The Bush administration's decision to minimize civilian
casualties in the war in Iraq shows that the conflict is being fought in
accordance with Christian principles, say prominent supporters and opponents of
the military campaign.
The Rev. Pat Robertson, the founder and chairman of the Christian Broadcasting
Network, said many Christians who support the war believe the biblical
principles of loving one's enemy means that precautions must be taken to
minimize civilian casualties.
He said some Christians may be reluctant to embrace the war effort because of
their opposition to the taking of human life.
"But as long as we continue the course we're on," Mr. Robertson said,
referring to the overall concern for Iraqi civilians, "we're on solid
ground, not only in terms of Christian, biblical concepts, but also in terms of
public relations."
But not all agree that Christians can find solace in the United States
deliberately targeting attacks away from Iraqi civilians.
Opponents of the military campaign, such as Rep. Jesse L. Jackson Jr., Illinois
Democrat, said the administration's concern for the lives of innocent Iraqis is
a sign the war has developed in line with Christian views of just engagement.
But the overall reasons for the attack still make the war inappropriate, said
Frank E. Watkins, a Jackson spokesman.
Mr. Jackson, who graduated from the Chicago Theological Seminary with a degree
in theology, believes the war was initiated for impure reasons and, therefore,
can never be reconciled with the Christian ideals of fair engagement, Mr.
Watkins said.
"It does not meet the criteria of a just war," said the spokesman,
adding that the resolution passed in October by the House and Senate granting
the president the authority to use force in Iraq was unconstitutional.
"The resolution was unconstitutional because it tried to cede to the
president such authority to declare war ... and it does not have international
legal support," Mr. Watkins said.
He defended Mr. Jackson's decision to support NATO's 1999 bombing campaign to
oust Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic's forces from the southern Yugoslav
province of Kosovo even though that action also did not receive a
congressional declaration of war or authorization from the United Nations
because the air strikes were humanitarian in nature.
"Kosovo that was done on a humanitarian basis and also done on regional
authority, that being NATO," Mr. Watkins said. "With Iraq, we've been
given five or six different motives there's talk about the oil, about
imperialism, weapons of mass destruction, to end the regime. But with a just
war, your motive must be pure."
The "just war" doctrine states that the use of military force is
legitimate only for defensive purposes to protect innocent people from unjust
aggression. The Catholic Church historically has said war can be waged only
with the intention of establishing a just peace, and that there must be no
intentional killing of innocent civilians.
Michael Cromartie, vice president of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, a
District-based conservative think tank, said the campaign in Iraq fulfills the
Catholic teachings of a just war. He said the war is aimed at protecting
Americans and others in the Middle East from the threat posed by ousted Iraqi
dictator Saddam Hussein and that U.S. forces have sought to save Iraqi
civilians.
Mr. Cromartie's sentiments were echoed by other religious groups that supported
the war effort.
"We do support the war," said Preston Noell, spokesman for the
American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property, an
organization of conservative Catholics.
"I think in terms of Christian perspective, the war is just," he
said. "We have a right to defend ourselves" from terrorist attacks.