Words Have Power for Good or Evil
In the last few weeks, the President announced he intends to change the name of the Department of Defense to the “Department of War.” Just because our nation had a War Department between 1789 and 1949 doesn’t mean it is desirable to go back in time. Our nation wisely changed the name from “war” to “defense.” According to Wikipedia, “In the aftermath of World War II, the American government (among others around the world) decided to abandon the word 'War' when referring to the civilian leadership of their military.”
The term “war” is defined as “a state of armed conflict between different nations or states or different groups within a nation or state.” “War” is an action with violent intent. Meanwhile, the definition of “defense” is “The action of defending from or resisting attack.” After World War II, our nation’s leaders recognized that the goal of every nation should be to defend, when necessary, but to do whatever we can to resist war. I fear our country’s present administration, by replacing defense with war, is transitioning from a focus on avoiding war, unless necessary, to focusing on war as a means of claiming superiority and expanding the nation’s wealth.
It is not coincidental that the change from “war” to “defense” occurred shortly after WWII. The United States and other allied nations responded with humility and wisdom in dealing with post-war Germany. The Nazi Party in Germany caused global fear, destruction, and death. The natural desire for retribution was strong. Instead of stomping on an already crushed country, the Allied leaders chose to rebuild the German nation, and in doing so, give the German people the opportunity to find renewed hope and gratitude, instead of wallowing in bitterness and hate. The long-term result was a transformed Germany, which, within a decade, became a friend and political companion.
An emphasis on defense rather than war allowed the people of the allied nations to envision a former enemy as human beings, no better or worse than any other human being, but whose government chose unjust and inhuman decisions that adversely affected its people and the global community. A focus on defense, rather than war retaliation, helped the Allied nations affirm that the German people were capable of restoration and lasting change. They became peaceful allies in the following decades. Imagine if we had retaliated with further dominance, not allowing their nation to grow and rebuild, out of fear that their people would reinvent another Reich nation, under a similar dictator.
In the community where I served in Northern Wisconsin, there was a large group of German-born Americans. Some of whom came to the United States after World War II. There was a couple that joined our congregation after I became the church’s pastor. The couple had strong German accents and kept to themselves. After several months, the husband called me and asked if I’d like to go fishing with him.
Fishing was our chance to get acquainted. While casting and not being burdened by any fish biting, he told me a portion of his life’s story. My church member was in the Nazi army. He was “a grunt.” He didn’t choose to be a Nazi or in the military; it was an expectation one didn’t question. He didn’t talk much about himself. It seemed he wanted to persuade me he wasn’t evil.
Then, he shared his wife’s story. He told me she had struggled with depression throughout her life. He said she struggled because of what happened to her in the war. She was a military nurse throughout the war. At the end of the war, she was stationed at the Eastern Front. The German military survivors had to walk back to their homes, hundreds of miles, without proper food and water, and through hostile territory. He admitted that she had been raped several times throughout her journey home. He said she never fully recovered from the cruelty.
My church friend wanted me to understand that wars are made up of individuals who are neither perfect nor the personification of evil. I embraced his message and will never forget the impact the couple had on my ministry and the way I looked at global conflict. People who are your enemy one moment often become collaborators a few years later. But, if a nation totally demoralizes the one who loses the conflict by casting dispersions on their religion, undermining who they are by exacerbating racism, then generational hatred and the hunger for retribution continue for decades.
Politically, changing the hearts and minds of a war’s losers provides greater security for the victorious society. 9/11 is just one example of how humiliating and demoralizing a culture can have unfortunate consequences. For people of faith, we must consider compassionate justice in every situation. If war is a necessary evil, then doing so by doing just enough violence to make change, and to do so without doing violence to the innocent.
God watches and judges how a nation responds in moments of conflict. God desires a focus on defending justly, rather than being the aggressor, bullying and stealing the resources of a weaker country, just because the stronger nation can. Even in war, God calls us to respond defensively, so reconciliation remains possible. The United States responded that way with Germany and Japan, and they remain partners in business and military support since. Reconciliation is God’s will and good politics, in times of peace and in military conflict.