Quakers and Unitarians have welcomed an Early Day Motion calling on Parliament to raise the age of recruitment into the armed forces to eighteen.

When Christians explore nonviolence, we do so with the legacy of Christian collusion with militarism hanging over us. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the confusion around Christian attitudes to the armed forces.

The Royal Navy’s most senior chaplain has triggered controversy by appearing to ask clergy not to criticise the war in Afghanistan or government military policy. He said that critical comments from the pulpit could damage morale.

Politicians and generals have been struggling to justify the Afghan war after a poll revealed the extent of public opposition. They have put forward different, and at times contradictory, arguments for keeping UK troops in Afghanistan.