Topic 19 Causes of Hatred

Question 1

Within in Buddhism, hatred is one of the….

Answer 1

Three poisons that lead to bad karma

Question 2

What are 3 reasons why humans are responsible for hatred?

Answer 2

1. Comes from bad upbringing (Edlington brothers)
   -> Discriminatory attitudes passed thru generations eg Apartheid
2. The Fall (Augustine) naturally inclined to hate + responsible for it -> og sin
3. Free will -> all responsible for hatred cos we determine our actions eg holocaust + hatred of Jews

Question 3

What are 4 reasons why hatred is inevitable?

Answer 3

1. natural human emotion -> response to bad event/ cause of bad event
2. Augustine -> the Fall from God’s grace -> thus always drawn towards evil + hatred
3. Always existed in history eg roman persecution of christians, Hitler’s persecution of the Jews, Apartheid
4. Differences = hatred -> ppl scared of unknown eg homosexuality, race, faiths (Islamophobia, different customs that ppl don’t understand, combined with recent events, and thus are intolerant of anyone associated)

Question 4

What are 7 reasons why hatred ISN’T inevitable?

Answer 4

1. Measures are in place to prevent hatred + its effects eg race relations act 1976
2. Ppl are held accountable for hatred by media, less likely to get away with it
3. Tolerance is emphasised in modern society + we are moving away from hatred
4. Learn from mistakes in history + horrible consequences of hatred
5. Christians: Jesus taught ‘love your enemy’ -> hatred can be overcome by christians
6. Christians believe that through the Fruit of the Spirit gal 5:22, love overcomes hatred
7. Follow Jesus’ example showing love + forgiveness to all ( on cross, asked god to forgive humanity for what they have done)

Question 5

What are 4 reasons that humans are responsible for violence and war?

Answer 5

1. Free will -> chose to take this course of action
2. Caused by human emotions eg greed, jealousy -> thus responsibility of them
3. Aquinas - ppl failed to use reason correctly (apparent goods / real goods) -> responsibility of humans cos think what they are doing = right but it isn’t
4. Jesus’ attitude of non violence -> violence = responsibility of humans + should turn away from it eg jesus tells peter to put down sword in garden of g Matt 26

Question 6

What are 3 reasons why humans aren’t responsible for violence + war?

Answer 6

1. Followers of predestination - god has plan + moral evil is in this plan -> humanity not responsible
2. Nature + evolution responsible -> violence necessary for survival of fittest + passing on genes
3. Not human responsibility - accidental -> Ian Brady, mass murderer + paranoid schizophrenic + thus ignorant of difference between right + wrong

Question 7

Are violence and war inevitable? 6 reasons why yes

Answer 7

1. Human condition -> emotions like greed cause war -> inevitable
2. Corruption -> inevitable, + so are uprisings, so violence = inevitable eg Arab spring 2011 (pro democracy protests)
3. Augustine -> humans naturally sinful -> prone to responding via war
4. Spontaneous -> war + violence reflect seven deadly sins -> no time to overcome these with reason
5. Fight or flight -> evolution means violence inevitable human response
6. Existence of Just War Theory -> shows even christians recognise that war is inevitable + can be lesser of two evils

Question 8

Are violence + war inevitable? 4 reasons why no

Answer 8

1. Jesus’ attitude of non violence shows that we need to reject violence + war + we have the ability to turn away from it
2. Pacifists-> eg MLK and Gandhi -> demonstrated that change can occur peacefully
3. Quakers -> Peace testimony -> not inevitable to be violent -> active spreaders of message

Question 9

3 reasons why humans are responsible for injustice

Answer 9

1. Augustine -> fall -> leads us to act in selfish + unfair manner -> injustice
2. Plato -> someone does an act of injustice when in their best interests to do so -> down to humans
3. Humans responsible for majority of injustices in history -> apartheid -> human arrogance + prejudice -> wars due to terrible treatment of individuals -> greed

Question 10

3 reasons why humans aren’t responsible for injustice?

Answer 10

1. Natural disasters eg Haiti earthquake
2. Hard determinists -> injustice product of extraneous factors
3. Richard Dawkins -> due to evolution there will always be injustice -> ppl compete for ultimate survival -> not directly our fault

Question 11

4 reasons why injustice is inevitable?

Answer 11

1. History -> full of injustice -> will continue in this way eg corruption + wrongs
2. Human selfishness -> turn a blind eye to injustices that don’t affect us (bystander effect) -> injustice will continue (racism, sexism, homophobia)
3. Climate change + overpopulation -> resources scarcer + areas uninhabitable -> there will be migration + more injustice
4. Augustine -> og sin -> injustice always will occur as it is product of human sin

Question 12

4 reasons why injustice is not inevitable?

Answer 12

1. Mass media -> injustices reported on far more than they used to -> acted on faster -> injustices may die away
2. Pluralist societies -> more tolerant (most countries homosexuality etc is accepted) less likely to support injustices
3. Infrastructure + transport -> can respond to those in need -> combat injustices faster -> effects of injustice no longer inevitable
4. Christianity -> importance emphasised in Amos 5 : 24 ‘instead let justice flow like a stream, and righteousness like a river that never goes dry’