pray for our enemies. We are to bless those that curse us (Luke 6:27-28, Romans 12:14) and avoid usurping the authority of God by taking revenge (Romans 12:17-21).