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Peacebuilding in Afghanistan: War & Peace

From Synod's landmark 2006 report on War & Peace

, CCG has compiled a summary of points that relate specifically to Canadians and their governors.

The Biblical call to work for peace is an integral part of a Christian witness to God's plan for creation, Christ's redemption, and the on-going work of the church until the time of complete shalom when Christ returns. Shalom, God's plan for the world, includes justice, salvation, wholeness, integrity, and health—living in right relationships with God, creation, and humankind. Working toward shalom is part of our Christian calling and deserves greater attention by Christian citizens, churches, and faith-based organizations.

Peace and peace-making is an essential part of just governance. Use of military force, if and when justified as a last resort, has as its only purpose overcoming injustice that violates peace and restoring a just and peaceful public order. Working for peace should be the top priority of governments. Some implications are:

Allocating more resources for peace-building, compared to huge military expenditures;
Reducing and controlling the supply of arms and preventing an arms race in space.
Basing security policies on human security concepts rather than pursuit of national interests. One example is the Responsibility to Protect concept.
Giving priority to developing the institutions of just governance, including respect for human rights that contribute to conflict prevention and conflict resolution.
Developing stronger international mechanisms for conflict prevention and resolution.

While the just war criteria are necessary for evaluating decisions to engage in war, they are inadequate to address peace and conflict issues in the current international context; they have often been misused; and they have resulted in a primary focus on the question of justifying when to go to war instead of focusing on what can be done to build peace.

Preventive war is inconsistent with the moral standards outlined in the just-war criteria and preemptive war needs to be thoroughly justified under accepted ethical principles. The use of nuclear weapons cannot be justified under just war criteria.

Conscientious objection policies should be extended to include selective conscientious objection to particular conflicts.

Greater pastoral attention is needed for military service personnel who face decisions of deployment to zones of conflict, personnel who return from war-fighting, and civilian victims of armed conflict.

Learn more:
CCG's peacebuilding toolkit: audio, maps, links and readings
CCG's Dialogue with the Canadian Government, 2007-2008