Peace And Conflict Flashcards
Violence
God made the world very good as a paradise of harmony. If I get is not controlled it would lead to violence. Anger leads to violence. The violence is a rejection of gods ideal world and that it should be avoided. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you”.
Cain and Abel
Cain was angry, jealous of his brother Abel. His angry throughts led to violence so he killed him in a fit of envy. God replies saying “What have you done?” - rejecting what God wants for the world.
Why bullying is wrong
Destroys person’s self esteem, make person scared and powerless.
Forgiveness quotes
- “70x7 times”
- “forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors”
Strengths and weaknesses of forgiveness
S - shows you are a strong person, allows you to move on and live an easier life, revenge bad for mental health
W - person ‘getting away with it’, not everyone deserves forgiveness, can be hard to forgive, only Jesus can forgive infinitely
Reconciliation brings…
peace, acceptance (respect) of each other, stronger relationship, opportunity to learn from past
Justice
Justice is fairness for all people and is what God wants on Earth. Injstice leads to lack of self worth.
“Let justice roll down like water”
Nelson Mandela helped defeat apartheid in South Africa. He restorted to violence after peaceful methods, bombing government infrastructure
Martin Luther King
Martin Luther King campaigned against racism using peaceful methods such as boycotts, speeches and marches
Righteous anger (anger against an injustice)
Jesus taught that anger should be avoided but acceptable to injustice. Jesus showed righteous anger when he drove the sellers from the temple. Righteous anger should be controlled and change the situation positively.
Christian view - violent protests
(Against)
- its against the law, only peacful legal
- innocent people die and get injured
- peaceful can be effective - MLK
Contrasting view - violent protests
(For)
- Suffragette movement
- BLM movement
- goverment abusing their power
- government refuses to pay attention
Bible quotes that support war (OT)
“Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth” - revenge is ok
“God will destroy the nations before you” - war and fighting is ok
“The lord is on your side” - he is on the side of war with you
Bible quotes against war (NT)
“love your neighbour as yourself” - we should all have peace
“Blessed are the peacemakers” - those who bring peace are good
“love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” - should be the bigger person, do the opposite of war
Reasons for going to war
Religion, money, land, revenge, political disagreement, injustice, depose dictator, seld defence
Conditions in Just War Theory
1 be started by proper authorities
2 have a just cause e.g. protect innocent
3 be for right intention - to do good, right a wrong
4 be a last resort
5 in proportion (benefits>harm)
6 reasonable chance of success e.g. Jersey vs US - unjust
Consequences of war
Civilian casualties - innocents shouldn’t be harmed and should be protected as they aren’t fighting
Refugees - countries should be welcoming to them and aid them ad there is always destruction so they need to flee
Environmental damage - land destroyed, chemcials from weapons impact. We are stewards of earth so we should protect it
Reasons for the UK accepting refugees
- haven’t taken in as many as other countries
- “love thy neighbour”
- big economy but barely take refugees in
- can be used for jobs where there is lack of employment
- saves their lives
- justice - everyone equal - what God wants
Reasons why UK shouldn’t accept refugees
- might not have enough resources (e.g. housing)
- security - don’t really know who we are letting in
- NHS may not have enough capacity
Weapons of mass destruction (cause widespread devastation and loss of life)
Nuclear - creates huge nuclear reactions, very violent and explosive and can kill many people and harm big areas
Chemical - Using toxic chemicals with intention to injure or kill enemy e.g. posion gas
Biological - weapons that use disease e.g. bacteria or viruses causing disease or death
Catholic view - nuclear war
(Against)
- Can kill anyone, any age
- Possessing WMD increases tension between countries
- cause more damage than success
“No such thing as a just war in the nuclear age”
Contrasting view - nuclear war
(For)
- necessary for defence
- can deter attacks
- atomic bombs swiftly ended WW2
Aims of terrorism
To frighten people, to force governments to give way to demands
Catholic view - terrorism
They oppose as:
“Terrorism threatens wounds and kills indiscriminately. It is gravely against justice and charity.” - CCC
Bible teachings on terrorism
“Everyone should obey the authorities as they have been put in charge by God”
“Never take vengeance”
- St Paul
