Religion and Peace Section IV

Question 1

What is peace?

Answer 1

Peace includes the lack of war but is more than simply the absence of war and conflict. It also refers to inner peace and the lack of personal conflict within oneself and one’s community. There is also no preparation for war and instead a tranquillity of the social order. This involves a quiet heart, the absence of a troubled mind, or an understanding of the mind or heart of God

Question 2

Outline one principal teaching of Christianity

Answer 2

1. LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOUR
   - Jesus made this central to the understanding of what a Christian faith in God means
   - Guided to have a profound concern for their neighbours
   - Pope Francis, 2014 (via Twitter): “to live as true children of God means to love our neighbour and to be close to those who are lonely and in difficulty”
   - Should endeavour to be at peace with everyone and everything, seeking reconciliation whenever conflict arises

Question 3

Outline one principal teaching of Christianity

Answer 3

2. PAX CHRISTI
   - Seen as a way of life – Pax Christi means the peace of Christ.
   - It is the peace given by God to humanity, implying that it is intrinsic to all humans.
   - Teaches that peace is something adherents should earnestly seek because of the instruction to emulate Jesus’ actions
   -Jesus is described as the Prince of Peace
   - Jesus as the Messiah is the ‘Prince of Peace’ (Isiah 9:2-7).

Question 4

Outline one principal teaching of Islam

Answer 4

SANCTITY OF HUMAN LIFE
- Theological term noting all life is precious and sacred
- All life should be protected
- We should be supporting the furthering of human life instead of taking it away
- Sharia law provides a pathway to submission to the will of Allah and the potential for peace on earth between all people
- The ultimate peace if achieved in Jannah (paradise). To get there, Muslims must live in peace and harmony with others, protect and defend life.
- “…take not life, which God hath made sacred, except by the way of justice and law (Qur’an 6:151).
- Life is special and we should be promoting a furthering of human life instead of the destroying of it

Question 5

Outline one principal teaching of Islam

Answer 5

ALLAH IS PEACE
- The Qur’an is a manifestation of Allah and His peace, to which Muslims must submit
- Allah embodies peace, compassion and mercy and need to submit to Allah  by undertaking Jihad.

Question 6

Christianity significant writings within sacred texts

Answer 6

• The New Testament provides key teachings of mercy, justice, compassion, respect and dignity of the human person which are central to peace as a foundational element of Jesus’ teachings.
• Language within the Christian tradition reflects a desire for peace, for example the salutation between the priest and congregation in a Christian Sunday Service is “Peace be with you” and the reply is “And also with you!” from the congregation.

Question 7

Christianity significant writings within sacred texts

Answer 7

“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives” (JN 14:27)  Pax Christi

Question 8

Islam significant writings within sacred texts

Answer 8

• The first verse of the Qur’an emphasises the peaceful qualities of Allah which Muslims are called on to live out through their lives. This passage is repeated 114 times through the text. “In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate” (sura 1:1)
• “Allah grants to ifg (gentleness) what he does not grant to unf (violence)” Hadith 4/255

Question 9

Islam significant writings within sacred texts

Answer 9

• (5:16) Islam is the “path to peace” and Allah “abhors disturbances of peace (2:205)
• Islamic society is called to strive for “dar al-Salaam” – house of peace (10:25) by living in peace and harmony with everyone.
• Reconciliation with others allows them to embody the value in their daily life.
• All focus in life should be about submitting to Allah’s will so that one day, Muslims may achieve the afterlife

Question 10

Inner peace

Answer 10

Inner peace is peace with God, and that is expressed in relationships with others and ultimately world peace. (in other words, inner peace is the first step to world peace)

• Jesus’ expression of love is the ultimate example of inner peace. Jesus left this world with the message of peace: “Peace I leave you, my peace I give to you.” This emphasises that following the path of peace is important for believers and will in turn result in world peace.
• World peace can only come from the desire of individuals to be at peace with God and each other, and that can only come from the inner peace of the individual
• Inner peace involves realising the presence of and internalising God’s Divine Peace in their own relationship with God.

Question 11

Demonstrate how Christianity religious traditions guides the individual in achieving inner peace

Answer 11

Ways Christians achieve inner peace
Prayer–
o Lectio Divina (Divine Reading) is a method of reading and praying the scripture as a living text. It involves 4 steps:
o Lectio – the reading of the text
o Meditatio – meditating on the prayer with deep questioning of selected scripture to understand it meaning in the individuals life
o Oratio – speaking the prayers to God, potentially involving thanks, asking for forgiveness or praise to God, depending on what section of scripture is read.

Question 12

Demonstrate how Christianity religious traditions guides the individual in achieving inner peace

Answer 12

o Contemplation – silence and reflection to rest in the presence of God and contemplate how this Divine Reading has enlightened their faith a little more.

The Rosary is another Prayer structure and is used by Anglicans and Catholics. Orthodox variants uses prayers from the New Testament: Our Father, Hail Mary and others helps Christians reflect on the life of Jesus and His message of love and peace.

