CCEA Religion - War

Genesis 1 quote

all humans are created in ‘the image and likeness of god’

Child soliders international stat

since 2000, the participation of child soldiers has been reported in almost every region of the world

Stott est on child soldiers

there may be as many as 300,000 child soldiers involved in conflicts around the world

Sierra Leone

child soldiers were drugged and forced to commit atrocities

Michael Anywar

forced to kill members of his family / ‘if i didn’t, i would be killed’

How many refugees today?

43.7 mil (end of 2024)

According to the international campaign to ban landmines, why are landmines immoral?

they’re indiscriminate, they’re inhumane and they’re counterproductive to a country’s economic development

1994 Rwanda

the hutus killed 800,000 rwandan natives

Sudan

Sudanese gov fought darfur rebels and indiscriminately attacked people of the same ethnic group - 400,000 killed

Uyghur Muslims

approx 1 million imprisoned for practising their religion / Simon-Shjodt centre determined this is a genocide as there is a shoot to kill policy for escapes and escapees repost physical and sexual torture

Stott on WMDs

‘threat of self destruction of the human race’

What countries currently hold nuclear weapons?

usa, britain, france, russia, india, pakistan, israel, north korea, china

What’s the final death toll of hiroshima and nagasaki?

135,000

Meason on MAD

‘if MAD exists, its presence will serve as an extremely effective nuclear deterrent’

Stott on MAD

it is morally defensible to possess WMDs which will never be used to prevent other countries from using their weapons. however, ‘a deterrent lacks credibility if the enemy knows we would never use it’

What does the campaign for nuclear disarmament hope to achieve?

unilateral disarmament

Treaty on non proliferation of nuclear weapons

accepted by 191 countries / accepts nuclear technology as an energy supply but urges against stockpiling nuclear weapons

Church of england on WMDs

‘the use of nuclear weapons cannot be justified’

Catholic church on WMDs

‘any act of war aimed discriminatelu at the destruction of entire cities… is a crime against god’

What do biological weapons do?

spread diseases such as anthrax and smallpox

First eg of chemical weapons being used

mustard gas in ww1

Vietnam war

chemical weapons used- napalm and agent orange (jellied petroleum and superior strength weed killer) → kim phuc

What is pacifism

the opposition of war and violence, instead seeking to settle disputes by peaceful means

What’s absolute pacifism?

prohibiting any form of violence regardless of the motives

Two biblical arguments for pacifism

Prohibition of killing in the decalogue / teachings of jesus in the sermon on the mount

Tertullian quote

‘the lord, in disarming peter, unbelted every soldier’

What’s a conscientious objector?

Pacifists refusing to fight in a war

Gandhi quote

‘an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind’

Jenkins on militarism

leads to no ‘respect for human life or feeling’

What’s relative pacifism?

the view that was shpild be rejected and we should solve problems using peaceful methods. however, it can be accepted as a last resort

Bertrand Russell

a pacifist who conceded that the war against nazi germany was the lesser of two evils

Bowie on relative pacifism

‘war that serves the national interest is morally acceptable’

Amos quote

‘let justice roll on like a river’

Methodist teaching

‘there may be circumstances in which limited military activity is a necessary evil’

Pope Paul VI quote

‘never again war’

Pope John Paul || quote

‘fight for justice without violence ’

Fr George Zebelka (catholic air force chaplain who blessed bombers at hiroshima) quote

‘there is no way to conduct war in conforming with the teachings of jesus’

Pope Leo XIV quote

‘no more war’

Primary precept that advocates for relative pacifism

‘live harmoniously in society’

CS Lewis quote

‘if war is ever moral, then sometimes peace can be sinful’