Describe the Christian teaching on war (8) Just War Theory General Views on War Pacifism + Quakers

Capital Punishment The use of physical force, to harm. Judge The belief that war is wrong in every situation. Conscientious Objector Executing a criminal who has committed murder and other crimes Just War Theory A member of the Christian denomination Justice Seeking to repay a wrong Nuclear Pacifism God deciding whether someone goes to heaven or hell. Pacifism An act which goes against God’s will Proportionality Nuclear power can never be justified Quaker Someone who refuses to fight in a war Revenge The belief that people should be treated fairly Sin The belief that force should be met with equal force Social Justice Belief that wars can be morally justified Violence Fairness in society and the world Social Injustice When people are denied basic human rights

Why War?

Just War Theory ‘When is it right to fight?’ ‘How should war be fought?’ Just War Theory attempts to answer the above questions.

The war must be fought for a JUST CAUSE The war must be fought for a JUST CAUSE. There has to be a just or moral reason such as defending a nation under attack or trying to stop tyranny

The war must be fought by the PROPER AUTHORITY of a government or the United Nations. The politicians must make the most important decisions

It must be fought with the RIGHT INTENTION, it must be fought to restore peace. A war can be fought if it is believed that it would prevent a greater evil. Most people argue that Britain and her allies, by taking on the Nazi regime of Adolf Hitler, prevented greater evil from happening

A war is just if it is begun as the LAST RESORT, all non violent means of solving the conflict must have been tried and failed before you turn to war.

There must be a REASONABLE CHANCE OF SUCCESS There must be a REASONABLE CHANCE OF SUCCESS. You cannot go to war and waste the lives of brave soldiers for something which you have very little chance of winning, lives should not be wasted.

There must be CONTROLLED VIOLENCE There must be CONTROLLED VIOLENCE. Every effort must be made to make sure that as little violence as possible is used to achieve victory and methods should AVOID KILLING CIVILIANS

The force used in the war must be PROPORTIONAL to the cause The force used in the war must be PROPORTIONAL to the cause. It would not be proportional to drop a nuclear weapon on a small country for invading a small island.

Soldiers Views http://www.truetube.co.uk/media.php?do=d etail&mediaid=284 Describe how the soldiers feel about war How has warfare changed from past to the present? How has public opinion changed and why do you think that is?

Carol Ann Duffy – Big Ask Listen to the poem what do you think it is saying about war? Which war is it talking about? Do you think the poet thinks that the war was just? Do you agree with the poem? ?

Jerusalem – William Blake

Christianity and War All wars must meet all of the criteria of the Just War Theory. People should work towards a peaceful world. All churches believe in the global community and all nations should co-exist. Catholics – peace is possible and we all have a duty as STEWARDS to aim for peace. War means peaceful means of solving the problem have failed. Prayers are said during conflict.

Pro – war and Anti – war ‘Proclaim this among the nations: Prepare for war! Rouse the warriors! Let all the fighting men draw near and attack.’ Joel 3:9 (OT) He will judge between many peoples and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. Micah 4:3 (OT)

Holy War The idea that war is acceptable when defending a religious belief. Examples in history: Crusades – 1101 to 1217 based on the belief that Christian Europe should take back the Holy Land (Jeruselum) from Muslims. Not all of the crusades were against Muslims sometimes they fought other Christian groups. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kfq9U2tWWGo

Pacifism & Peace L.O: To explore the concept of pacifism and why people chose to be pacifists.

Peace How far would you go for peace? http://www.truetube.co.uk/media.php?do=d etail&mediaid=278 Write down some of the points people make about peace.

Quakers (Society of Friends) A Christian denomination who believe that war is always wrong no matter what the circumstances. Quakers are pacifists and believe that it is never acceptable to use violence. During times of war Quakers are conscientious objectors and refuse to fight. http://www.truetube.co.uk/media.php?do=detail&mediaid=64 After watching the clip what are the risks in being a conscientious objector?

Would you fight in a war to defend your country? Why or why not? AGREE DISAGREE This could be part of a (c) question. ‘You should always fight to defend your country’ Do you agree? How would you structure it having heard what the rest of the class have said?

‘You should always fight in a war to defend your country’ AGREE Stand together in adversity. Allowing country to be defeated. Country may seem weak. Christians accept war if it is just. If everyone took this view then WWII would have been very different. We should support the Government. DISAGREE War is wrong and it is not the leaders who actually fight. Peaceful means must be pursued. Murder and lost lives. Christian pacifists are against war Conscientious objector War does not solve the problems but creates more.