Studied by 3 people
Peace
an absence of conflict or the feeling of happiness, wellbeing and tranquility
Forgiveness
Showing grace and mercy and pardoning someone for what they have done wrong
Why may Christians believe in forgiveness
Jesus’ teachings of agape and “love thy neighbour as thyself”
Jesus forgave those who crucified him
Why may Christians disagree with forgiveness
They may believe in “an eye for an eye”
When Jesus was resurrected he said “Father, forgive them” and so they may believe that forgiveness is up to God
How does God set an example of showing forgiveness
By offering forgiveness to those who are truly sorry and who ask in faith and so Christians should forgive as they expect God to
The Parable of the Prodigal Son
God waits for humans to realise what they have done wrong and should then ask for forgiveness and change their behaviour
Matthew 6:14 on Forgiveness
“For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you”
The Lord’s Prayer on Forgiveness
“and forgive us our debts as we have forgiven our debtors”
Reconciliation
Restoration of harmony after relationships have broken down
Isaiah 2:4 on peace
“He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore”
What does the quote from Isaiah 2:4 about peace talk about
The prophet Isaiah looks forward to a time when God will bring peace as God is the ultimate judge
Justice
Bringing about what is right and fair according to the law or making up for a wrong which has been committed
Social Justice
Justice in terms of the equal distribution of wealth, opportunities and privileges in society
Social injustice
Unequal wealth and unfair treatment of individuals because of their race, sexuality, gender or religion and laws that support segregation
How can Christians respond to social injustice
Taking part in campaigns
Petitions
Donations to charities
Demonstrations
What is justice often linked with and why
Justice is often linked with equality because is people are not given the same opportunities it may be seen as unfair or unjust which could lead to resentment and conflict
What do Quakers believe about the concepts of peace, justice, forgiveness and reconciliation
That they should be used to prevent conflict from occurring in the first place
War
Armed fighting between two or more countries or groups to resolve issues between them
Conventional Warfare
A form of warfare conducted by using conventional weapons and battlefield tactics between two or more nations in open confrontation
Apocalyptic War
Where the mass detonation of nuclear weapons causes globally widespread destruction and radioactive fallout
Technological War
Refers to the use of technology to gain an advantage in war eg cyber attacks
Greed
A selfish desire for something
Do Christians agree with war/murder
Some Christians are willing to fight for their country even though the Christian church and Jesus’ teachings are against it
In war what are the general rules on murder
In war murder is usually seen as acceptable or inevitable and so it is allowed
Self-defence
Acting to prevent harm to yourself or others
Retaliation
Deliberately harming someone as a response to them harming you
Greed as a reason for war
Some leaders want to take over other countries as a way of showing their power
1 Timothy 6:10 on greed
“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs”
Self defence as a reason for war
Most people consider self defence to be morally acceptable (for example in WWII) and that it is acceptable to protect other countries under threat
What does the New Testament say about self defence as a reason for war
It is acceptable as long as all other possible ways of solving the problem have failed
Retaliation as a reason for war
Jesus seems to teach against retaliation and so Christians may try to follow this in their everyday lives
Matthew 5:39 on retaliation
“But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also”
Romans 12:17 on retaliation
“Do not repay anyone evil for evil… If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone”
Holy War
Fighting for a religious cause or God, probably controlled by a religious leader to achieve a religious goal and to receive a spiritual reward for those who take part
How do Christians feel about holy wars
They must be authorised by a religious leader
It must be to protect the Christian faith
Christians are more likely to use the power of argument than military strength
Religion as a reason for war
Christians in the Crusades (11-14thC) believed they were fighting on behalf of God and had God’s support
The Troubles in Northern Ireland
discrimination and violence between Protestants and Catholics
Exodus 21:24 on war
“an eye for eye, tooth for tooth”
Matthew 5:21-22 Jesus on war
“You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgement”
Matthew 26:52 Jesus on war
“Put your sword back in its place for all who draw the sword die by the sword”
Just War
A war which meets internationally accepted criteria for fairness and follows traditional Christian rules for war and is now accepted by all other religions
who developed The Just War Theory
Thomas Aquinas developed the Just war theory in the 13th century
What does the Just war theory aim to do
Lay out the conditions in which a war is justifiable and it sets rules to ensure a war is ethical
Jus ad bellum
Rules which say whether it is right to go to war
It must have a just cause, be lawfully declared by proper authority, have a good intention, the good achieved must weigh out the evil that led to it, it must have a reasonable chance of success
Jus in bello
Rules which define the conduct in war
Civilians must be protected - only enemy soldiers are fought, the force used must be proportional to the wrong done, minimum force should be used
Jus post bellum
Rule which state how peace should be established after a war
There should be a just cause to end war, no revenge taken, peace terms to be made and accepted by legitimate authority, punishment can only be applied to those directly responsible, terms of surrender have to be proportional to the original reason for war
The Geneva Convention
A convention which was agreed in the UK in 1957 that lays down the rules that must be obeyed in war
What do some Christians believe about fighting in Just wars
It is acceptable but is better to avoid war
Others disagree with the theory of a just war as it justifies the concept of war
What does the United Nations encourage
That countries should resolve disputes peacefully
Nuclear Weapons
Weapons that work by a nuclear reaction that devastate huge areas and kill large numbers of people
Weapons of mass destruction
Weapons that kill large numbers of people and cause great damage
Chemical weapons
Weapons that use chemicals to poison/burn/paralyse humans and destroy the natural environment
Biological Weapons
Weapons that destroy living organisms or infective material that can lead to disease or death
What is a justification for nuclear weapons
that they prevent world wars from occurring due to the fear of consequences of nuclear escalation
Give some Christian beliefs on the use of nuclear weapons
Some believe that only God has the authority to end life that he has created, weapons that kill the innocent can’t be justified,
What types of weapons are illegal
Chemical and Biological weapons
Violence
Using actions that can threaten or harm others
Protest
An expression of disapproval often in a public group
Terrorism
The illegal use of violence, usually against civilians, to cause fear and intimidation to achieve a political goal or ideological aims
Give some tactics of terrorism
Suicide bombers, car bombs, gunmen, arson, hijackings
Give some reasons for terrorism
Inequality, poverty, religious intolerance, greed, the media, conflict, colonialism, injustice, power, brainwashing, radicalisation
Radicalisation
The process by which people come to support terrorism and extremism or even participate in terrorist groups
Signs of radicalisation
Identity crisis
Personal crisis
Unmet aspirations
Criminality
Pacifism
A belief that all forms of violence even in self defence cannot be justified and that negotiation is a better way to settle a dispute than going to war
Quotes to support pacifism
“You shalt not commit murder” - Exodus 20:13
“Blessed are the peacemakers” - Matthew 5:9
“Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” - Matthew 5:44
“Put your sword away, for all who live by the sword will die by the sword” - Matthew 26:52
A Conscientious Objector
A person whose personal beliefs do not allow them to take part in military service eg Ben Salmon who objected to fighting even though the Roman Catholics were convinced WWI was a ‘just war’
Absolute pacifism
No military use under any circumstances
Jesus himself was a pacifist and so any form of violence is wrong against Jesus’ teachings
Conditional Pacifism
There is an argument that the consequences of war are less bad than the alternative
Civilians should not be harmed
Acts of war must be necessary and a last resort
What does the Catholic Church say about the use of hatred, violence and terror
That they are not the appropriate way to find solutions
They realise that responding to terrorism may require war but it is a final resort
The Church of England’s view on terrorism
Opposes terrorist activity but accepts the use of lethal force as a last resort
The Quakers views on terrorism
As Quakers are pacifists they oppose all uses of violence even as a last resort
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