Pacifism: Practice and Practicality

The Christian Attitude to War From what you know about the Christian Faith what should be Christian attitude to war?

The Christian Attitude to War You will be given nine statements that describe what the Christian attitude to war and violence should be. Christians should… …never use violence or do anything that enables war …be willing to use violence to defeat evildoers …be willing to use violence in defence of the weak or vulnerable …always use nonviolent methods to challenge injustice ...be willing to use violence to defeat nonbelievers …be willing to use violence to challenge injustice …never do violence themselves but be prepared to support war in a just cause …be willing to use violence in self-defence …accept that this world is violent but stay out of fighting

The Christian Attitude to War In pairs/small groups sort these nine statements into a diamond ranking in order of how much you agree with them… Agree Disagree

The Christian Attitude to War You have been thinking about the ideal – what Christians should think and how they should act. Would your rankings change if we reflected on the reality – how Christians actually think and act in relation to war?

Jordan is a Christian Pacifist… This is Jordan. Jordan is a Christian Pacifist… …what does this tell us about Jordan?

Pacifism From the Latin Pax and Facere, meaning ‘to make peace’ In this lesson we are going to explore pacifism, what it is, and how it inspires people to act

Pacifism From the Latin Pax and Facere, meaning ‘to make peace’

Pacifism From the Latin Pax and Facere, meaning ‘to make peace’ Types of Pacifism Pacifists always have an aversion to war and violence although pacifism comes in several forms

Pacifism From the Latin Pax and Facere, meaning ‘to make peace’ Absolute Pacifism A rejection of all violence and a total refusal to fight or to do anything to support violence.

Pacifism From the Latin Pax and Facere, meaning ‘to make peace’ Conditional Pacifism A belief that violence is always wrong but can sometimes be used when it is the lesser of two evils.

Pacifism From the Latin Pax and Facere, meaning ‘to make peace’ Nuclear Pacifism A belief that war and violence can be justified if certain conditions are met, but nuclear war is so indiscriminate and destructive it can never be acceptable.

Pacifism From the Latin Pax and Facere, meaning ‘to make peace’ Active Pacifism Demonstrating the belief that war and violence is wrong by actively working for peace.

Pacifism From the Latin Pax and Facere, meaning ‘to make peace’ Absolute Pacifism A rejection of all violence and a total refusal to fight or to do anything to support violence. Conditional Pacifism Believing that violence is always wrong but can sometimes be used when it is the lesser of two evils. Nuclear Pacifism A belief that war and violence can be justified if certain conditions are met, but nuclear war is so indiscriminate and destructive it can never be acceptable. Active Pacifism Demonstrating the belief that war and violence is wrong by actively working for peace.

Pacifism From the Latin Pax and Facere, meaning ‘to make peace’ Which category do you think the people in our case studies best fit into?

Absolute Pacifism Nuclear Pacifism Conditional Pacifism Active Pacifism

Nonviolence is a philosophy that is closely connected with Pacifism.

Nonviolence Nonviolence is a way of living that rejects violence but refuses to ignore violence and injustice. Nonviolence neither fights nor does it run away from problems. Instead it confronts and creatively challenges injustice in order to bring about change. Nonviolence is not a quick fix but relies on patience, perseverance, and a steadfast determination to achieve change.

Famous practitioners of nonviolence include…

Nonviolence Some peace organisations, including Pax Christi, prefer to describe themselves as nonviolent rather than pacifist. Why do you think this is?