Fight the Good Fight

It is hard to avoid the subject of war at the present time. TV, newspapers and radio are full of it. Many people are saying they are sick of it, and complain that they cannot watch their normal TV programs. In this day of instant tea, instant coffee and instant communications we tend to think that, after more than a week this war has simply dragged on too long!

How different things are from earlier wars, where people would wait months for news to trickle "down under". Major battles would be fought and finished before Australians ever heard of them. Now we have instant on-the-spot reports of events as they unfold, complete with pictures beamed from within the heart of enemy territory. Reality Television has taken a back seat as the grim realities of war are beamed into our homes.

There are reports of children being deeply shocked by the horrible suffering and death that they have witnessed, and well they should be. This is much more than our team going to do battle with bat and ball on the cricket field, with young men and women laying down their lives for their country. And sadly, yet inevitably some lives are lost.

Considerable attention was given to those who protested so violently against war and violence. There is something in all of us that resonates to the call of "No War". Yet the issues are far more complex than can be solved by a few chanting hooligans.

Many, including our own Archbishop, have expressed doubts about the rightness of this present war, from a Christian perspective. Especially because the coalition forces including Australia, are the ones who have taken the initiative. I do not claim to have a greater wisdom than our Archbishop, but I can see a case for the actions the coalition have taken.

There are many countries in the world today with "weapons of mass destruction". A number of these have shown the willingness to use these against others. The question has been asked why the focus is on Iraq, and not on North Korea, or Libya or Zimbabwe. The answer would seem to be that, of all such nations, Iraq is already under an agreement and injunction to rid itself of such weapons. But, for twelve years the Iraqi regime have consistently reneged on that obligation, and have continued a process of brutalisation of their own people.

Following the events of September 11, and the greatly heightened threat of world terrorism, the US especially have felt that they needed to do something about, not only the small pocket of terrorists, but also the larger rogue nations.

Of all such problem nations, Iraq should have come from the United Nations. However, Iraq has consistently thumbed its nose at the many resolutions of the UN over twelve years. And the individual political agencies of the members of the UN have precluded any attempt to enforce those resolutions.

There have been loud voices calling for Iraq to be given more time, but, after twelve years, how much more time is enough? It would seem that it was only when massive numbers of coalition troops camped across the border that Iraq made any attempt to comply.

Any parent will know that you can only threaten action for so long before you finally have to do something. The coalition could only camp on Iraq's doorstep for a limited time before they had to act. The action is not pleasant. War is never nice. One can only pray that, in the final outcome, the suffering and death involved will be much less than might have occurred if no action had been taken.

I am not convinced on either the rightness or wrongness of this present war. I prayed for it to be prevented, and my prayers were not answered. However, I offer these thoughts to give, perhaps, a wider perspective than has sometimes been considered.

In closing, I was reminded again this week, as I looked afresh at the Service of Baptism, that all of us who have been baptized have been commissioned to "fight bravely under {Christ's} banner against sin, the world and the devil, and to continue Christ's faithful soldier and servant until {our} life's end". We may not like war, but if we and our children are going to follow Christ, it is inevitable. Of course, we do not fight with guns and bombs, but the cost of commitment can be great. There are numerous places in the world today where those who make a public profession of faith in Jesus face economic privation, physical abuse and even death. The challenge remains to all of us to "Fight the Good fight of faith." (1 Tim 6:12)

John Davies

30 March 2003