The mandatory Nuclear Ethics and Nuclear Warfare session, which includes a discussion on St. Augustine's "Christian Just War Theory," is led by Air Force chaplains and takes place during a missile officer's first week in training at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
The Christian Just War Theory has been touted by Rep. Ron Paul, a 2012 presidential candidate, on the campaign stops. During his Nobel Prize acceptance speech two years ago, President Obama also invoked the concept of a "just war," stating there will be times when the use of force will be "morally justified."
St. Augustine's "Qualifications for Just War," according to the way it is cited in a 43-page PowerPoint presentation, are: "to avenge or to avert evil; to protect the innocent and restore moral social order (just cause)" and "to restore moral order; not expand power, not for pride or revenge (just intent)."
The Air Force has been mired in numerous religious scandals over the past decade and has been sued for allowing widespread proselytization at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. It has been citing Christian teachings in its missile officer training materials for at least a decade.
TVNL Comment: The purpose of religion is to break down our critical thinking mechanisms in our brains. The crazier things you can get people to believe the easier they are to manipulate and influence. The more "radically religious", (which really just means that you believe more of a religion than average people) the crazier things they will do, like kill or die while killing others. It is practice or conditioning for the purpose of getting you to believe whatever they tell you and like they do with religion, require no proof and ask no questions...just trust them, or have "faith" in them. They are tools, nothing more. Religion is there to make you a tool to be used. That's all it is folks, nothing more, nothing less.