Copyright © 2026 By Cassandra St. John, an American Orthodox Christian
I am not a strict pacifist. But I oppose wars of aggression and expansionism.
You may think that that is a distinction without a difference. Let me explain.
In 1961, the Republican President Dwight “Ike” Eisenhower delivered his farewell address to the nation at the end of his second term in office. In the speech, he warned about “the military-industrial complex.” The phrase is a quaint but useful nickname for the now longstanding relationship between the U.S. military and its arms industry.
Ike warned that the burgeoning war machine of the Cold War era might “endanger our liberties or democratic processes.”
He explained:
“In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist. . . . We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together.”
Ike, the former five-star Army general and supreme commander of the Allied forces during World War II, could have used his speech to reminisce about his wartime victories. Instead, he warned Americans that the military-industrial complex, if left unchecked, would undermine America and the world.
If Ike were still alive, what would he say about the military’s current whopping $961 billion budget? Would he scratch his head and wonder what America could do instead with nearly a trillion bucks? What would Ike think of the approximately 800 U.S. bases around the world? That sure sounds like an empire stirring up enemies abroad.
What of the ongoing attritional Russo-Ukrainian War? It was fomented by and is sustained by America’s military-industrial complex, which has made billions of dollars from arms and munitions sales to Ukraine. And the bloodbath in Gaza? Ditto. Should Christians write off their Slavic and Gazan brethren in deference to America’s militaristic, hegemonic agenda?
Did Ike, a politician and belatedly baptized Presbyterian, take more seriously the threat of abusive war powers than do most Orthodox Christians? Whose job is it to call out a political class wedded to companies that profit from death and destruction — if not the Orthodox, whose patristic legacy is pro-peace? We pray for peace during each Divine Liturgy. There is no Orthodox just-war theory, as the Orthodox Peace Fellowship explains.
In 1942, Alexander Schmorell was a 24-year-old Orthodox Christian medical student living and studying in Munich. Repulsed by various aspects of the Nazi regime, including its militarism, Alexander and a few trusted friends named themselves the “White Rose” and began actively opposing the Third Reich. They launched a seditious leaflet campaign to inform and bestir their fellow citizens. Here’s an excerpt from their first leaflet: “Offer passive resistance — resistance — wherever you may be, forestall the spread of this atheistic war machine before it is too late.”
Alexander’s biography narrates his story of resistance through his eventual arrest and beheading by the Nazis on July 13, 1943, to his glorification in 2012. He is now St. Alexander of Munich. “Service to Christ takes different forms and modes in accordance with times and circumstances,” observed Metropolitan Onuphry of Ukraine during the pan-Orthodox glorification ceremony.
St. Alexander of Munich (July 13 n.s.), pray for us!
The U.S. government’s own atheistic war machine tragically has been on the war path for most of its 250-year history. How many of the wars were unnecessary? Can you sympathize with anti-war activists’ opposition to them?
Taxing, printing, and borrowing money keep the war machine going — but so does your polite tolerance of it.
Yes, you.
Silence is complicity. No excuses. Offer a moleben service for peace, and practice repentance and forgiveness — those are Orthodox essentials. But also educate yourself and speak out about the war machine.
You won’t be alone. Many notable people still doggedly trudge through this morass, although none of them provides an Orthodox perspective on the topic. Ron Paul calls out the war machine, as do Ralph Nader, John Whitehead, David Swanson, Dave Smith, Glenn Greenwald, Scott Horton, Medea Benjamin, and Caitlin Johnstone.
Peruse and ponder their work. Then openly discuss and debate these pertinent questions:
Should Christians work for the military or for defense contractors?
Should Christians choose a side in the Russo-Ukrainian War?
Should Christians remain silent while bombs fall on the Middle East?
Should Christians cheer on wars that enrich the elites and leave veterans beset by PTSD, suicide, addictions, and homelessness?
Should Christians allow their children to be drafted for wars because they are afraid of being labeled “pacifists”?
And finally: Should Christians repent of militarism, pray earnestly, and work for change as the salt and light of the world?
