The Wheels On The Bus Go Around And 'Round --Abbigayle Ebling
Thomas Aquinas went over many different topics over the course of this week's reading, I was brought to deeper consideration when he started talking about war and the sins of it, as I guess I had never seen the sin of a country fighting for things like the end of slavery or freedom; to me, the concept of the fact that those things might be a sin seemed almost like bogus, I mean, war is the only way to peace... and heavens knows world peace is unachievable.
"For it is not the business of a private individual to declare war, because he can seek for redness of his rights from the tribunal of his superior." (from 'Whether It Is Always Sinful To Wage War?')
You see, I have a problem with this, as I believe boycotts and riots can be effective and require that that rule is overthrown, as a boycott is an initiation of people overthrowing (usually) something from the state or government in hopes of a change or new creation in place of what once was. The Montgomery Bus Boycott is probably the most well-known boycott in history, and people like Rosa Parks are not left in the shadows of knowledge. If what Aquinas said is true, it would be saying that what they did was sinful, and I'm not sure the refusal to ride a bus service due to segregated seating can be seen as a sin, as it seems like a justified and righteous cause. I am not God nor am I well-versed in my standing here, but I feel like there are some gaps in what Aquinas says. Maybe a boycott isn't in his general title of war, but as it is a fight, I consider it to be a type of war and thus falls into the category of what Aquinas is talking about. I don't think boycotts are relatively new, either, so maybe Aquinas just didn't consider them? I guess I don't know, I will be furthering my research on it, though, as I'm curious now...
p.s. I commented on the posts of Zane Duke and Zelda Peach.
"For it is not the business of a private individual to declare war, because he can seek for redness of his rights from the tribunal of his superior." (from 'Whether It Is Always Sinful To Wage War?')
You see, I have a problem with this, as I believe boycotts and riots can be effective and require that that rule is overthrown, as a boycott is an initiation of people overthrowing (usually) something from the state or government in hopes of a change or new creation in place of what once was. The Montgomery Bus Boycott is probably the most well-known boycott in history, and people like Rosa Parks are not left in the shadows of knowledge. If what Aquinas said is true, it would be saying that what they did was sinful, and I'm not sure the refusal to ride a bus service due to segregated seating can be seen as a sin, as it seems like a justified and righteous cause. I am not God nor am I well-versed in my standing here, but I feel like there are some gaps in what Aquinas says. Maybe a boycott isn't in his general title of war, but as it is a fight, I consider it to be a type of war and thus falls into the category of what Aquinas is talking about. I don't think boycotts are relatively new, either, so maybe Aquinas just didn't consider them? I guess I don't know, I will be furthering my research on it, though, as I'm curious now...
p.s. I commented on the posts of Zane Duke and Zelda Peach.
I do wonder what Aquinas would say about civil disobedience. Does it fall under individuals seeking their own gain or is it a just cause that deserves to be fought? What about the American revolution? As Americans, we herald that war as a great event, but what would Aquinas say? Aquinas also talked about war being just because it is declared by the state, but what if the state calls you to an unjust war or to do sinful things? What would Aquinas think of the Nazis? They were following the call of the state, yet did some horrendous things.
ReplyDeleteSorry, Aquinas, but you gave me more questions than answers in this.
I enjoyed what you said. Can we as Christians peacefully protest something? I am inclined to believe the answer is, but I can not speak for God. I really enjoyed what you wrote on the subject, but I personally feel like a boycott and a protest is not the same thing as a physical war. While a boycott can provoke an internal battle within someone as well as a war of actions, I believe Aquinas is speaking directly about the type of way fought on a battlefield. Although I did thoroughly enjoy what you wrote on the subject -- can a Christian take part in civil disobedience? It's a question worth asking.
ReplyDelete