Up until the reformation, the Roman Catholic Church had justified its exercise of civil and ecclesiastical power by a series of subtle and erroneous philosophical contrivances. This argument became known as Just War Theory

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Up until the reformation, the Roman Catholic Church had justified its exercise of civil and ecclesiastical power by a series of subtle and erroneous philosophical contrivances. These subtleties sought to explain the use of force and the interference of Church in state power despite the biblical sanctions of the New Testament. The argument became known as Just War Theory

By and large the formulation of Just War Theory stems from the writings of Augustine of Hippo. Augustine's argument stems from two points. Firstly, he was an Athanasian apostate who did not understand the plan of salvation and, secondly, the Athanasian faction (now called Orthodox or Catholic) were attempting to rationalise their faith with their new found power; and doctrine was adjusted accordingly.

Gregory was to adapt Augustine's rationalisation to reconstitute a temporal and ecclesiastical empire under the supreme authority of the Pope. Gregory IX reiterated this position which led to the doctrine of the status quo in that all states existed by the authority of Rome.

All feudal states in Europe relied on the church for smooth running. With the establishment of a relatively stable feudal state system under Roman Catholic domination with the subjugation of internal unrest and external threat, two things occurred. Firstly, a population explosion and, secondly, an interest in philosophy and science developed.

The proliferation of the centres of learning and inquiry, and the philosophical problems of the legitimate pursuit of war were raising serious questions amongst churchmen and the philosophical and ethical questions raised by the Albig(h)ensian crusade and the establishment of the Inquisition required explanation.

In order to rescue the Church of Rome from its philosophical dilemma, Thomas Aquinas, as one of its leading dogmatists, was prompted to take Augustine's works and pose a series of inquiries. The answers to the points of inquiry at Question 40 on War were fundamental to Just War Theory for Athanasian Christians and hence the western world. Aquinas' points of inquiry are: 1. Are some wars permissible? 2. May clerics engage in war? 3. May belligerents use subterfuge? 4. May war be waged on feastdays? (See paper Theory of the Just War (No. 110) for further discussion)

The objection to his answers, is that Christ's comments in John 18:36, that his kingship was not of this world clearly precludes this interpretation of Aquinas and Augustine. In order to circumvent this objection it was necessary for Gregory and the church to declare the Kingdom of God on this earth in the form of the Roman Church and Empire, and the papacy as the Vicar of Christ.

From these writings the codification of Just War Theory emerged in the Bull Unam Sanctam [Latin - The One Holy (i.e. The Church)]. The main dogmatic assertions concern the unity and necessity of belonging to the church and the position of Pope as supreme head and the duty arising there from submission to him for salvation.

The main propositions of the Bull are:

Firstly, unity of the church and the necessity to belong to it are derived by reference to the one ark of the flood and to the seamless garment of Christ. As there is unity of the body so there is unity of the head in the Pope as successor to St Peter, i.e. he who is not subject to the Pope denies he is Christ's sheep. This position is in total opposition to the doctrines of the New Testament church and its structure, and NT prophecy, specifically Revelation chapters. 2 & 3.

Second, the following four principles and conclusion emanate from the Bull:

1. Under the control of the church are two swords i.e. two powers which are an expression of the medieval theory of the two swords, the spiritual and the secular.

2. Both swords are held to be in the power of the church, the spiritual wielded by the hands of the clergy and the secular to be employed for the church by the hands of the civil authority, but under direction of the spiritual power

3. The one sword must be subordinate to the other; the civil power must submit to the spiritual which has precedence, because of its greatness and sublimity having also the right to guide and establish the secular power, having power of judgement over it when it does not act rightly. An earthly power is judged by a spiritual authority, which in turn is judged by the highest spiritual authority (the papacy) which in turn is judged by God. (It is seen from this that Just War authority is rigidly feudal or hierarchal).

4. The authority, although granted to and exercised by man, is divine and granted to Peter by divine commission and confirmed in him and his successors. Whoever opposes this power ordained of God opposes the law of God and, like a Manichean (who holds a dualist theology), accepts two principles. Now therefore we declare, say, determine and pronounce that for every human creature it is necessary for salvation to be subject to the authority of the Roman Pontiff.

It is therefore demonstrated exhaustively from the above that the Just War position is a doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church.

Because of this inherent problem the nations and leaders have sought to replace Rome with a secular world authority and the current movement for a World Government is gathering momentum supported by Middle Europe whose nations see a revival of the Holy Roman Empire of European world domination. The United Kingdom ratified the Single European Act of 1986 and ceded authority to the European Parliament in effect doing away with the rights of the monarchy and the absolute sovereignty of the British people (the details are in T. C Hartley, Foundation of European Community Law, Oxford, 1981 and show the development from the Treaty of Rome leading up to this event). England has so bound itself to the European system under the Treaty of Rome that internal political reorganisation may only be possible legally by succession from Europe which of itself can be declared illegal by Europe and could justify invasion on the grounds of Just War Theory as above.

Under the doctrines established by canon law, world peace is impossible unless Europe and Rome achieve total world domination exercising full civil and ecclesiastical power. History has shown that when it is considered achievable Europe and Rome will act to realise this aim.

The Book of Revelation shows, by allegory, how this historical sequence is to come to pass.

Just War Theory is as untenable now as it was when the Roman clerics developed it to justify an unbridled lust for world domination, power and wealth. Membership of a body or world organisation is totally unnecessary for salvation. The doctrine that the Church is a corporate or physical structure or organisation, membership of which is necessary to salvation, is a heresy.

The first horseman of Revelation or the Apocalypse, that of false religion, was released from the Councils of the early Church. It established and set in motion the second horseman of war. When the 1,260 years had been completed, the false religious system had alienated the world. It had divided it into armed camps and established a military system that set off the chain events of revolution and modern warfare. Commencing with the American Civil War, the first of the modern wars, it developed into the wars of the twentieth century. Coupled with the technology of war is that of the materialism of the military industrial complex. The third and fourth horsemen are unleased and follow from the first two. The forthcoming Third World War and the subsequent wars will kill over two thirds of the planet. Pray fervently "Thy kingdom come".