Churches and War

July 24, 1942

Report Outline
War Attitudes of American Churches
Early War Attitudes of American Churches
American Churches and World War I
American Churches and World War II

War Attitudes of American Churches

Church Support for Revolutionary War

Involvement of the United States in a second World War came at the close of two decades during which American religious bodies had widely proclaimed that the church, as an institution, would “never bless another war.” Resolutions adopted by church organizations during the months since Pearl Harbor indicate that the necessity of fighting the present war is accepted as an unavoidable evil, but that the churches still are extremely reluctant to grant Christian sanction to this war or to any war. If this should continue to be their attitude until the end of the conflict, it will represent a near reversal of the position of American churches during the first World War; indeed, of almost all churches during almost all previous wars.

Historically, religions have generally supported wars waged by the political units with which they had their being. Rabbi Eli Mayer in his 1918 study of War and Religion—from the Stone Age down to the close of the first World War—concluded that “war is the primary factor [in the history of man] and religion links itself closely to war for the support of the political policies of the ranking group.”

Christian Attitudes Toward War

Throughout the greater part of its history, the Christian religion has given official support to war, although there were dissenters among the early church fathers. Marcion, who died in the latter part of the second century, insisted that war was contrary to the teachings of Jesus. Origen, in the third century, said that “we [Christians] no longer take up sword against nation, nor do we learn war any more … for the sake of Jesus who is our leader.” Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Tertullian, and Cyprian were also of the opinion that Christians must not, under any circumstances, resort to war. However, since the conversion of Constantine in 324 A.D., and with Christianity becoming the state religion of the Roman Empire, the Christian churches have not generally opposed war. The exceptions are the long-time pacifist bodies such as the Society of Friends, the Mennonites, and the Brethren (Dunkers). Numerically, these peace churches embrace a very small percentage of the total number of Christian communicants.

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