Discussion: Deontology and the Idea of Holy War

Discussion: Deontology and the Idea of Holy War

When applying deontology as the selected ethical approach, the idea of Holy War cannot be considered morally justified. Deontology is concerned with the morality of actions as they are, rather than their consequences. According to such a frame, an act is right or wrong depending on its conformity with some moral rules or duties. When addressing a deontological ethic of a Christian who subscribes to the teachings of Jesus, such a deontological ethic breaks the command to love, to forgive, and to seek peace: the principle of violence cannot be justified. In Who Would Jesus Kill? War, Peace, and the Christian Tradition, Allman (2008) highlights the fact that Jesus’ teachings are anti-violence and encourage one to love one’s enemies. Jesus commands, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (New International Version, 2011, Matt. 5:44). This commandment creates an ethical responsibility, denying any action aimed at harming others, even in the interests of religion or divine justice.

Holy War goes against this moral obligation by applying violence to satisfy religious or moral goals. In as much as it is possible to explain that the people who propagate the Holy War claim they are doing it in the name of a higher good, deontological thought refutes this excuse since it is against the moral principle of nonviolence. Deontology is opposed to harmful means even when such ends are directed toward what some may regard as a good end. Even more, the idea of killing under the banner of God contradicts the personality of Jesus, who condemned violence even in the case of nearby death. At the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus tells Peter to sheathe his sword, saying, “For all who draw the sword will die by the sword” (New International Version, 2011, Matt. 26:52). This reinforces the notion that as Christians, individuals must renounce violence, regardless of the situation at hand.

References

Allman, M. (2008). Who Would Jesus Kill?: War, Peace, and the Christian Tradition. Saint Mary’s Press.

The Holy Bible: New International Version (NIV). (2011). Biblica, Inc. (Original work published 1973).

ORDER A PLAGIARISM-FREE PAPER HERE

We’ll write everything from scratch

Discussion: Deontology and the Idea of Holy War

In this activity, you’ll choose one of the four moral methods we have focused on and use it to either support or challenge the idea of the Holy War.

Discussion – Deontology and the Idea of Holy War

For your initial post, use one of the four moral methods identified by Allman (relativism, deontology, consequentialism, or teleology) to evaluate the idea of Holy War. Do you think Holy War is justified by your chosen moral method? Why or why not? Be sure to reference explicitly one of the texts you read for this module. An important part of evaluating the morality of Holy War is to look at it from the lens of various moral methods.