Unit 2 - Religion , Peace and Conflict Flashcards
What are some ideas about violence in the bible
- violence is a rejection of the ideals God wants for the world
- Jesus taught that seeds of bitterness and anger need to be controlled as they lead to violence
- violence shout nearly always be avoided
- When there is no peace violence tends to break out
- people need inner peace in order to face lifes challenges
Summarise the story of Cain and Able
- Cain was angry and jealous of his brother Abel
- Cains angry thoughts led to violence
- Cain killed his brother Abel in a fit of violence
- Cain rejects the ideals God wants for the world and God says “what have you done”
Why is bullying negative
- Bullying is a destructive form of violence (physical and mental)
- Words can destroy a persons self esteem and leave them to feel powerless
- Bullying over social media can also cause distress
What is forgiveness
Forgiveness is showing grace and mercy and pardoning someone when they have done something wrong
What are some examples of forgiveness in the bible
- The parable of the lost Son~ if you are truly sorry God will forgive you and God loves you even when you sin
- The parable of the unforgiving servant ~ God only forgives people who are willing to forgive others
- Jesus forgiving the people who crucified him-“Father forgive them for they do not know what they are doing”
- Jesus told Peter that he should forgive his brother ‘seventy-seven’ times e,g infinatly
Why should we always forgive others
God forgives us , so out of gratitude ,we should forgive others
What is the definition of reconciliation
Reconciliation the restoration of harmony when a relationship has broken down
What does reconciliation bring
-A chance to lift a burden off shoulders
-A chance for a more peaceful future
-Opportunities to learn from the past
-a stronger relationship
-Peace Jesus asked for at the last supper
“My peace i leave you my peace I give you”
What is justice
Justice is bringing about what is fair and right
Why is justice so important
- The catholic church teaches that it is God’s desire that everyone should be treated equally
- Amos said “let Justice roll down like waters
- Injustice can cause people to feel a lack of self worth and lose their dignity because they have been treated unfairly
What is righteous anger
Righteous anger is anger against an injustice
What are christians views on righteous anger and what is a biblical example of it
- Most christians believe righteous anger is acceptable because it can be controlled into positive action in order to improve a situation
- Jesus showed righteous anger when he flipped the tables over in the temples when the market traders were there
What are some arguments for violent protests
- Some people may join violent protests as they feel that is the only way to gain the governments attention and get justice
- examples:some people supported the violent suffragettes as they were fighting injustice against women
- The church took part in violent prospects in DRC against the government
What are some views against violent protest
- most Christians would not take part in violent protests as they are illegal
- many christians believe It is a damaging and ineffective way to create change
- Jesus taught anger should be avoided so therefore protests should be peaceful
What is the Just war theory
The just war theory is a set of conditions devised by st Thomas that have to be met for a war to be considered justified
What are the just war criteria
- There must be a reasonable chance of winning the war
- It must be a last resort
- It must be declared by a legitimate authority
- It must not target innocent civilians
- Only proportional force should be used-weapons cant be too destructive
- It must be a just cause e.g self defense
What are some strengths of the Just war theory
- It has the interest of innocent people at heart
- It makes sure all force used is proportional
- it makes warfare more even
- It prevents unnecessary destruction
What are weaknesses of the Just war theory
- It is outdated in modern society
- It is not law
- It is unlikely to be taken into account in modern society
- It was made for country-on country war and warfare has changed
- It doesnt factor in terrorists who have no morals
Why do catholics oppose nuclear war and WMD
- They are completely indiscriminate and cause long term destruction
- The destruction they cause is disproportionate to any success that could follow
- With WMD’s the chaos and destruction caused means there are no”victors ,only victims” (pope Benedict)
- The cost of building and maintaining the nuclear weapons is so high and it could be spent on improving peoples life
- Possession of these weapons increases fear and tension , which makes the world a less safe place
Why might some people support the use of nuclear weapons
- some people think they are necessary for self defence as many other countries have them
- Some people think that they deter attacks from other countries even if they are not used
- Some people think they are an important symbol of their country’s role in the world
What does the catholic church teach about civilian casualties in war