When you have a free moment, contact your U.S. senators and ask them to support the Slash the Pentagon Act. Info at this link:
https://www.antiwar.com/blog/2026/06/17/slash-the-pentagon-act-would-cap-trumps-military-budget-to-fund-healthcare-education-and-more/
[…] Against the War Machine with St Alexander of Munich, https://orthodoxreflections.com/against-the-war-machine/ […]
The attritional War in Ukraine was started by the Russian Federation and Blessed by Patriarch Kirill of the Russian Orthodox Church and that’s a sad truth which explains why only 6% of the Baptisted Russian Orthodox Church members attend church at least ONCE each month. Can’t blamed the other 94% for being uninspired by a Heretic who leads Believers AWAY from the words and teachings of Jesus Christ, as documented by the Orthodox Study Bible-Red Letter Edition.
A great example of a Patriarch of the Orthodox Church who took his Theosis seriously is Patriarch Pavle of Serbia, who observed the following about War Crimes, when he said: “In July 1999, during the Kosovo War, he told the Bosnian weekly Slobodna Bosna that “if Greater Serbia should be built on crimes, I don’t agree… let there be no Greater Serbia. If small Serbia should be built on crimes, I don’t agree again… let there be no small Serbia. If it takes a crime for one only remaining Serb to survive, I don’t agree again. Let us extinct, but to survive by crime, no way” http://www.bndlg.de. This statement reflected his belief that national survival should not be achieved through criminal acts.
Pavle also condemned the use of the Serbian Orthodox Church to serve Slobodan Milošević’s political ambitions, calling him “not a Christian” and warning that Milošević sought to control the Church http://www.bndlg.de. He emphasized that the Church had never been pro- or anti-Milošević, but that his duty as a Christian was to defend the truth.
Throughout his patriarchate, Pavle consistently opposed inhuman treatment of others, even in self-defense. He warned that Serbs should not act inhumanely toward Muslims while defending themselves, and he criticized nationalist rhetoric that justified large-scale violence spzh.eu+1. His position was often at odds with nationalist factions, who saw him as a threat to their cause, and with opposition groups, who viewed him as too conciliatory toward Milošević.
Pavle’s approach was rooted in his long experience as a bishop in war-torn regions like Kosovo and Metohija, and in his belief that peace should be pursued through reconciliation rather than conquest. He framed his moral authority as following the Gospel’s call to “live at peace with everyone” (Romans 12:18), even when that meant being “persecuted by all” (2 Timothy 3:12) spzh.eu+1.
In sum, Patriarch Pavle’s stance on war crimes was clear: he rejected the idea of achieving national goals through violence, condemned the misuse of religion for political ends, and insisted on moral accountability in times of conflict.”
Objective Orthodox Christians who are sincere in their Faith can’t support the US/Israeli attack on Iran, in an attempt to overthrow the Iranian Regime which had not attacked either the USA or Israel, especially given the fact the US Regime’s leaders reported that Nuclear materials were obliterated by USA bombing in June 2025. The converse is true in the Russian Federation invasion of Ukraine, which was a violation of International Law and the United Nations Charter. War Crimes by Russia have been well documented by Independent International Agencies, including the United Nations, International Criminal Court, and OSCE for use in prosecution of War Criminals.
Silence is Complicity and Metropolitan Unifry has yet to publically request that Patriarch Kirill issue a full and complete release of the UOC-Moscow Patriarchy as a consequence of Kirill’s Blessing of War Crimes, despite his condemnation of such War Crimes.
It’s a sad time for the Faithful of the Orthodox Church, let’s pray for peace throughout the world, prosecution of War Criminals, and purging of Heretics of our Beloved Church of those who would distort the Truth of Jesus Christ for political purposes.
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And if Metropolitan Onuphry of Ukraine is so disgusted by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, his native sovereign land he pretends to be he should request full and complete release of the UOC-Moscow Patriarch Church from Kirill, for the world to see. That would show the doubters and the rest of the world he is sincerely interested in cutting ties permanently with the cancerous Russian Orthodox Church , which has shocked the Christian World with it’s un Christ like conduct. The Late Pope Francis certainly nailed it when he called Kirill Putin’s Altar Boy. Such viruses need to be eradicated before they spread. All Christians who ernestly pray for peace can certainly agree on that! (Request to editor: please tack above on my previous post. Thanks!)
