Tag Archives: Military

Good men, evil’s triumph, and a spurious quote

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Edmund Burke

There is a saying, usually attributed to Edmund Burke, that has been called “the commonest political quote you will find anywhere on the World Wide Web.”* It goes something like this:

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing

It goes “something like this” because the statement exists in many different forms:

  • All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing
  • All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing
  • All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing
  • All that is necessary for evil to triumph is that good men do nothing
  • All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for a few good men to do nothing
  • All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for a few good men to do nothing
  • All that is necessary for the evil to succeed is that good men do nothing

And so on.

It’s rather obviously an apocryphal quote. In fact, you can’t find anything of the sort by Edmund Burke, unless you count the quote: “When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle.”(Thoughts on the Cause of Present Discontents) You can find, interestingly enough, his thoughts on maxims in general:

It is an advantage to all narrow wisdom and narrow morals that their maxims have a plausible air; and, on a cursory view, appear equal to first principles. They are light and portable. They are as current as copper coin; and about as valuable. They serve equally the first capacities and the lowest; and they are, at least, as useful to the worst men as to the best. Of this stamp is the cant of not man, but measures; a sort of charm by which many people get loose from every honourable engagement.
(Edmund Burke, “Thoughts on the cause of the present discontents,” 1770. In The Works of the Right Honourable Edmund Burke, edited by Henry Froude, Oxford University Press, 1909, Volume 2, page 83, lines 7 to 16.)

The saying that evil men will triumph if good men do nothing is a good illustration of what Burke is saying. At first blush, it sounds reasonable enough. It’s easy to remember, at least in general terms. It’s general enough that it’s been used as a rallying cry for human movements of all stripes, for almost everyone considers themselves to be “good” and their opponents “evil.” It can be used to justify almost any action as long as the person doing it considers himself good.

I’d like to spend a few days talking about the concept, since I’ve heard it used to promote all sorts of political, social and military action on the part of Christians. Before I begin to analyze what’s being said, I’d like to hear your thoughts on the inactivity of good men and the triumph of evil.

Appendix: Martin Porter offered some helpful suggestions for avoiding bogus quotes:
Principle 1 (for readers)
Whenever you see a quotation given with an author but no source assume that it is probably bogus.
Principle 2 (for readers)
Whenever you see a quotation given with a full source assume that it is probably being misused, unless you find good evidence that the quoter has read it in the source.
Principle 3 (for quoters)
Whenever you make a quotation, give the exact source.
Principle 4 (for quoters)
Only quote from works that you have read.

*This phrase comes from an analysis of the many variations of the Burke quote: http://tartarus.org/~martin/essays/burkequote.html

Does Just War Theory bring peace or just war?

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I saw a question asked online the other day which I found to be quite compelling. I read Rex Butts’ blog post on “The Evangelistic Scandal,” which led me to Scot McKnight’s discussion of Lee Camp’s new book.

The interview refers to “Just War Theory.” If you’re not familiar with Just War Theory, the idea is that there should be a set of criteria to apply to any conflict to determine if it is just or not. Proponents argue that Christians may participate in a just war, but not an unjust one. As far as I know, Augustine borrowed the principles from some Roman philosophers, then Thomas Aquinas further refined Augustine’s work. (Someone please correct that in the comments if my history is wrong; this is off the top of my head)

The basic principles of just war, as commonly expressed, are:

  • A just cause is basically defensive in posture, not aggressive.
  • The intent must also be just—the objectives must be peace and the protection of innocent lives.
  • War must be a matter of last resort when all attempts at reconciliation or peaceful resolution are exhausted.
  • A just war must be accompanied by a formal declaration by a properly constituted and authorized body.
  • The objectives must be limited. Unconditional surrender or total destruction are unjust means.
  • Military action must be proportionate both in the weaponry employed and the troops deployed.
  • Non-combatants must be protected and military operations must demonstrate the highest possible degree of discrimination.
  • Without a reasonable hope for success, no military action should be launched.

There is nothing set in stone as THE Just War Theory, but those principles are widely used.

Or are they? The question that was asked in the comments section of the McKnight article was this:

Has there ever been a war that Christians were considering entering into, but applying the criteria for “just war” talked them out of?

That’s a great question. I can’t think of an example. Can you? Has “Just War Theory” ever been used for anything other than justifying participation in conflict?

Does Just War Theory bring peace or just war?

Honoring the sacrifices of war

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There’s an aspect of the U.S. military’s actions overseas that is continually hidden by proponents of military participation: the cost in human lives in other countries. When discussing the sacrifices of war, so many Christians in America focus on our soldiers and their families. They are to be considered, naturally, but so are the tens of thousands of people affected by those wars we fight. (It’s extremely difficult to get good numbers on that. I have been chastised for referring to the site Iraq Body Count, but the material released by WikiLeaks has shown that, if anything, that site is conservative in its counting.)

One reason that 9/11 impacted this country in such a strong way was the fact that it happened on American soil. We’ve worked hard throughout the years to keep all fighting limited to somebody else’s home, not ours. This morning on the news, as the proposed reduction of troops in Afghanistan was being discussed, people expressed the fear that the fighting might come here. “Better to fight them over there” has always been a popular slogan.

