Theme D Flashcards
what is the overall view of a Buddhist in relation to this theme
speaking out about injustice sows compassion (karuna) and could be seen as Right Speech
Justice is to understand the issues, respond with compassion and avoid violence as it only breeds more violence.
what is the overall view of a Christian in relation to this theme
god requires humans to live in justice and freedom and wars should be fought justly
wars can lead to conditions no better than before the war but can be fought for the greater good
what is the overall view of a Hindu in relation to this theme
wars must be morally justifiable, for a just cause, Hindu’s will take up arms
self-defence is justifiable but all actions should be done with a moral approach
what is the overall view of a Muslim (Islam) in relation to this theme
Muslims strive for justice which can mean armed conflict to strive for the common good
Islam condemns violence so wars should be carried out in the right way to achieve freedom
condemn - express complete disapproval of
what is the overall view of a Jew in relation to this theme
justice is key for Jews
war is justifiable in self-defence but must be justly carried out
any weapon for self-protection is justifiable even nuclear weapons as it its not an aggressive act
what is the overall view of a Sikh in relation to this theme
Sikhs will fight for justice in a righteous war. Weapons which kill indiscriminately are wrong
only minimum force should be used to achieve a goal
define peace
an absence of conflict which leads to happiness and harmony
live in harmony and without fear with all people
define justice
bringing about what is right and fair according to the law or making up for what has been done wrong
in regards to war has two parts: to put right injustice and to carry this out in a just/right way
define pacifism
the belief of people who refuse to take part in war and any other form of violence and believe peace is the only way
define reconciliation
making things right between parties after conflict to resolve issues in order to live in peace
discuss justice in response to war
wars are fought to put right injustices and such as to help people who are oppressed by the regime that rules their country. Religious people cannot stand by whilst people suffer - they feel duty bound by the teachings of their holy book to act. But any such action must be carried out in a fair way so that this sets the example and sees people being able to live in peace.
discuss reconciliation in response to war
reconciliation is the act of bringing sides together to help put issues right so that there can be lasting peace. This can therefore in the first place prevent war or bring the victor and the defeated together. War on its own doesn’t bring peace as issues need resolving through discussion and diplomacy so that all sides can contribute to a peace that they are part of making.
what are some of the main reasons for war
- greed
- self-defence
- retaliation
- rescue people from oppression
- defend an ally
- gain land
- remove a leader or government
- prevent genocide
what is biological warfare
- uses bacteria, viruses or other infectious materials that can lead to people becoming ill or dying
- if it enters the food chain or water supply it is catastrophical
- they were banned by Geneva conventions but have being used since then and are still being developed by some countries
what is chemical warfare
- used since WW1 by Britain and Germany
- Banned in 1925 but used by USA and Vietnam war
- still being made and stockpiled
- Can cause choking, burning and paralysis
- damage the environment
- uses non-living toxins such as mustard gas and nerve agents to cause death, incapacity or illness
what is nuclear warfare
- work by nuclear reaction/huge devastation
- afterwards radioactive fallout kills more than the original explosion
- America dropped two such bombs on Japan which they claim ended WW2 quicker
- Todays nuclear weapons are even more powerful and if used would create a nuclear winter lasting months, a 50% increase in UV radiation
- contaminate land for long periods
- immediate destruction of all life and structures within their range
what is terrorism
- the IRA in Ireland for their actions against Protestant Christians
- targeting innocence
- motivated by religion/politics
define forgiveness
- taught by religious leaders past and present
- after wrongs have been committed there has to be a way forward for that relationship.
