GCSE Theme D : Religion, Peace and Conflict Flashcards
Peace definition
Absence of conflict that leads to happiness and harmony
Why is peace often hard to achieve through war?
- Aftermath of war is INSTABILITY and RESENTMENT
- So peace is hard to establish after war
How do Christians and Muslims seek peace?
Prayer and meditation
Justice defintion
Equality of opportunity and treatment
Forgiveness definition
Followed by conflict, an act to establish peace to avoid future conflict
Christian beliefs about forgiveness
- Taught too forgive others (LORDS PRAYER)
Muslim and Christian beliefs about forgiveness
God offers forgiveness to those who ask in faith
Reconciliation defnition
Conscious effort to rebuilt a relationship which has been damaged by conflict.
Very important because it prevents further conflict
Christian beliefs about protest
Protest is okay so long as it is peaceful and NOT INVOLVING VIOLENCE
Scholar MARTIN LUTHAR KING
- Peaceful protester
- Against unjust racist laws
- Succeeded
Muslim beliefs about violence
Only allowed in :
- Self defence
- Defence of FAITH
What is terrorism
- Damaging form of protest
- Making society aware of their cause
- Which frightens and pushes authorities into giving way to their demands
Christian beliefs about terrorism
No terrorism is allowed under any circumstance
Pros of terrorism
- Gets group noticed
- Promotes freedom of small groups
‘One mans terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter’
Cons of terrorism
- Causes death to innocent civilians
- Unjust war
- Damaging in general
Causes of war
- Greed (“for the love of money is the root to all evil”)
- Self defence (“Those who have been attacked are permitted to take up arms”)
- Retaliation (“If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also”)
Examples of greed in war
- gaining land
- controlling resources
- deprive enemy of sources of income
Examples of self defence in war
- defending against invasion
- defending one’s values, beliefs
- to defeat evil, genocide
Examples of retaliation in war
- fighting against a country that has attacked you
What are WMDs?
Weapons of mass destruction, including :
- Biological weapons
- Chemical weapons
- Nuclear weapons
Examples of nuclear weapon use
Hiroshima and Nagasaki WW2
140,000 people died in Hiroshima alone
Arguments for WMDs
- Can be used as a deterrent (Thomas Schelling)
- Can keep peace
Examples / Scholars
- Caused Japan to surrender, ending WW2
- Guilio Douhet argues it is just, because civilians are weak points for the enemy and a country is more likely to win war by attacking weakpoints
- Palmer VR, only in self defence
Arguments against WMDs
- Does not abide by Jus Ad Bellum (proportion)
- kills innocent civilians
- mass destruction to economy and environment
Examples / Scholars
- isn’t supported by utilitarianism
- killed 140,000 in Hiroshima WW2
- Palmer VR states it should only be used in self defence
- Sanctity of life (Christian View)
- Christians say God only has the right to end life ‘you shall not murder : exodus’
- WMDs would kill hundreds of thousands of people, destroying Allah’s creation
Arguments for self defence
- PALMER VR (self defence is okay if you have been
attacked, however fight back with proportion) - Jus Ad Bellum (war can be fought in self defence)
- Christian belief : ‘Eye for an eye’ : Exodus
- Muslim belief : ‘Those who are attacked are permitted to take arms’ : Qu’ran
Muslim belief : “Fighting has been ordained for you, although is hard for you” : Qur’an
Arguments against self defence
- ‘Do not repay evil for evil’ : Romans
- ‘If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also’ : Matthew
- ‘Do good, God love those who do good’ : Qu’ran
QUAKERS, PACIFISTS
- “Blessed are the peacemakers” : Matthew
Jus Ad Bellum conditions
- Just cause
- Declared by legal authority
- Just intention (reconciliation)
- Must be a last resort
- Reasonable chance of success
- Must be proportional
Jus In Bello
- Should be fought by just means (no civilians)
- Appropriate force used (type of force and how much force)
- Internationally agreed conventions obeyed (no torture, etc)
Muslim attitudes to a just war
- armies must not harm civilians or people in devout faith, eg. Monks
- No mutilation, torture
- Fought with proportion
Who made Just war theory?
Augustine, Thomas Aquinas
What is a holy war?
A war fought in support of a religious cause
What must a holy war have to go ahead?
- Be authorised by a leader with great authority
- Only be fought to defend a faith from attack
- Must meet criteria for a just war
Modern examples of Holy War
al -Qaeda and Isis
Argument for Holy War
- “For all who draw the sword die by the sword” : Matthew
- “buy a sword” : Luke
- “eye for an eye” : Exodus
Argument against Holy War
- “God does not love those who overstep the limits” : Qur’an
- Can cause death of thousands of people
What is pacifism?
A belief that war and violence is very rarely justified
Argument for pacifism / peacemaking
Quakers
‘Love thy neighbor’
‘If someone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also’
‘Blessed are the peacemakers’
Anglican Pacifist Fellowship
- Teach to love enemies and be peacemakers
Muslim Peace Fellowship
- works to develop non-violent strategies for issues in society
Argument Against pacifism
- Palmer VR, self defence
- Guilio Douhet, civilian bombing
- ‘Fighting has been ordained for you’
- Muslim duty to Jihad (protecting religion)
What is a victim of war?
- Injured members of armed forces
- Families of those who died or were injured
- Civilians left in warzones
Christian beliefs about helping victims of war
Christian Beliefs
‘Love your neighbor as yourself’ : Mark
Parable of ‘Good Samaritan’ : Luke
Muslim beliefs
“Whoever saved a life, it would be as if they saved the life of all mankind” : Qur’an
What may Victims of war require?
- Psychological support
- Money
- Safe residency
- Medical help
- Food and water
- Jobs
Christian Organisations that help
Caritas
- catholic charity who SERVE THE POOR
- Provide food, water, shelter
Christian Aid
- Work to end poverty
- Raises money for refugees from Syria
Muslim Organisations that help
Islamic Relief
- Provide short term aid to victims of war
Muslim Aid
- Long term aid to victims of war
Christian Aid
- Works to end poverty
- Promotes peace, justice and human rights so war is prevented
- Raises money to support organisations which help refugees, from Syria, Afghanistan and gaza