As Christians, I think we’re obligated in such a situation to consider those who live “over there.” Consider the Afghani people. In the late 1970s, the Soviets became involved in Afghanistan as military advisers. The U.S. saw the chance to lure the Soviets into a military quagmire, so operations were undertaken to escalate the fighting in Afghanistan. Once the Soviets invaded, the U.S. began arming Afghani warlords to fight the Soviets (When asked about the dangers, Zbigniew Brzezinski, President Jimmy Carter’s National Security Adviser, responded “What is most important to the history of the world? The Taliban or the collapse of the Soviet empire? Some stirred-up Moslems or the liberation of Central Europe and the end of the cold war?”). When that war came to an end, these armed strongmen continued to dominate the regions where they lived. Then after 9/11, the United States invaded, fighting against many of the same people we had helped arm and train. And throughout it all, the civilian population suffered destruction of property, serious injury and death.

When we speak of sacrifice, do we think of those people? Do we consider the mothers who lost sons, the children who lost parents, the villagers who lost everything? Where are their parades? Who raises memorials in their honor? Where are the churches that send them care packages and stand and clap for them during worship?

But they’re not “our people.” No, of course not… unless you’re a Christian. Unless you believe that there is no “Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free.” Then, of course, those people are as much “our people” as any freckle-faced American soldier.

On Memorial Day, I was accused of not honoring the sacrifice of those who have lost loved ones in war. I respond that I honor many more of those people than do those who march down Main Street and salute the flag.

When we count the costs of war, let’s count all the costs of war.

The Case for Non-Participation: Deceit

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This week I’m laying out a case for Christians not participating in war nor in the military. I had laid out the basic reasons a couple of weeks ago and am now analyzing the four principal ones that I mentioned.

One big reason I see for not participating in war is the deceit that surrounds it. Wars are complex things with multiple causes and myriad effects. There’s hardly anyone that fully understands all the reasons for a war when that war begins. Even when leaders have nefarious goals in view, they always present their wars as justified reactions to some wrong. Every nation is waging a just war; every country has God on their side; every arm fights for the side of justice.

Talking about this point is always a bit delicate, because we prefer the edited-for-public-consumption view of history. We want to look back at history in simple terms, like the inspiring stories taught to school children. Any attempts to pull back the curtain on the ruse is quickly labeled as “America bashing.” But we need to be able to discuss realities, not just popular lore.

Almost every war that the United States has been involved in has had a dark side to it. (I say almost because I’m not knowledgeable enough to speak of all of them.) People manipulated that conflict for their own ends. Soldiers were sent to fight based on a misconception. These men responded with courage and sacrifice. Most of them joined for honorable reasons and honor marked their time of service. It’s not the common soldier that is to blame.

It’s not always the leaders, either. They can also be duped into believing falsehoods regarding a war. The U.S. government was fooled into thinking Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, for example. But I’m cynical enough about government to think that those moments are the exception. Too many times, wars are fought for political or economic gain, and the leaders are well aware of that. It’s the general public and the common soldier that gets manipulated into thinking the fighting is for a higher cause.

It’s amazing to me how Americans can distrust their political system on so many levels, yet place blind faith in the very same leaders when it comes to sending our young people to kill and be killed. Just as the powers seek their own ends, so the servants of those powers become a part of the system, justifying the deaths of innocents for the “greater good” of the preservation of the machinery.

The United States is not unique in this. This country is no worse than other nations of this world. We just need to drop the myth that we are somehow exempt from the ills that plague the others. We need to accept the fact that our nation seeks its own good above all, and the leaders of our nation sometimes act seeking their own goals. Politics, personal ambition and the quest for pre-eminence in this world; all these things play a part in the decisions made to unleash the horrors of war.

I don’t want to be a part of it. I don’t want my children to be sucked into that. I don’t want to see the church saddled with the weight of using valuable resources to support a web of deceit and lies. We are the church, and when we give our young people to the military, when we support the military system, we take from the Kingdom of God and give to the kingdoms of this world.

It’s time to say: no more.

The Case For Non-Participation: Jesus’ teachings

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As we look at reasons for not participating in any nation’s military, it’s obvious that we need to look at what Jesus taught, as well as the rest of the New Testament. I read a piece by Patrick Mead where he claimed that the only way to support pacifism was to cut certain portions out of the New Testament. While I understand his feeling (I feel the same toward military involvement), such an attitude is counterproductive to biblical discussions. I won’t claim that those who choose to participate ignore Scripture. I disagree with them on how to interpret certain passages. And I think their interpretation is more reflective of our culture and society than it is of biblical teaching.

At some point, we have to take the Sermon on the Mount (and the Sermon on the Plain in Luke) seriously. The sayings are hard. As I’ve written about before, some want to explain them away through various creative strategies. But we can’t get away from the fact that Jesus taught that it’s better to let an evil man have his way than to retaliate. Turning the other cheek, letting people rob us and take advantage of us, loving enemies… none of these things are easy nor come naturally. Jesus was saying that what is natural isn’t right, that we have to overcome our human impulses and replace them with spiritual ones.

“Those who live by the sword die by the sword.” These words were spoken as a rebuke, not merely as a commentary on life. Jesus wasn’t just saying that his disciples weren’t to defend him at that moment. He was saying that there are those who live by the sword… and they aren’t us! We aren’t them. Jesus’ followers are not to live by the sword.

What about the New Testament passages that talk about Jesus coming to execute judgment on his enemies? Aren’t those violent passages? Of course they are. Which is why Paul reminds us that vengeance belongs to God. He will do it. Just as we aren’t to judge because there is only one judge, we aren’t to avenge because there is only one avenger. Passages that show God doing violence argue against our doing the same.

We live in a militarized society. That colors the way we read Scripture. It leads us to look for every exception and every loophole to allow us to follow the current of our culture. We need to recapture the countercultural spirit. We need to seek to be a holy people. Jesus called us to a higher standard. I think we need to stop trying to talk our way around that and merely seek to live it.