Opinions War: Madness by Unlimited Means Independent Thought

“God makes wars cease all over the world; He breaks bows, destroys spears, and sets shields on fire. ‘Stop fighting,’ He says, ‘and know that I am God’” (Psalm 46:9-10).

That biblical passage has stuck in my craw since I first learned it. It makes a promise that never has been fulfilled, a divine commandment that we’ve ignored for 2,500 years since it first was written down. Historians of warfare agree that, probably, there never has been a year in recorded history during which, somewhere on earth, a clan, tribe, nation or empire wasn’t fighting a war against its neighbors.

We’ve made massive attempts to excuse our inability to banish war from human civilization. The “just war theory” has been around in some form since the ancient Greeks. Sadly, the butchery of war cannot be justified by theologizing. The Church long has sought to use the idea of just war, only to watch in horror as Christian nations slaughtered each other’s people, century after century.

A famous example of futile human rationalization comes from the Napoleonic Era. Prussian military theorist Carl von Clausewitz wrote the multi-volume treatise, On War, which includes his famous declaration, “War is the continuation of politics by other means.” That theory arose from his bitter experience of sending Prussian troops into battle repeatedly against Napoleon’s Grande Armee, then seeing them repeatedly routed. He thought that reforming military doctrine, making it more rational, could negate the wholesale human slaughter caused by total war. Those reforms, however, were followed by the Crimean War, the Franco-Prussian War, the RussoTurkish War and finally, two worldwide bloodbaths during the 20th century.

The end of World War II in 1945 brought nuclear weapons and the Cold War, with its malign doctrine of “Mutually Assured Destruction,” into the equation. In the 21st century, war isn’t the continuation of politics by other means; it is madness by unlimited means. The ancient Sword of Damocles hangs over human existence itself. Since the first nuclear fireball, the idea of waging war has degenerated from political decision to insanity.

Only madmen and fools start wars today. That happened in Ukraine last year. I had long assumed that Vladimir Putin was a coldly rational person, too intelligent to do what he did last February. I was wrong. Instead, he’s operating under the sort of grandiose delu-

Judy Hetzler Shedd

1946 – 2023

I have had an adventurous and diverse life, and was fortunate enough to spend my life with my Angel daughter and grandson.

I have celebrated many years of love, support and happiness in marriage and friendship, living a life of love and compassion, with no regret. (Any sharing of happy stories should be with Anna Rose Shedd — who will miss me desperately.) Online condolences may be shared at www.hobbsfuneralhome.com.

Gordon McLaren

It is with deep sadness that the family of Gordon McLaren of Englewood, Fla., announce his passing on Friday, January 6, 2023.

Born in White Plains, N.Y., on May 22, 1953, Gordon is survived by his wife of eight years, Karen Phillips, and sister, Alice Thomas, of Englewood, Fla.; special grandson, Edward “Robby” Storey Jr. (Kendra) of Harrison; stepdaughters Oliva (Seth) Grass, Lake George, N.B., and Gillian Christie, Oromocto N.B., Canada; nephew Ryan Thomas, Las Vegas, Nev.; two great-nephews; several stepchildren, step-grandchildren, and great-step-grandchildren, step-nephews and step-nieces as well as many friends including Richard “Ernie” Evans.

Gordon was predeceased by his parents, George and Jean (nee Smith) McLaren; his first wife of 32 years, Ruby McLaren (nee Andrews); and nephew Jason Thomas.

Gordon graduated from Daycroft School in 1971 and went on to earn two bachelor degrees in business and forestry from Unity College in Maine. He spent his career as woodworker and school custodian.

Outside of his work, Gordon enjoyed many years as a base umpire for the baseball league in Harrison, and was a member of the committee that created the Field of Dreams. Gordon spent over 30 years as a volunteer for the Red Cross as well as 10 years as a volunteer camp host at Sebago Lake State Park and eight years with Donate Life New England. Nothing would make Gordon happier than knowing you have made the decision to become an organ donor.

Gordon’s family would like to express our profound gratitude for the care Gordon received by his many doctors and nurses who helped him maintain a vibrant life following a liver transplant in 2011. You are all greatly appreciated.

A memorial service will take place in Harrison, at a date in the spring, to be determined.

If you wish, donations in Gordon’s memory to Donate Life New England would be appreciate.

by Rev. Robert Plaisted Guest Columnist

sions that have destroyed one tyrant after another across the centuries. Delusional leaders never know when to say “Enough!” They believe themselves to be invincible. They’re always wrong.

With her pioneering research into the social behavior of chimpanzees, Dr. Jane Goodall overturned the longstanding assumption that Homo sapiens are the only species that wages war. Chimps are our closest relatives in the animal kingdom. We share 98.5 percent identical DNA. Goodall documented that chimps, like humans, do indeed plan, organize, attack and kill other groups of chimps, in what only can be described as warfare. Humans simply are more sophisticated and destructive about it. War appears to be baked into the DNA we share with our closest evolutionary cousins.

How will this madman’s ongoing folly in Ukraine end? Who knows? The certainty is that no one will win, but millions of innocent people will lose, yet again. That’s the inescapable conclusion, based on centuries of bloody human history, plus contemporary science. It also suggests a possible chilling answer to the theological dilemma posed by Psalm 46:9-10. How can serious Christians trust a promise of God that clearly never has been fulfilled, and gives no indication that it ever will be fulfilled? How can God keep a promise that warfare will cease on earth, while humans remain incapable of choosing to stop making war?

Consider this: Suppose God doesn’t have to do anything to end warfare. If God allows our warlike ways to continue unchecked, one day we surely will decide to start what actually will be “the war to end all wars.” God doesn’t need to intervene to end human warfare. We’re more than capable of doing that any day, all by ourselves.

Rev. Robert Plaisted is a retired United Methodist clergyman, formerly of Bridgton, now residing in Bath.