In the name of religion :: essays research papers

The issue of war itself has been debated, published and broadcast on prime time news, but the current national crisis' are multifaceted and have many dimensions that are neither explored at lenght , nor adequately ananlyzed by the vast majority of those who support the political arena that wage them. Are the actions of our government ethically justifiable? Can it be said that we as a nation, have engaged in a "just war". The war in Iraq as well as The War on Terrorism, have undeniable religious undertones and subsequent implications. If we are to fight this war with any true intent of winning it, these issues can simply not be overlooked. We owe it to ourselves, as well as each other, to understand what it is that we fight for and against, and to be clear in those convictions. The concept of violence in the name of religion, seems to be a difficult pill for most to swallow. Without a doubt, war in the name of God, is an incomprehensible contradiction of terms. Yet, this is exactly the motive backing those who oppose us today. The horrific attacks on the World Trade towers and on the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, leave little room for arguement regarding the jusfiable reason for action on the part of US military forces. Of course the concept of war is not a new one, nor are the ethical dilemias that it brings. Our current situation is unique though, in the sense that it has raised some new concerns. Deep to the issues of political agenda and the facades that they create, are the ethical issues at the heart of religious philosphy, which may have provoked the attacks in the first place.There have been on rare occassions, excluding the christian crusades of course, in which religion has played such a centralized role in the conficts of nations. It may not be transparent upon first exam, but deeply embedded in the core of the beliefs held by those who oppose us, is an extemist's veiw of religion. Religious ideology is typically not the salesman for violent behavior. Historically speaking , it has been abundantly clear that man is quite capable of inventing various ideologies to justify their injustices aganst mankind, without finding the need to do so in the name of God. However, when religion is an underlying factor, the conflict takes on a particularly violent tone.