- Often we accept apology as forgiveness and that fact that the person has seen the error of his ways and put the wrong actions behind us
- after war-time atrocities some forgive unconditionally (without an apology) as it is the only way they can move forwards with their lives
- their example has led to enemies coming together like concentration camp guards meeting camp survivors
- forgiveness can lead to understanding both of what happened for both the perpetrators and the victims
- often people can never and shouldn’t forget but those of strong religious faith can forgive
- forgiving benefits the person doing the forgiving more
discuss a what a Christian would say about violent protests
- teaches against violence as Jesus said “blessed are the peacemakers” Christians are told to love their enemies
Humans have free will and where non-violent protests are ignored, violent protests are used for the common good
Often situations are so bad religious principles get overridden because of the needs of justice
Name some religious quotes about forgiveness
Buddha said “anger is like holding a hot coal intending to throw it at someone but you are the one who gets burnt”
Jesus said “love your enemies”
Gandhi said “forgiveness is the attribute of the strong” (the stronger person is the one who is able to forgive despite what may have happened to them)
What do religious people have a duty to do
Act by their holy books
Fight/protest against injustice to create freedoms and peace because wars can result from injustices
what do most religions teach about violence
most religious teachings focus on peace, yet sometimes peaceful means do not work. when violent protest and violence seem to be the only way to achieve a common good, they become a ‘necessary evil’
what do Buddhists say about violence
- generally not accepting of violence (not ahimsa, it causes dukkha, unskilful action)
- speaking out about injustice is compassionate as it is right action and right speech
- peace can happen only with mutual respect
- violence although against Buddhist teachings, has been used when peaceful protest has not worked. violence can gain attention though there is still no guarantee of a positive outcome
give statements to agree and disagree with the statement: ‘Religious people should never protest violently’
to support the statement:
- most religions believe in non-violence e.g Hindus and ahimsa
- Jesus was a man of peace - he stopped his disciples from fighting when he was arrested
- Violent protest makes you as bad as what you are protesting against - it is self-defeating
- religious people should respect life always so violence shows disrespect and is wrong
- Oscar Romero protested peacefully and was successful
against the statement:
- If all else fails and there is still injustice protest violently
- Non-violent protest doesn’t carry any weight with bad people e.g Hitler didn’t stop the Holocaust when faced with protests
- Dietrich Bonhoffer tried to protest peacefully against Hitler but he changed his beliefs because Hitler wasn’t listening to him. Sometimes you have to protest violently to prevent mass genocide
define terrorism and terrorist and terrorist act:
terrorism:
an act of violence intended to create fear
terrorist:
a person who plans or carries out acts of terror
terrorist act: acts intended to cause death or serious bodily harm to civilians with the purpose of intimidating a population or compelling a government or an international organisation to do or abstain from doing any act. These acts are considered which separates them from war which if done properly isn’t considered criminal
discuss terrorism in the world today
- used widely
- attacks are not just carried out but threatened
- counter-terrorist measures affect people and money
- media coverage has brought it to more people’s attention
- suicide attacks have taken terrorist acts to a new more frightening level
- terrorism of today targets anyone and everywhere
what are some reasons for terrorist attacks
terrorists claim they are fighting for:
- god or to defend faith
- social justice and against political injustice
- against poverty
- assertion of their religious beliefs
- so their wishes are heard
why do people disagree with all acts of terror
- their nature is wrong
- those targeted are innocent with no direct link to the actual issue
- religion is wrongly associated with such acts - murder is wrong under all religious acts
- terrorists are power driven rather than religious activists
- their causes are illegitimate
- unjustified
- places that are terrorist strongholds are places of fear for ordinary people
what would Buddhist and Christians say about Terrorism
Buddhist:
‘no one should kill nor incite others to do so’
Christian;
‘those who live by the sword die by the sword’
why do wars start
land, self-defence, power, keep agreements, in support of other nations
these reasons can be interpreted as greed, self-defence and retaliation
discuss greed as a reason for war
- gain more land, power and resources
- most religious teachings would not support this as a reason for war
- greed comes from selfishness - both not approved of by religions
- the number of people that die in war I not a justifiable consequence for greed
- greed is one of the three poisons in Buddhism keeping us bound to the wheel of samsara
discuss self-defence for a reason for war
- religious holy books/texts describe wars (The Old Testament, the Qur’an, the Bhagavad Gita, the Guru Granth Sahib all suggest that war may be necessary in self-defence
- if a country or religion is under attack then conflicts can happen. It would be seen as entirely right and proper to defend your country against attack
- the problem comes when the response is disproportionately larger and self-defence turns into aggression for its own gain
discuss retaliation for a reason for war
- At times, a country will be attacked in a way that provokes retaliation.
- WW1 began as a retaliation against a political assassination
- the problem with retaliation is that it is often a knee-jerk reaction which leads to the escalation of a situation with war
- religions would all say that peaceful negotiation and discussion to resolve issues are better than simple retaliation - they defuse rather explode issues
discuss religion and belief as a cause of war
many teachings are ambiguous leaving them open to interpretations and some teachings are unclear leaving the door open to use violence/war in the name of religion
if religion is declared as a reason for war, it gains support from members of that religion but people need to be guarded about this as many people directing war misuse religion to increase their own power - which actually is the whole point of the war
