Theme D

Question 1

What is peace?

Answer 1

the opposite of war; harmony between all in society

Question 2

What is justice?

Answer 2

fairness; working to fix an unfair situation

Question 3

What is forgiveness?

Answer 3

letting go of blame against a person for wrongs they have done; moving on

Question 4

What is reconciliation?

Answer 4

making up and rebuilding relationships between two groups/sides after a disagreement

Question 5

Give two religious teachings about peace, justice, forgiveness, and reconciliation

Answer 5

Some passages of the Old Testament teach that revenge is acceptable e.g. “an eye for an eye” / However Jesus makes it clear this rule no longer applies by saying “Turn the other cheek” / Jesus also taught that “Those who live by the sword die by the sword” / Buddhists consider it important to speak out against injustice due to Right Speech / Karma reminds Buddhists that justice will always be served so they should not take revenge into their own hands

Question 6

Give an example of why someone might take part in a violent protest

Answer 6

Because they believe they will not be listened to otherwise / because it is necessary to damage infrastructure or bring things to a halt e.g. Nelson Mandela / If the lives of others are being threatened, violent protest could be seen as a proportionate response

Question 7

Give two reasons why most religions reject violent protest

Answer 7

Jesus taught “those who live by the sword die by the sword”, showing that any form of violence is unwise / Quakers are fully pacifist and would argue violence is never acceptable as a form of protest / Almost all Buddhists disagree with violent protest and favour a non-violent resistance

Question 8

Who are terrorist acts targeting?

Answer 8

Ordinary civilians

Question 9

Why do people commit terrorist acts?

Answer 9

They have been radicalised / They believe there is no other way of achieving their goals / They believe their cause is good and justifies the act / They believe civilians are complicit in evil and deserve the harm that comes to them

Question 10

Give two reasons why religious believers are opposed to terrorism

Answer 10

Jesus teaches his followers to “love your enemy” so it is not acceptable to bring harm to anyone / Buddhism teaches “no harm” (ahimsa) as its first precept

Question 11

What are the main reasons people go to war?

Answer 11

Greed (e.g. to control another country’s resources/expand), self-defence (e.g. a country is being attacked), retaliation (e.g. a country has been wronged and though no longer in danger, declares war in revenge)

Question 12

What is Just War Theory?

Answer 12

A theory, often religious, which explains when it is justified to go to war, and what sort of acts are justified in war.

Question 13

What are the six conditions of St Thomas Aquinas’s Just War Theory?

Answer 13

1. Must be started by a ruling authority
2. Must be fought to promote good over evil
3. Must have peace as its goal
4. Must be the final resort after all other attempts have been made to resolve peacefully
5. Must be fought with a reasonable chance of winning
6. Must make every effort to avoid civilian deaths (no direct targeting, no more force than necessary)

Question 14

What is generally considered to be a just reason for starting a war?

Answer 14

Self-defence e.g. World War Two

Question 15

What is generally considered to be an unjust reason for starting a war?

Answer 15

Greed

Question 16

Give two reasons why religious believers might support having nuclear weapons

Answer 16

They agree with secular arguments around nuclear deterrence / They believe states which are vulnerable should be able to defend themselves / They recognise that nuclear weapons brought an end to World War Two

Question 17

Give two reasons why religious believers may not support having nuclear weapons

Answer 17

They believe that although World War Two was a just war, the use of nuclear weapons by the Americans was not just / They believe deterrence is not effective because people can still make mistakes or rash decisions / Religious leaders such as Pope Francis and the Dalai Lama believe in nuclear disarmament (getting rid of nuclear weapons altogether)

Question 18

Give an example of a Holy War

Answer 18

The Crusades - Medieval Christians against Muslims for control of the Holy Land

Question 19

Give two religious teachings that could be used in support of war

Answer 19

Most Christians accept Just War Theory so would agree that war is sometimes justified / The Old Testament teaches “Make no treaty with them, and show them no mercy” / Some religious believers would say that Holy War is a reason to go to war

Question 20

Give two reasons religious believers would not support war

Answer 20

Many religions are pacifist, e.g. Quakerism (a denomination of Christianity) and Buddhism / Jesus taught “love your enemies” / Due to nuclear weapons, there is now a risk that any word could escalate into a nuclear conflict

Question 21

Give two examples of religious pacifists

Answer 21

Dietrich Bonhoeffer - Christian pacifist
The Dalai Lama - Buddhist pacifist

Question 22

Give two reasons religious people might become pacifists

Answer 22

They might believe they can do more good in peacemaking roles e.g. Quakers who become medics in war / Jesus taught “blessed are the peacemakers” / The Dalai Lama has taught that paying more attention to inner peace will lead to peace between nations

Question 23

Give three ways someone could be a victim of war

Answer 23

Physical injury (e.g. wounded in a bombing campaign)
Psychological injury (e.g. PTSD, grief)
Impacted by other factors e.g. economy, food rationing, refugee status, etc.

Question 24

Give three ways religious believers might help victims of war

Answer 24

Supporting charities and reconstruction / Offering prayer / Offering counselling / Working with peacemaking organisations e.g. CPT and BPF

Question 25

Give an example of a Christian peacemaking organisation and a conflict is has been involved with

Answer 25

Community Peacemaker Teams (CPT)
- members from different denominations
- works in conflict zones
- currently working to bring about a ceasefire in Gaza

Question 26

Give an example of a Buddhist peacemaking organisation and a conflict is has been involved with

Answer 26

The Buddhist Peace Fellowship (BPF)

• Set up by American Zen Buddhists
• Applies Buddhist teachings to help victims of war
• Involved in human rights efforts in Buddhist countries such as Vietnam

Question 27

What is terrorism?

Answer 27

Use of violence and threats to intimidate others; used for political purposes to build fear in the ordinary population and to secure demands from Government

Question 28

What are weapons of mass destruction?

Answer 28

Weapons which cause widespread, indiscriminate damage (e.g. nuclear, chemical, biological)

Question 29

What is nuclear deterrence?

Answer 29

Having nuclear weapons with the aim of deterring/preventing other states attacking for fear of retaliation and nuclear war (possibly leading to Mutually Assured Destruction)

Question 30

What are nuclear weapons?

Answer 30

A weapon of mass destruction which causes widespread damage and loss of life. Nuclear war would be a war fought using these weapons.

Question 31

What is Holy War?

Answer 31

War that is believed to be sanctioned by God

Question 32

What is pacifism?

Answer 32

Belief that all violence is wrong, which then affects all behaviours