Moral principals and intelligence are not in the same category. Like trying to determine wind speed with a coffee table. We had those few centuries of Christian thought to continue thinking that sin causes smallpox. There are ways to have this discussion (I think) without mixing "Just War" theory with religion (although religion has been purportedly the basis of many wars). It is possible that the human species hasn't evolved far enough to escape fear of "the other" or wishing to have access to the resources of others. It is possible that humans are not uniformly able to see other cultures as an opportunity for increased cultural complexity rather than a threat.
It sounds like we agree that morality and rationality are different things. That's a good distinction to make. Just War theory goes back to Augustine in the 4th/5th centuries, and was notably developed further by Thomas Aquinas--both in the context of Christian thought. But more recently some secular philosophers have done work in it as well.
I'm not aware that anyone ever claimed that smallpox was the result of sin. However, modern medicine was also born out of the early church. There's a secular mythology about a supposed Dark Ages, but most professional historians don't use that term because it's a caricature. But going back to medicine, the hospital, for example, was a distinctly Christian invention rooted in the theological concept of self-giving love and the belief that all humans bear the image of God. The Basileias, to cite an example, was a hospital founded by the church leader Basil the Great in approximately AD 372. It provided charitable care for the sick, lepers, orphans, and the homeless.
Prior to this there were only Roman military or slave infirmaries whose purpose was to get soldiers back into wars or slaves back to work. They only existed for economic purposes. No one in the Greco-Roman world, prior to Christianity, ever conceived of such an institution that would serve those in need because they were deemed valuable in and of themselves.
You are talking about what the Bible says and how Christians should decide about "Just Wars." It doesn't have to be determined by the Bible. It has a lot to do with being a rational human who understands about how humans have to establish rules (written or otherwise) to live together.
I agree that there could be a discussion on this topic that doesn't appeal to Scripture. That said, we have a few centuries of Christian thought on this question, and that provides a deep well to draw from when thinking the issue through. Also, I'm not sure we can derive moral principles from mere rationality. A person could be very intelligent, but also a sociopath. Aristotle was a model of rationality, but believed that some people were born to be slaves. All normal people have an inborn sense of morality, since we're made in God's image, but to access the best source of information on what's right and wrong, which derives from God's nature, I believe we should look to Scripture.
Moral principals and intelligence are not in the same category. Like trying to determine wind speed with a coffee table. We had those few centuries of Christian thought to continue thinking that sin causes smallpox. There are ways to have this discussion (I think) without mixing "Just War" theory with religion (although religion has been purportedly the basis of many wars). It is possible that the human species hasn't evolved far enough to escape fear of "the other" or wishing to have access to the resources of others. It is possible that humans are not uniformly able to see other cultures as an opportunity for increased cultural complexity rather than a threat.
It sounds like we agree that morality and rationality are different things. That's a good distinction to make. Just War theory goes back to Augustine in the 4th/5th centuries, and was notably developed further by Thomas Aquinas--both in the context of Christian thought. But more recently some secular philosophers have done work in it as well.
I'm not aware that anyone ever claimed that smallpox was the result of sin. However, modern medicine was also born out of the early church. There's a secular mythology about a supposed Dark Ages, but most professional historians don't use that term because it's a caricature. But going back to medicine, the hospital, for example, was a distinctly Christian invention rooted in the theological concept of self-giving love and the belief that all humans bear the image of God. The Basileias, to cite an example, was a hospital founded by the church leader Basil the Great in approximately AD 372. It provided charitable care for the sick, lepers, orphans, and the homeless.
Prior to this there were only Roman military or slave infirmaries whose purpose was to get soldiers back into wars or slaves back to work. They only existed for economic purposes. No one in the Greco-Roman world, prior to Christianity, ever conceived of such an institution that would serve those in need because they were deemed valuable in and of themselves.
You know exactly what I meant. The Black Death was caused by sin. I give up. You wanted to win. You won. Be happy with your win.
I'm just stating what I believe to be true. Hopefully in a conversation like this, what will win will be the truth.
You are talking about what the Bible says and how Christians should decide about "Just Wars." It doesn't have to be determined by the Bible. It has a lot to do with being a rational human who understands about how humans have to establish rules (written or otherwise) to live together.
I agree that there could be a discussion on this topic that doesn't appeal to Scripture. That said, we have a few centuries of Christian thought on this question, and that provides a deep well to draw from when thinking the issue through. Also, I'm not sure we can derive moral principles from mere rationality. A person could be very intelligent, but also a sociopath. Aristotle was a model of rationality, but believed that some people were born to be slaves. All normal people have an inborn sense of morality, since we're made in God's image, but to access the best source of information on what's right and wrong, which derives from God's nature, I believe we should look to Scripture.