They try to justify themselves by scholastic sophistry and reference to civil laws. Even if war was sanctioned by the Old Testament, Jews were not Christians, and Jesus ordered Peter to put up his sword. The use of both temporal and spiritual swords to war on heretics and infidels likewise was unjustifiable. The word of Christ himself has more authority than the theologians', even that of Thomas Aquinas. Punishing evildoers is not socially beneficial, because thousands of innocent people suffer in a war.
People have the right to take their power back if the king abuses it by injuring the people.
The tradi-tional view that Christians can war against infidels like the Turks is hypocritical to the teachings of Christ and is hardly the way to convert anybody. In The Complaint of Peace Erasmus pleads for peace by letting Peace speak. Peace laments that mankind has rejected the source of all their happiness, prosperity, and security. Peace observes the harmony and concord in the universe and how elephants, sheep, cranes, jays, storks, dolphins, bees, and ants get along and work together. Unanimity is of absolute necessity for man, yet neither nature, education, nor the rewards of concord and the disadvantages of disunity seem to be able to unite mankind in mutual love.