Judge Not and you will not be judged

We are all God's children,

no nation above another,

no nation chosen,

no covenant but Jesus who said;

love (not kill) your enemy,

I judge no one,

sheath your sword

justice is forgiveness and

forgiveness is justice.

The "Just War Doctrine" was written to justify when to go to war.

The Just War Doctrine was first enunciated by St. Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD). Over the centuries it was taught by Doctors of the Church, such as St. Thomas Aquinas, and formally embraced by the Magisterium, which has also adapted it to the situation of modern warfare.

• Just cause. War is permissible only to confront "a real and certain danger," i.e., to protect innocent life, to preserve conditions necessary for decent human existence and to secure basic human rights.
• Competent authority. War must be declared by those with responsibility for public order, not by private groups or individuals.
• Comparative justice. In essence: Which side is sufficiently "right" in a dispute, and are the values at stake critical enough to override the presumption against war? Do the rights and values involved justify killing? Given techniques of propaganda and the ease with which nations and individuals either assume or delude themselves into believing that God or right is clearly on their side, the test of comparative justice may be extremely difficult to apply.
• Right intention. War can be legitimately intended only for the reasons set forth above as a just cause.
• Last resort. For resort to war to be justified, all peaceful alternatives must have been exhausted.
• Probability of success. This is a difficult criterion to apply, but its purpose is to prevent irrational resort to force or hopeless resistance when the outcome of either will clearly be disproportionate or futile.
• Proportionality. This means that the damage to be inflicted and the costs incurred by war must be proportionate to the good expected by taking up arms.

The problem with the Just War Doctrine is it violates what Jesus taught: "Love your enemy."

In other words, do not have enemies, do not judge others to make them your enemy. The Just War Doctrine was written from the standpoint of high authority to control the populace and maintain power. From the standpoint of the government, it matters who is in power. From the standpoint of the individual, who is in power does not matter.

Renounce the Just War Doctrine and follow what Jesus taught, Love Your Enemy.

Here are three examples of what preachers teach to justify a judgmental God. The problem with all of them is they depict God as condemning Man. Jesus taught that God does not condemn at all, ever. All sin is a projection of Man, not God. Justice is forgiveness and forgiveness is justice. All these preachers want to do is condemn or place blame.

Preacher P

War is not contrary to Christian principles, so long as it is a just one. "JCO" is right to an extent that Jesus taught in the Golden Rule that we are to love one another as we love ourselves, for the love of God; and that we must do unto others as we would have done unto us. Jesus also said blessed are the peacemakers. Not to mention that one of the Ten Commandments is that we should not kill. But Christianity is not pacifist, wherein no amount of violence is permitted; or else Jesus would not have said in Luke 22:36 "let him who has no sword sell his mantle and buy one".

Preacher D

All life belongs to God and He can choose to take it if He wishes by any means He wishes. He used the Israelites to pass judgment upon the people of Ai just as He used the Babylonians to pass judgment upon the Israelites. There was no covenant to kill. God just decided to punish the inhabitants of those lands for their rebellion and He used the Israelites to do it.

Preacher X

The word for destroy is "châram", and means just that - to utterly destroy. Joshua was to utterly destroy the Canaanites, but why? The Canaanites were not innocent people. They were very wicked even to the point of sacrificing their children. They were to be destroyed, not murdered. Sin has a price. The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23).

This certainly is not the only time God destroyed nations because of their wickedness. He destroyed the world by a flood, and Scripture tells that the only righteous ones were Noah and his family. He destroyed the rest. Sodom and Gomorrah would have been spared if there were 10 righteous people, but there weren't even that many. Lot and his family were the only ones to escape.

We have to understand the attributes of God. God is first and foremost holy. God would want to bring all people to Himself through the shed blood of His Son who willingly gave his life for mankind, but unless mankind turns and embraces the only hope he has (Christ), he will also likewise perish - thoughts for another time, but the short answer to your question is that God is not responsible. Our sin is.

Author's note: here Preacher X is right, our sin is the problem. Our need to judge and project our negative emotions onto others is the problem. So, stop judging and projecting.

All three of the above preachers have a need to condemn and punish others. This is a projection of themselves. Jesus condemned No One, ever. Jesus never punished anyone. Renounce condemnation.

Are politicians and preachers who preach the Just War Doctrine mentally ill? What gives them the right to decide who lives and dies? What about the children of war? Why do advocates of war have such a need to condemn or punish? Why do advocates of war see a separation in groups of people? Aren't we all people? Are war advocates megalomaniacs or do they have some neurotic fear? I suggest anyone who advocates war strenuously be reviewed by a mental health professional.