1. War cheapens the value of the human individual.

2. War breaks down moral standards and right inhibitions.

3. War brings out and inflames the worst in human nature.

4. War deepens the grooves of national and racial egotism and selfishness.

5. War breeds crime waves and trains gangsters.

6. War is an incompatible means for attaining the goal of moral perfection.”

the trouble is, you see, that the nazi’s were already doing this…these things that “war” causes”. hate caused them, before the war…
what would have been the peaceful solution to stop the extermination of millions of people, jews, gypsies, old, sick, homosexual and lesbian, and people who disagreed peacefully with the nazi regime? peaceful disagreement did not stop the slaughter. demonstrations did not stop the slaughter and prayer didn’t either.
war did.

i have been attending a mennonite church for a number of years, but still think that saving others can be a good reason for war. frankly, its the only war i am proud our country was involved in.

On further thought, I considered the idea of short-term missions teams, often filled with teens and well-intentioned adults, sent to build churches and put on kid-friendly skits about Jesus. They went with the excitement of experiencing a new country, learn how others live in extreme poverty, hoping to play with the kids and share meals with the adults, and that’s about it. Of course now more than ever their skills are needed, but what about the psychological impact? As a parent, how would you feel if you were here in the States, watching this devastation go down in Haiti and knowing your teen is there, totally unprepared to walk down streets lined with dead bodies, watching children scream through bloody faces, and witnessing chaos everywhere? Would you want the team to stay on indefinitely trying to help in any way possible? I don’t know what I would think. But I think those rushing there to help right now are very admirable. They know what they’re stepping into and they go in bravely. I’m grateful to see many true Christians dropping everything and heading to Haiti. I wish I could…

But in my reading on Latin America (years ago when I had time for such things), I learned a bit about the potential on-the-ground ugliness of such hearts-and-minds strategies.

No immediate examples come to mind. If you can point us to some, Ruth, I’d be grateful.

And do you have recommendations for identifying whom to help in Afghanistan without intermixing development and destruction?

And this morning on NPR Gen. Stanley McChrystal was being interviewed about Afghanistan, & my blood ran cold when he explained enthusiastically that getting relief & development NGOs into a village or a region was part of the war strategy–their presence would prove that the U.S. & Afghan forces had taken control.

So Heidi’s points are great, but I wouldn’t be interested in supporting NGOs that allow themselves to be used in such ways.