Religion, Peace and conflict

28/11/23 20:03

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