Theme D - Religion, peace & conflict

What is conflict?

A serious disagreement or argument (typically prolong) leading to violence & war

What do Christians believe about war?

Some Christians (e.g. Quakers) believe that war is always wrong while others believe that war can be justifiable under certain conditions

What do Jews believe about war?

Most Jews are prepared to fight in war for their country & faith because the Promised Land was conquered & protected through fighting

Peace

• The absence of conflict, resulting in harmony & happiness

• The aim of war may be to create peace, however this hard to achieve due to the instability & resentment that war creates

• Christians & Jews believe that God will bring peace to the world in the future

Justice

• The bringing about of what is right & fair

• Injustice can result in conflict

• Christians & Jews believe that God is the ultimate judge & will establish justice in the future

• Jewish prophets preached the importance of justice particularly for the poor & vulnerable

Forgiveness

• Showing compassion & pardoning someone for their wrong doing

• When conflict is over forgiveness should follow

• Christians are taught to always forgive each other “How many times should I forgive my brother?… Not 7 times but 77 times”

• Christians & Jews believe God grants forgiveness to those who ask in faith

• Yom Kippur offers Jews an opportunity to seek Gods forgiveness for their sins

Reconciliation

• The restoring of relationships after conflict

• Requires conscious effort

• Does not mean you should ignore the past, but instead focus on the future

• Many Christians & Jews work for peace & reconciliation in times of conflict

What is a protest?

An expression of disapproval, often in a public group

What is terrorism?

An unlawful act of violence to achieve a certain goal

(often for political or religious causes, although no religion promotes terrorism)

Christian & Jewish beliefs about protests & terrorism

Christianity & Judaism are against violent protests & terrorism because it targets & harms innocent people

However, many believe that protesting to achieve justice is acceptable, as long as violence is not used

A quote to support Christian & Jewish beliefs against terrorism…

“Do not repay anyone evil for evil… live at peace with everyone”

2 examples of peaceful protests

• Martin Luther King organised peaceful protests against unjust racial laws in the USA

• Pro-Israel supporters protested peacefully outside the Palestine Mission in London “yes to peace, no to terror”

Reasons for war

Greed

Self-defense

Retaliation

Christian & Jewish beliefs about what is a justifiable cause of war

Most Christians & Jews believe that war should never be motivated by greed or retaliation, however self-defense is morally acceptable

Jews also believe that retaliation is a justifiable cause of war if the attack was unprovoked

Greed

• War may be caused by greed for more land, money & power

• Christianity teaches that greed is wrong “The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil”

• Judaism is also against greed because Jewish prophets criticised those who cheated the poor for personal gain & it goes against the commandment “You shall not covet”

Retaliation

• War may be fought in retaliation against an attack or wrong doing

• Christians are against retaliation because of Jesus’ teaching “Do not resist an evil person… turn the other cheek”

• Jews also disapprove retaliation in every day life “You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge… love your fellow as yourself” but some accept it in war

Self-defense

• War may be fought in self-defense when a country is under-attack or to help defend other nations under threat

• Christians believe fighting in self-defense is morally acceptable if all peaceful ways of solving the conflict have been tried first

• Jews believe that self-dense is an acceptable reason for war, particularly to defend Israel from attack

A quote to support self-defense as a justifiable cause of war…

“Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim… sometimes we must interfere”

what is holy war

Fighting for a religious cause or for God authorised by a Religious leader

What is an example of Holy war in the Bible

God commands Joshua to lead the conquest of the land of Canaan. This conquest includes capturing the city of Jericho and also the battle of Ai - Book of Joshua

What is another example of Holy War?

The crusades which was fought during 1095-1291. Series of conflicts between Christians and Muslim in the Holy Land (Israel) - both believed God was on their side.

• The first crusade was authorised by Pope Urban II, and was a response to Islamic expansion in the Holy Land

• Most Christians today do not support the idea of a Holy War

What is a Deterrent

putting off people from using nuclear weapons or else the World would be destroyed

What is one important international treaties about nuclear weapons

• The treaty of the Non-Proliferation about nuclear weapons (1968)

What are the three types of Weapons of mass destruction

• Chemical

• Biological

• Nuclear

Short term consequences of nuclear weapons

• Radiation exposure

• Acute sickness

• Extensive damage to structures

• radioactive debris

Long term consequences of Nuclear war

• radiation related illnesses such as cancer and genetic mutations

• environmental damage which can persist for decades

How many people were killed in the Hiroshima bombing by ‘Little boy’ and then ‘Fat Man’

140,000 people, and then 70,000

What are the 4 key arguments for 'using ‘Nuclear Weapons as a Deterrent’

• Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD)

• Stability and peace

• Reduced conventional wars

• Self-preservation

Mutually Assured Destruction

The theory of MAD suggests that if both sides in a conflict possesses the ability to respond with nuclear weapons after an attack, neither side is likely to initiate a nuclear war, as the result would be the annihilation of both

Stability and peace

Some people argue that the presence of nuclear weapons contributed to stability and peace between major nuclear-armed states during the Cold War, as neither the united states nor the soviet union wanted to risk it

Reduced conventional wars

Some suggest that the existence of nuclear weapons has led to a decrease in large-scale conventional wars between major powers, as the potential for escalation to nuclear conflict acts as a strong disincentive

Self-preservation

Some people argue that if a country has nuclear weapons but then disarms/dismantles them, they are making themselves vulnerable to attack. They believe it is better to keep them so that they are well-defended.

Arguments against the use of WMD

• Any christian arguments in favour of pacifism is necessarily against the development of nuclear weapons

• Quakers and the Catholic organisation (Pax Christi) are against Nuclear weapons

• Just War theory would prohibit the use of nuclear weapons

• Specific modern christian teachings against the use of nuclear weapons: Pacem in terris: ‘Nuclear weapons must be banned’. - Pope John Paul

Arguments for the use of WMD

• Some people argue that the use of the nuclear bombs at the end of WW2 cut short the war and caused less death and destruction than a continued war

• some people might argue that if you are going to have a war, then any weapons should be allowed, since they all cause death and destruction regardless of the type

Who developed Just War Theory

By Augustine and then later more fully by St Thomas Aquinas

What are the Just War 3 sets of criteria

• Jus ad bellum: Just conditions for going to war

• Jus in bello: Just conduct in war

• Jus post bellum: just conduct after war

What are the (Jus ad bellum) Just conditions for going to war (Poor Juliet Easily Reheated Last Saturday’s chips)

• Proper Authority

• Just

• Establish Good

• Reasonable chance of success

• Last resort

• Sufficient force - the amount of force used must only be enough to succeed

• Civilians

What are the (Jus in bello) just conduct in war

• Discrimination - combatants must distinguish between civilians and combatants, and attacks must be directed only at the military

• Proportionality - the harm caused to civilians must not be excessive in relation to the military advantaged gained

• Military necessity: Actions taken during warfare should be necessary for achieving legitimate military objectives

• Fair treatment of prisoners of war - captured combatants must be treated humanely and according to international law

What are the (jus post bellum) just conduct after war

• Reconciliation and reconstruction

• Accountability

Examples of unjust wars/conflicts

• All terrorist attacks: not authorised by a legitimate authority, and civilians

• (Arguably) Britian’s invasion of Iraq in 2003: there was no just cause, as there was no evidence of weapons of mass destruction

Examples of just war (arguably)

• WW2: just caused, legitimate authority, etc

• Kosovo War, 1999, just cause (the aim was to stop the ethnic cleansing of Albanians by the Serbian forces)