Secular Views on War & Pacifism

Secular = Not dependent on religion in decision making or action. This does not mean anti-religion. Rather, it is the idea that decisions are made independently of religion.

Secular Views ON war Basically means, what are some views independent of religion that people may have?

Is war Justified? Secular Responses: Yes, No, Maybe.

War is Justified ♦ Can weaken the aggressor. ♦ Can defeat the aggressor. ♦ Can weaken the aggressor. ♦ Demonstrates strength of the defender. ♦ Deters others from aggression. - Restores peace, order and stability

War is NOT Justified ♦ Costs too much money. ♦ Destruction of life. ♦ Sets a precedent that fighting war is alright so future wars may occur. ♦ Could escalate into something bigger. ♦ Does not tackle the root problem – wars don’t solve problems, they can create more problems. - Pacifism is the solution!

War is SOMETIMES justified. Depends on the reasons. If it’s to restore peace and order and backed up by the UN then war may be a legitimate necessity. If it is to protect innocent civilians. Just cause and last resort. Proportionate.

Pacifism Secular & Religious Viewpoints AGAINST War

Remember! Secular means – independent from religion. So in this case, we are speaking of arguments concerning pacifism that are not based on religious teaching.

Remember! Similarly, if you were ever asked a question on ‘secular viewpoints for war’, that would mean arguments independent of religion on war.

Pacifism is the belief that ALL war and violence is not the solution to resolving problems and is therefore wrong. Pacifists believe that war is a category of violence that is never necessary, so they refuse to fight.

Conscientious Objectors and Pacifism Pacifists are also known as conscientious objectors as they are ‘conscientiously (for moral, religious, or rational grounds) opposed to war in any form.’ Conscientious = Acting according to their conscience and what they think they should do. Pacifists prefer peace to war.

If a war is declared, and they are ‘called up’, then as CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTORS, they would perform alternative services as war and killing goes against their conscience.

The Different ‘Forms’ or ‘Types’ of Pacifism Absolute pacifists -Against war in any circumstances Selective/ qualified pacifists -Reject war in most circumstances unless in extreme situations.

Nuclear Pacifists These are selective pacifists but believe Weapons of Mass Destructions (nuclear, biological, chemical) should never be used but war at times may need to be fought using conventional methods.

Problems with Absolute Pacifism -Non-violence has been supported by many important leaders, e.g. Gandhi and Martin Luther King and has had significant success. -However, on the whole, there is no (or not enough) evidence that it works on its own throughout history – especially related to war.  Pacifism can make countries seem weak Pacifism may make certain countries easy targets Pacifism may allow more evil to occur if others do not adopt a pacifist mentality and approach - Ruthless dictatorships like Hitler’s would simply stamp on peaceful opposition.     

Problems with selective pacifism -A particular problem with selective pacifism is the assessment of whether a war will be “worth it”. How do you foresee what will happen i.e. that war or violence is better at that moment in time? How can you know that all the peaceful alternatives have been tried?

Do you think it is fair that some people should opt out of fighting Do you think it is fair that some people should opt out of fighting? How is it different from desertion due to cowardice? What do you think should happen to them?

Religion and Pacifism

Can you think of any reasons why certain religious believers would not fight?

SANCTITY OF LIFE Killing humans conflicts with their sacred writings and Jesus’ teaching about the Kingdom of God (i.e. selfless, love, forgiveness, kindness etc..) War wastes precious lives & damages the environment – Opposes the stewardship of humans It causes suffering, hatred & greed In the end, negotiation is needed, so why not do it in the first place?

Christian pacifists - Believe in TURNING THE OTHER CHEEK (Matt 5:39) - Willing to die, but not to kill for their beliefs Refuse to be in combat roles - But may be prepared to be ambulance drivers or nurses in the aim of helping their neighbour

Christians Early Christians opposed all fighting Christians Early Christians opposed all fighting. One of their leaders, Origen said ‘For we no longer take sword against a nation, having become sons of peace for the sake of Jesus who is our leader’

Who said….. Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars... Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.

Do you think that this method could be applied to ANY situation?

Martin Luther King Jr considered whether Pacifism would have worked against Hitler, and Nazi Germany, during WW 2. He suggested that if ALL Germans had chosen to wear a yellow star, and not let the Jews be singled out, the Final Solution could not have been carried out.

But he did also say that a non-violent approach works well against a leader with a conscience, but less so with a leader with no conscience. "if your opponent has a conscience, then follow Gandhi. But if your enemy has no conscience, like Hitler, then follow Bonhoeffer." Gandhi? Bonhoeffer?

Gandhi Gandhi was the leader of the Indian nationalist movement against British rule. His doctrine of non-violent protest to achieve political and social progress has been hugely influential and to an extent successful in regaining India’s independence. MLK was inspired by him, in planning non-violent protests.

Bonhoeffer Dietrich Bonheoffer was a German Christian minister in the time of Hitler’s Nazi regime. He was naturally a PACIFIST and tried non-cooperation with the government e.g. refusing to fly the Swastika flag. He came to a point of reluctantly changing his mind & decided that pacifism would not work against Hitler.

He became involved in a plot to kill Hitler. When the plot failed, he was captured, imprisoned & executed just days before the war ended.

Buddhism, War & Pacifism The Buddhist perspective is that wars are fought due to the selfish nature of humans wanting more and more all the time. Buddhist’s believe that people need to let go of their selfish natures and find inner peace. This means that although some Buddhists may fight in defence of their nation or religion, many believe it’s better to die without fighting rather than being forced to harm or kill another human being. Ahimsa or non-violence is the 1st of the Buddhist 5 Precepts (or statements of faith) and states that Buddhists shall not harm living things to the point that most are vegetarian.