The Sacred and the Sword: A Study of how Religions View War

Abstract

How various religious traditions view war and military ethics is studied. Goddess religion, Chinese religion, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam are examined. These religions were selected because of their present or potential influence in domestic and international politics and/ or presence in the US armed forces. Research was done by studying primary sources, scriptures, secondary sources and faith group archive records and interviewing adherents. All religions have well developed concepts of just war and just conduct in war consistent with the Laws of Armed Conflict. Recommendations for enhancing awareness of domestic and global religious pluralism are made. Keywords: Just war, War, Use of force, Ethics, Morality and war.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 01, 1990
Accession Number
ADA227263

Entities

People

  • Reo N. Leslie Jr

Organizations

  • Naval War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Buddhism
  • Chaplains
  • Christianity
  • Churches
  • Employment
  • Families (Human)
  • Governments
  • International Relations
  • Military Education
  • Military Personnel
  • Naval Warfare
  • Personnel Management
  • Psychological Phenomena And Processes
  • Psychology
  • Religion
  • United States
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.
  • Political Violence and Terrorism Studies.