Is The a Just Conflict? Analyzing Pastors' Understanding of Religious-based Conflict from the Just War Perspective

Abstract

This research explores pastors’ understanding of the 1999-2004 conflict in Ambon based on “just war” principles. The research employs a Just War Theory to survey the perceptions of an interreligious based conflict. The theory claims that a war could be a just war if it meets the principles in the Just War Theory. This research uses the stories from pastors to analyze and criticize the principles. It employed a qualitative method to collect data from field and documentary research. Using a snowball data collection approach, 15 pastors were interviewed in Ambon who experienced the conflict directly with their congregation members. The results show that the conflict in Ambon was not a just war because of the different causes and processes between the conflict in Ambon and the principles of a just war. Moreover, the understanding and experiences of the pastors fundamentally reflect that the just war principles are ideal in theory, but it is extremely hard to make a conflict a just war in practice. Although the conflict engaged religious communities, the principles of a just war still did not exist in the