Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Catholic
Nukes Are Not Pro-Life

Nukes Are Not Pro-Life

Last updated on: December 23, 2016 at 1:27 am by Mary Pezzulo

Nukes Are Not Pro-Life 2016-12-23T01:27:49-04:00 Mary Pezzulo

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

nuclear-weapons-test-67557_640

I don’t really want to have to say this.

I like writing prose poems about trees and funny stories about dinosaurs. I do not like writing about news or politics, and especially not about Donald Trump.

But, today it’s all over the news that Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin have both spoken about the need to expand their respective nuclear capabilities-– well, Putin spoke and Trump tweeted. And I have to say a few words of my own about that.

Guys? Remember when all the pro-life folks said they didn’t like Trump, but were voting for him as the lesser of two evils?

Well, you got him.

And he wants to do something evil. Something that is not at all pro-life.

See, the Catechism specifically says that:

2314 “Every act of war directed to the indiscriminate destruction of whole cities or vast areas with their inhabitants is a crime against God and man, which merits firm and unequivocal condemnation.”109 A danger of modern warfare is that it provides the opportunity to those who possess modern scientific weapons especially atomic, biological, or chemical weapons – to commit such crimes.

2315 The accumulation of arms strikes many as a paradoxically suitable way of deterring potential adversaries from war. They see it as the most effective means of ensuring peace among nations. This method of deterrence gives rise to strong moral reservations. the arms race does not ensure peace. Far from eliminating the causes of war, it risks aggravating them. Spending enormous sums to produce ever new types of weapons impedes efforts to aid needy populations;110 it thwarts the development of peoples. Over-armament multiplies reasons for conflict and increases the danger of escalation.

It’s a sin to destroy whole cities, which a nuclear attack would almost certainly necessarily do. A nuke is not a weapon for small areas, and it’s not a weapon for killing enemy combatants; it’s designed to wipe out cities and cause massive environmental damage as well.

Catholics are allowed to participate in wars when it’s absolutely necessary to protect themselves and others. We are required to do this as humanely as possible, with as few deaths as possible, and never deliberately targeting civilians (you know, the people who live in cities). We’re not allowed to engage in warfare that will wipe out cities full of civilians, because that’s not warfare but murder. And it’s always a sin to murder. Even if we think it will prevent deaths in the long run– that’s utilitarianism, and it’s a sin. Even if someone else is nuking us– that’s revenge, and it’s still murder.

A nuclear arms race is a contest to see which country can stockpile the most deeply sinful weapons for mass murder. It does not do anything to bring peace. It fosters more animosity. And, obviously, it greatly increases the chances that some unscrupulous leader is going to use those weapons to commit mass murder.

There is nothing about nuclear war that is pro-life. Nuclear weapons do not save lives. In the right hands, a knife, a gun or a tank can save a life, but a nuclear weapon isn’t going to save a life. Nuclear weapons take lives. They take lives indiscriminately. They take soldiers’ lives, non-combatants’ lives, young and old lives– yes, even the lives of precious unborn children. In fact, the effects of a nuclear war will hurt and kill the unborn children of the war’s survivors for generations.

Pro-life people should be denouncing a new nuclear arms race with all their strength.

Now, I know someone’s going to say, “But Hillary!” Guess what? That stopped being an excuse on November 9th. Hillary Clinton is not going to be president– she probably never will be. Donald Trump is. That was your choice for the lesser evil. And now you have to do everything in your power to combat any evil he promotes, or else you were lying when you said you wanted less evil.

I really shouldn’t have to remind anyone of any of this, but there it is: a nuclear arms race is evil.

It is not pro-life.

(image via pixabay)

Previous Post

December 21, 2016

I Don't Believe in Sky Daddy Either

Next Post

December 23, 2016 Dream of the Magi

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category abortion Abuse Advent America American Christianity angel angels Annunciation Appalachia apparition apparition chaser apparition chasers apparition culture art art review babies baby baby Jesus Bad Lip Reading bad statue contest bath beauty Bible story blog blogkeeping blood book review Brandon Sanderson breastfeeding bus Catholic catholic conspiracy alarmism Catholic Oppositional Disorder Charismatic Renewal Charlie the Cat chastity Christ Christian idenitity Christianity and Judaism Chronic Illness clean clothing COD piece comedy compassion conscience conspiracy theory conversion cop-on-black violence Crucifixion cry of the poor culture Daesh Daily Saints death death penalty devotional diaconate diaper diapers dirty disability Donald Trump Dorothy Day dream drugs Eastern Catholicism Eastern Christianity education election election update Elsewhere on Patheos empathy environment Fear feminism film review fish flashback fluffy buns food Franciscan University of Steubenville Friendship Room fun Gabriel gardening gospel hair-splitting Heaven hell heresy Hillary Clinton history Holly the Witch Holy Spirit holy war Homeschooling homosexuality horror human dignity humor Icon idol immigrants infection inter-religious dialogue Interpretation of Scripture Islam Jesus Jihad Joseph joy laity and lay vocations lamb dinner laundry lent lgbtq literature love manners Mary Medicine and Science Meditation mercy mess milk misogyny Missouri monasticism monster motherhood mourn with those mourn movies movis music mystery nature neurodiversity New Pro-Life Movement news nonsense nostalgia O antiphons obituary objectification Ohio Valley Ordinary Time ordination Ordo Amoris parable paradox Passover peanut butter personal beliefs pets philosophy Planet Charismatic poetry politics polls poop Pope Francis Pope Leo power in the Church prayer prayer request prayers preferential option for non-violence president presidential election priest primary private revelation pro-life prophecy Public face of Catholicism Pure Flix Q and A race racism random rape rape. sexuality reader's request Reckoners refugee religious trauma ressurrection Right to life Saints saints and celebrations same-sex same-sex marriage satire scandal secular feasts seder Seven Joys Seven Last Words sex sexual ethics sexuality silencing six months skid row slavery social justice Speculative fiction spiritual abuse spoon stain story suffering suffrage suffragette Sunday Gospel temple Tenebrae Responsories Terror the exorcist The Friendship Room The New Pro-Life Movement Things I Learned on the Internet tin cup traffic true story tv review Uncategorized USCCB vice and temptation violence Virtue virtue and vice war Way of the Cross whimsy whole life women's ordination work of mercy Year A

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What does "Apostle" mean in Greek?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Preacher King Elder One who is sent