Religion, Peace and Justice Unit A review of the main topics

Christian Attitudes To War There are references in the Old Testament of the Bible to warfare, and it was thought that victory would belong to the Chosen People (the Jews) through the power of God However the Jews did look forward to the coming of the Messiah, the “Prince of Peace”, after which peace would reign across the world. The Christians were originally those Jews that accepted Jesus as the Messiah. The teachings of Jesus did not appear to support warfare. He encouraged “pacifism” instead, turning the other cheek and never meeting violence with violence

Reasons For A War To Be Called “Just” Christians have not always been pacifists. Thomas Aquinas laid down the guidelines by which a Christian can decide whether a specific war is “just” (fair, right) or not. 1.The war must be declared by a government not an individual 2.There must be a good reason for war e.g. self-defence 3.The intention of the war must be good e.g. to restore peace 4.Civilians should be protected 5.The war should not cause unnecessary harm

Conscientious Objectors Those who refuse to fight on the grounds of conscience, including religious belief, are known as conscientious objectors Some Christians believe that modern weapons are so devastating that no war can be “just” today In the First and Second World Wars some pacifists carried out “non-combatant” roles e.g. doctor, cook. Some were put in prison. The Society of Friends (Quakers) are the only officially pacifist Christian Church

Christian attitudes to violence The Quaker Peace testimony of 1660 is the most famous statement of Christian pacifism. Read it here. here Compare with this passage from the Old Testament, one of many, which indicate that God calls believers to battle.this passage from the Old Testament What did Jesus have to say on the subject? Read it herehere … or try this from Jesusthis

Reasons why many Christians are pacifists - A commandment says “thou shalt not kill” - Jesus spoke about pacifism - The actions and example of Jesus - War rarely solves problems, just creates new ones - An evil action should never be met with retaliation `

Justice and Punishment Christians believe that God is the ultimate Judge of us all at our deaths. However some judgement has to be passed on earth for bad actions. Christians believe that prisoners should be treated humanely and kept in good conditions The Four Purposes of Punishment Retribution – making the criminal pay Deterrence – a warning to other potential criminals Protection – to look after the interests of law-abiding citizens Reformation – giving the criminal the opportunity to change

Capital Punishment Capital punishment is putting people to death for the most serious crimes. It is carried out in many countries in the world including Iran, China, Pakistan and USA. Many Christians are against Capital Punishment because it makes it impossible for the criminal to reform Some sources on capital punishment in the USA Amnesty International Capital Punishment information

Social Injustice Christianity teaches that God created everybody and created them to be equal All forms of social injustice and discrimination are therefore wrong. The main pillars of social justice are: Human rights; equality before the law; freedom of movement, thought, opinion, conscience, religion; the right to marry and have children. Christians would be expected to struggle alongside people facing social injustice e.g in South America where the teachings of |Liberation theology call for direct political action to fight injustice. X Nfhfug

Sample question: a)What is pacifism? (1 mark) b)Give two examples of what Christians might consider to be social injustice (2 marks) c)Why might Christians work for peace? (3 marks) d)What are Christian attitudes to war? (6 marks) e)“All people should be pacifists” Discuss this statement. You should include different, supported points of view and a personal viewpoint. You must refer to Christianity in your answer. (12 marks)

Sample part d) question: Explain why Christians might be opposed to the use of violence (6) Many Christians would be against violence because they believe that Christianity is a religion of peace. They believe that Jesus brought a message of non-violence and there are quotes in the Gospels where Jesus says that we should “love our enemies” and “turn the other cheek”. Jesus also says that the “Peacemakers” are blessed. An example of this would be Martin Luther King, who put Jesus’ message into practice, struggling peacefully for equal rights for black people in America in the 1960’s. Some Christians would note that it says in the Old Testament that sometimes people have to fight for God’s cause, a Holy War. A man called Thomas Aquinas even came up with a list of five rules that Christians should follow if they cannot avoid going to war e.g. the war should only come after all attempts to solve the problem peacefully have failed. But, at the end of the day, Jesus taught peace, and this is what Christians try to practise in their everyday lives. Christians believe that everybody was created by God, in His image, the Ten Commandments say “Thou shalt not kill” and you should not be violent towards a person created by God.