Question 13

Demonstrate how Christianity religious traditions guides the individual in achieving inner peace

Answer 13

Meditation–
o Meditation is grounded in the scripture, e.g. the reference Psalms 19:14 “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord”.

Maranatha is the main form of meditation. It is in three steps and intends to bring care and attention to the Inner Soul.

Stillness – physically and mentally still to ensure a non-questioning awareness of God’s presence

Silence – of all thoughts and a directing of all attention towards being present with God, including physical silence.

Simplicity – taking the sacred mantra word ‘Maranatha’ and repeating it gently, faithfully, and thoughtfully, coming back to the word whenever they become distracted. Psalm 46:10 “Be still and know that I am God”

Question 14

Demonstrate how Islam religious traditions guides the individual in achieving inner peace

Answer 14

THE PILLARS OF FAITH
o These guide spiritual development of individuals. As spirituality develops, they become more aligned with the purpose of creation and their innate nature. This natural alignment generates inner peace.
o Ensures complete submission to Allah through which peace is discovered.
o Shahada – a constant reminder to honour God’s commands in all aspects of life, especially with respect to relationships with others. The expression of monotheistic belief emphasises that a right relationship between the adherent and Allah is the key to inner peace.
o Salat – encourages personal peace and reflection upon the importance of Allah who provides wisdom and guidance. In praising Him through prayer, the relationship becomes stronger.
o Zakat – individuals purify themselves of greed and selfishness by giving to others. It also ensures people are not attached to their physical possessions preventing the full realisation of inner peace.
o Sawm – by reading the Qur’an Muslims increase their understanding of Islam’s requirements and provides guidance for how to build a right relationship with God and others to create social cohesion and peace. Voluntary fasting and significant self-discipline also further detaches and purifies people from earthly limitations to fully becoming peaceful.
o Hajj – total submission to Allah and prayer brings peace. People may also need to sacrifice other aspects of their life to fulfil this obligation strengthening self-discipline and closeness with Allah.

Question 15

Demonstrate how Islam religious traditions guides the individual in achieving inner peace

Answer 15

SUFISM
o A mystical practice not confined to either variant to build a deep and intimate relationship with God.
o Provides a way in life that brings deep peace.
o Promotes the idea that remembrance of God in line with following Qur’anic verse (13:28) “Who have believed and whose hearts are set at rest in remembrance of God. Verily in the remembrance of God do hearts find peace and tranquillity

Question 16

Discuss how Christianity religious traditions are contributing to world peace (Group)

Answer 16

Interfaith dialogue is led both by denominations and ecumenical groups, for example at the Second Vatican Council to reform the Catholic Church, religious leaders from all major world religions were invited. In response to the 2019 NZ terrorist attack the Catholic Archbishop of Sydney hosted an interfaith mass also attended by prominent politicians highlighting the potential of Christianity to unite the community to overcome diversity

Question 17

Discuss how Christianity religious traditions are contributing to world peace (Individual)

Answer 17

Individuals working for peace
o Desmond Tutu was an Anglican Archbishop in South Africa who fulfils the Christian teaching of peace in relationships by promoting the coming together of society and working for justice in his context of Apartheid South Africa and its racial and social inequalities. “Peace without justice is inequality”

o Bishop Chris McLeod, National Aboriginal Bishop in the Anglican Church brings the BLM movement into an Australian context, connecting the vision of prominent Christian Dr MLK to a contemporary Australian context.

Question 18

World Peace Islam (Group)

Answer 18

INTERFAITH DIALOGUE
o Interfaith dialogue is a highly significant mechanism to promote peace by promoting tolerance, understanding and harmony in a multi-faith society.
o The ORGANISATION OF ISLAMIC COOPERATION (OIC) ensures to ‘promote international peace and harmony’ among all nations and religious traditions. It is the second largest organisation after the UN with 57 members over 4 continents acting as a collective voice for the Muslim world. The organisation “promotes peaceful coexistence” by, “rebuilding connections” between OIC and non-OIC member states allowing them to coexist in harmony.

Question 19

Discuss how Islam religious traditions are contributing to world peace (individual)

Answer 19

FATUMA ABDULKADIR
o A Kenyan lawyer and peace ambassador who founded the Horn of Africa Development Initiative (HODI) to promote peace and women’s rights in the region. Her personal slogan is “Shoot to score, not to kill” emphasising the importance of doing good deeds instead of seeking revenge or evil against others. With this mentality she emulates the model set by Muhammad and inspires the communities she works with to embrace non-violent means of cultural and political change and reform.
o Uses football, an extremely popular sport in Kenya to teach and foster teamwork to local youth and organise tournaments between hostile tribes in the region. The unity of the Islamic community is embraced and networks are formed that allow people to strengthen their personal faith and relationship with God.
o For her work, she has been recognised with multiple international peace awards including the 2011 Stuttgart Peace Prize.