This case study addressed the concerns of a young man getting ready to register for the draft and his grandfather who had fought in the Vietnam War. There is an internal conflict for many Americans amid wanting to serve your country while also upholding your moral belief system. This case study helps us to examine the morality of war through a Christian perspective and the ethical conflicts of a draft. An important question is whether or not war is actually able to solve the root of our problems, and if it is worth the cost of human life. Personally, I have a difficult time accepting the violence associated with war and find the idea of a draft to be reprehensible. It seems unjust to force another person into such violence against his or her own will. I feel it is all too often leaders use patriotism and other contrived excuses to justify such extreme violence.
I would think a follower of Jesus would have trouble supporting war as the answer. According to the case study, "We are called to follow Jesus, not to make the world turn out right. Ultimately, we are called to suffer, not to inflict suffering" (Pg. 70). Jesus taught love,
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In a crusade, good and evil are seen in black and white, without consideration of what is gray. As we all know, very few things in life are black and white, and it is very difficult to divide reality into pure good and pure evil. This is a very extreme position to take at the cost of human life in the name of religion. As our case study points out, Osama was also a crusader, a Muslim crusader. His followers believed they were under obligation to fight a holy war (Pg. 73). In war, people are trained to take horrific action against other human beings. It is unfortunate how many wars have been fought in the name of God. Personally, I feel we should put an end to violence and the extension of US power. Unfortunately, I am unconvinced this will ever be an attainable