The increasingly destructive weapons and indistinct nature of modern conflicts are further complicating the moral issues of resort to war, and legitimate methods and targets in the conduct of war. There is a need to re-examine religious teachings regarding when and how to use force, detaching political misinterpretations from the genuine pacifist messages of religions. This research brief explores to what degree the world's leading religious traditions are in unity or disagreement regarding the justification of the use of force. It argues that the general principles of the ethics of war are cross-cultural, and that despite constant political interpretation of religious teachings, attitudes towards the use of force are more corresponding than contradicting.

8 p.

9789280835052
1816-5796