The justification of war has been an ideal that has caused much debate and controversy for humanity throughout all time. It has been studied and interpreted by many theologians, philosophers, and politicians. There have many manuscripts documenting the correct use of war and the proper means of exercising force. Within the western tradition two main principles, the Christian and Islamic, have appeared that attempt to explain just war in relation to maintaining a peaceful society. Both of these traditions have similar main premises of a constant battle between a split society, one of good and the other of evil. However, there are many differences within each of the two respective religions view on the ideas of the conception of a well ordered society, the religious and secular influences on each ideology, and the justification and authorization of war.
             The Christian conception of a well-ordered, peaceful society, the City of God, was maintained and influenced by the ideal of just war. The City of God theory was created by St. Augustine of Hippo in the 4th century. His motivation for his writing was fueled by the decaying Roman Empire. St. Augustine felt that the collapse of the western empire to the invading barbarians resulted from the peaceful Christian ethic. "The charge was the traditional Christian pacifism had helped create untenable military circumstances for the western empire, the Church's concern to prepare it's members for the next life, had led to an ahistorical and socially irresponsible approach to the inescapable problems of individuals and societies in history (Tranquillitas Ordinis, Weigel)." Within his writings, he made a clear distinction between two cities, one that was based for Earthly living (City of Earth) and one that was based on love for God (City of God). He believed the City of Earth was capable of doing good, however was fundamentally evil because the only pure good is God. There is a...