JOIN US! Retreat link: https://bit.ly/45fItsa
Trent Horn's original video is here:
https://youtu.be/6amuetZv-eM?si=VTq1g653L26NsFeY
This is more of a "reaction video" than a rebuttal video.
If it is a critique, my only critique is that Horn doesn't go far enough. It is a critique of his TREATMENT of the issue, not his views, and his treatment is the usual and standard approach in Catholic circles; thus his video is REPRESENTATIVE of the larger thing I'm trying to critique, if that makes sense.
In case it is not clear in the video, mine is a 3-part critique:
1) As most Catholics tend to do, Horn presents the Catholic controversy around the dropping of the atomic bombs ONLY according to highly selective Church teachings, and he references only certain Catholic arguments, specifically those that are made when looking at the issue through the keyhole of Just War Doctrine.
2) Though one can infer or assume that he is implicitly basing his exploration and discussion on tenets of the Just War Doctrine, he doesn't explain that doctrine to his audience, and so the "Catholic" standards and Church teachings are getting mixed up with secular or worldly definitions and rules, i.e. the UN definition of "war crimes," which muddles the issue.
3) He drops the ball when he fails to address how World War 2 AS A WHOLE would fare as a "good" or "just war" if the standards of Just War Doctrine were "strictly applied," specifically the standards of Jus In Bello: For if the war is not being conducted according to the rules, no Catholic can fight in it. So, WHAT KINDS of bombs the Catholics are dropping and under what circumstances or with what motivation becomes a moot point. The real issue becomes: Why did so many Catholics participate in an UNJUST WAR in the first place? That's the question that should be asked here.
I admire Trent Horn. He's obviously very intelligent, but this was not his strongest video. His coverage of the issue seemed sparse and kind of patched together. If I were to speculate, I'd that he is more than aware of the logical contradictions and inconsistencies that become obvious when you wade into these waters, hence he can only hint at or briefly touch upon the glaring problems before closing out the video, giving a nod to the "real issues" but stopping short of fully exploring them. Maybe that is because he, like 99.9% of the people in the Catholic Church, he has only explored these issues while looking through the keyhole of Just War Doctrine. Maybe, like 99.9% of the Church, he's never given any serious though to the the other, wider perspective of Gospel Nonviolence. Hence, I wanted to invite him, and you, to my retreat. Retreat link: https://bit.ly/45fItsa
What do YOU think?
God bless!
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