Total and absolute nonsense. Rationalization is the Devil’s Playground. All visit, some stay!
Wars of aggression are bad, no doubt. An unwarranted attack on Iran to destroy “nuclear dust” which was reportedly destroyed over one year ago is one recent occurrence I can think of, off the top of my head. Silence is Complicity? Agreed! Blessing War Criminals and War Crimes like Kirill of Moscow is despicable, indefensible, and heretical. Heretics are those who lead people AWAY from the teachings of Jesus Christ.
A great Orthodox example about the evils of war crimes is Patriarch Pavle of Serbia, of Blessed Memory, who said: “if Greater Serbia should be built on crimes, I don’t agree… let there be no Greater Serbia. If small Serbia should be built on crimes, I don’t agree again… let there be no small Serbia. If it takes a crime for one only remaining Serb to survive, I don’t agree again. Let us become extinct, but to survive by crime, no way” http://www.bndlg.de. This statement reflected his belief that national survival should not be achieved through criminal acts.
Pavle also condemned the use of the Serbian Orthodox Church to serve Slobodan Milošević’s political ambitions, calling him “not a Christian” and warning that Milošević sought to control the Church. He emphasized that his duty as a Christian was to defend the truth, not to align with any political agenda http://www.bndlg.de.
Throughout his career, Pavle consistently opposed inhumanity in defense — he warned that Serbs should not act inhumanely toward Muslims while defending themselves, and he criticized both sides of the conflict for committing war crimes spzh.eu+1. His approach was rooted in the Gospel, aiming to “live at peace with everyone” (Romans 12:18), though he was “persecuted by all” for doing so spzh.eu+1.
In sum, Patriarch Pavle’s position on war crimes was clear: he rejected the moral justification of violence for political or national goals, condemned the commission of crimes, and insisted on moral integrity in both religious and political life. ”
Citing John Whitehead in this opinion piece is inexcusable, given his propensity to rationalize the Russian invasion of Ukraine, in violation of International Law, the United Nations Charter, and just about every teaching of Jesus Christ contained in the Orthodox Study Bible-Red Letter Edition.
The United States government is largely if not completely to blame for the conflict in Ukraine.
With all your talk and reliance on history, I’m shocked you don’t know that.
“Wars of aggression are bad, no doubt.”
I am glad we agree.
Especially when they are against your own Russian speaking people.
I can’t help but notice you aren’t at all concerned about the Russian speaking people in the breakaway Republics in the eastern region of Ukraine.
None of you pontificating Ukraine supporters ever mention them.
“Conversely, propaganda campaigns will not be mobilized where victimization, even though massive, sustained, and dramatic, fails to meet the test of utility to elite interests. Thus, while the focus on Cambodia in the Pol Pot era (and thereafter) was exceedingly serviceable, as Cambodia had fallen to the Communists and useful lessons could be drawn by attention to their victims, the numerous victims of the U.S. bombing before the Communist takeover were scrupulously ignored by the U.S. elite press. After Pol Pot’s ouster by the Vietnamese, the United States quietly shifted support to this “worse than Hitler” villain, with little notice in the press, which adjusted once again to the national political agenda. Attention to the Indonesian massacres of I965-66, or the victims of the Indonesian invasion of East Timor from I975 onward, would also be distinctly unhelpful as bases of media campaigns, because Indonesia is a U.S. ally and client that maintains an open door to Western investment, and because, in the case of East Timor, the United States bears major responsibility for the slaughter. The same is true of the victims of state terror in Chile and Guatemala, U.S. clients whose basic institutional structures, including the state terror system, were put in place and maintained by, or with crucial assistance from, U.S. power, and who remain U.S. client states. Propaganda campaigns on behalf of these victims would conflict with government-business-military interests and, in our model, would not be able to pass through the filtering system.”
https://chomsky.info/consent01/
This article is not about Ukraine or any other country. I am an American concerned about wars prosecuted in my name and on my dime.
“Citing John Whitehead in this opinion piece is inexcusable,”
Not knowing who John WhiteHEAD is is inexcusable, especially when I provided the link to him.