The Moral Dilemma of War on a Sunday Morning

 

It's Sunday morning and for an increasing number of congregations in Canada this means that members will be physically gathering for worship thanks to easing restrictions. I am thinking about the description of a moral dilemma in Malcolm Gladwell's current book The Bomber Mafia which is about the aerial bombing strategies which developed during WW2. The Allied air command moved from strategic bombing to carpet bombing, from choosing specific military and industrial targets to supposedly crushing the morale of German, then Japanese citizens by razing houses and killing civilians. A bombsight device for planes was developed by a brilliant engineer named Carl Norden , a Christian, who felt that his invention would allow a precision in hitting targets which could minimize the loss of human life, but there were conflicting views on what would be most effective. Unfortunately it was never as effective in combat as it was in testing. 

The incident which comes to mind is a mission by a squadron of enormous bombers which was assigned to take out the core of a German city. The crews were instructed to sight on the broad steps of a church, this on a Sunday morning when congregants would be attending worship. One pilot, a Christian, balked at this assignment but was reminded of the consequences of not complying, so he flew the mission. 

The descriptions of what happened in Japan were even more chilling. Before the atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki more than 60 Japanese cities were carpet bombed under cover of night. The planes were dropping incendiary devices delivering the new invention called Napalm. Japanese homes were made of wood and the interiors had bamboo and paper screens. The devastation of Tokyo resulted in more than 100,00 lives lost and as many of half a million civilians killed across the country, this before the use of atomic weapons.Did these conflagrations hasten the end of the war and ultimately save more lives than were lost? 

Gladwell makes a point of telling the grim story from the perspective of the moral and ethical issues. He employs biblical stories on a couple of occasions, including Jesus' temptation by Satan when he is taken to a high place and offered the kingdoms of the world. I found this approach intriguing and sobering. What does war do to us individually and collectively? He even introduces the notion of cult-like behaviour inculcated in those who "just follow orders." 

Near the end of the book Gladwell notes that today the emphasis is on precision bombing which can be done with chilling accuracy, perhaps a vindication of Norden and others who were part of the so-called Bomber Mafia brain trust. In the end though, our human propensity to solve our differences by killing each other, then finding more powerful and efficient ways to do so is absurd -- could we say, diabolical?

Okay, not a cheery start to the day, but food for thought!