
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, March 14, 1991                   TAG: 9103140409
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A-12   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

DAVIS RAISED ISSUES CAL THOMAS IGNORED

HAS CAL Thomas, self-proclaimed advocate of the religious right, joined the humanists? In his Feb. 6 column on the just war, he chose Aristotle instead of Augustine to describe the "just war" theory, while Paxton Davis pointed to Augustine's efforts to provide a rationale for Christians to support war.

In fact, Davis' March 1 column raised the questions that the church has considered important - killing of non-combatants and proportionality. To call the war just requires justifying the killing of civilians and the destruction of the Iraqi society.

When Thomas chose to ignore those questions, he ignored the very essence of the "just war" theory as it relates to the war in the Persian Gulf. Paxton Davis has served us well by addressing those issues. I commend him for his excellent column. ROY N. FORD JR. MARTINSVILLE

by CNB