Israel, Gaza?

The 10 day cease-fire in Gaza is about to be broken. More innocent lives may be lost, until today, the toll is reaching 2000 civillians. When you analyse this problem, one shouldn't weigh the question : "Who's at fault?" or condemn one party and support the other. Both should be condemned, as you know, war brings no benefit to us. It's a lose-lose situation, so why bother going into war?

Here, we analyse the Catholic Church's stand on WAR. We believe in the JUST WAR DOCTRINE. (No, it doesn't mean, going to war as you wish; rather, it means justifying reasons to go to war)

St. Thomas Aquinas developed a theory of St. Augustine into the now-known Just War Theory. It's basis is the natural moral law and it incorporates a moral evaluation before going to war and during it. Everything leading up to war and every act during it must fulfill the criteria listed. So, the Church's stand is that in theory, war is justified at times, and a just war can be waged. And the Church believes that throughout history, some wars were morally right, but many wards could've and should've been avoided.

Components of it:

1. Before War :

• Just cause - the reasons for going to war must be morally correct, such as to repel invading enemy forces, which are considered unjust aggressors(think Pearl Harbor)
• Competent authority - only authorized leaders can declare and involve the nation in war, such as prime ministers, kings and queens
• Comparative Justice - is the outcome of the war worth the damage of the war?
• Right intention
• Last resort - all other peaceful alternatives to the war must be done before resorting to war
• Probability of success - a just war demands that the hope of winning the war is reasonable
• Proportionality - The suffering due to the war must be proportionately less or smaller than the evils of suffering if there had been no conflict

2. During war :

• Proportionality - A just war uses moral means during the execution of the war, i.e. biological weapons are considered immoral because the disproportionately harm more people and in more severity than is necessary for victory.
• Discrimination of noncombatants - collateral damage must be kept to an absolute minimum and civilian population centers shouldn't be targeted.

So, there you go. Why war?

CSS is BACK!

Everyone!

ATOMIC CSS-UCSI is BACK in action!

Gatherings will be held every Wednesday from 3:30-5:00pm in Room C406.

(write that down!)

This evening, we'll be having a Meet & Greet session at McDonalds Tmn Connaught from 3:30pm onwards.

Make sure you're there!

The Christmas Story...

The writer looks back at the Christmas that has just passed and gives his two pence worth of musings. He wishes everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!


Phew. Another Christmas has come and go. After being stuffed with turkeys, ham, baked potatoes, fruit cakes, pies and ocassionally, wine from C'mas, we ushered in the New Year with even more partying and celebrating.

Gone are the carols on Silent Night, and we won't hear God Rest Ye' Merry Gentlemen, and Away in the Manger no more(at least not for another 11 months), I'm feeling kinda bumped because Christmas passed as fast as it came.

I remembered, two years ago, we had carolling - around Taman Connaught and in Berjaya Times Square. All the fun, jumping and dancing merrily. The joy of celebrating Christmas with everyone: CSS members, lecturers and other students of the same faith. Last Christmas, I missed my own BEC's carolling, didn't join the church choir(never did) and the reunion dinner was more of a silent affair.

When I was young, after midnight mass, I remember I would come back home and open the presents at 3am. The case is that I always pester my parents to buy the toys I want, so not much of a surprise...still a new toy! After coming off age(and getting old), last Christmas, I decided to do a charitable thing for my nieces and bought them this 'babi-doll-hair-styling-thing'. You know, the ones where you can put beads into the strands of hair.

The first hour, both of them were engrossed with it. Or rather, I was engrossed in it,(haha) trying to figure out how to work the "battery-less" thing. The beads just kept falling off, and I'd swear hairstyling isn't as simple as the indian uncle in the local barber shop! Soon after that, when everyone got bored because the only thing that could be beaded is, well, nothing... the toy was left aside and both my nieces resorted to hopping around the house. Days later, the 'thing' was lying on the table, untouched. Kids these days have too many toys, I'd swear.

Of course, with Christmas, you'd get more than just presents and turkeys. As you mature, you realised this is the time of love. You'd appreciate the gospels more. The symbolism of the 4 candles. The history of Christmas. Yet, minus the celebrations part, you'd feel your Christmas is incomplete too, no?

If you have other Christmas stories which you would like to share, do email them to cssucsi@gmail.com and it will be published.(for the whole world to read...)