- The catholic church teaches it is wrong for civilians to be attacked or threatened in war and that they should be protected
- The catechism states ‘Non combatants ,wounded soldiers and prisoners must be respected and treated humanely
What does the catholic church teach about refugees
- The catholic church teaches that refugees should be welcomed and protected by all countries
- The church actively campaigns for governments and individuals to help refugees
- Pope Francis preached during the height of the Syrian refugee crisis “ May every parish , every religous community , every monastery , every sanctuary in europe host a family
What is the environmental damage of modern warfare
- Modern warfare can do great damage to the environment ~huge areas of land can be destroyed
- Nuclear weapons can affect the growth of vegetation for years
How does the catholic church respond to these issues
- The catholic church say as stewards of the earth we have a responsibility to limit damage done to it
- Former popes have condemned the use if nuclear weapons because of their environmental effects
What are some contrasting views to civilian deaths and refugees
- Some people think it is acceptable to use nuclear weapons because whilst they kill civilians they and wars more quickly
- Some people also think that Britain doesn’t have the facilities to host refugess
What are some reasons to go to war
- to gain land and resources
- politics
- self defense
- religion e.g the crusades
What does the OT say about war
- In the OT the Israelites fought to establish themselves in the promised land and to defend their country
- Exodus said “an eye for an eye a tooth for a tooth “ implying that it is OK to respond to violence with more violence
- In the OT there are also passages like in Isiah that say “ nations shall never again go to war” showing that Gods truly wants peace
What are the conditions for a holy war
- A holy war must be authorised by a religious leader with great authority such as the pope
- The purpose should be to defend christianity from attack
- It is believed those who took part would gain great spiritual strength and go straight to heaven since God is on your side
What were the Crusades
The crusades was a holy war fought between the 11th and 15 th century . The purpose of the crusades was to free Jerusalem and the holy land from the control of the muslim turks . Various popes authorised it and it was believed anyone who fought would go straight to heaven
What is pacifism
Pacifism is the belief that war and violence is wrong and should never be used
What are some christian examples of pacifism
- Jesus taught that using peace is much better than using violence “blessed are the peacemakers”, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you
- Martin luther king used pacifism in order to get civil rights in US
- christian denomination , The Quakers promote pacifism but still helped in the war but did not fight . They believe war can never be justified
- After world war two some christians Set up Pax Christi to try and unite war torn countries by promoting peace
What are catholic church teachings on pacifism
- The catholic church teaches that everyone has a right to defend themselves but emphasises the need for non violent conflict resolution
- Pope Francis wrote “war never again” but acknowledges that force may be necessary to protect the weak or for self defense
What are some pacifists beliefs
- It is always wrong to use violence even in self defense
- war never solves problems
- The sanctity of life
- peace is better than violence
- the destruction caused by war is so great that other ways of conflict resolution need to be used in order to prevent war
Arguements for pacifism
- Jesus taught that violence was wrong and therefore christians should abide by this
- Ghandi and MLK have both proved that pacifism does work
- The intervention of nuclear weapons means there is the possibility of the end of the human race . Pacifism ensures the creation of the human race
- war demoralises people and the innocent suffer . Pacifism ensures this doesnt happen
Arguments against pacifism
- An evil or corrupt ruler will not listen to non violent protests and sometimes war or violence is the only way to overthrow them
- In bonhoeffers case , when he tried to use non violent methods they did not work and he had to switch to violent methods in order to make a difference . He thought even though violence was evil there was worse evil done by hitler
- If a pacifist country comes under attack then it has no defense and the innocent could suffer
What has the pope done in order tp try and ease conflict
- In 2013 Pope Francis urged people to pray for peace in eastern Ukraine
- In 2014 , Pope Francis organised a meeting of prayer between the leaders of Israel and Palestine where he used prayers of all different faiths in order to get the two leaders in a position where change could occur
- In 2014 the pope organised a football match to help raise funds for those in need . He invited players of all different faiths in an attempt to break down barriers
What have cafod done to ease the affects of conflict
CAFOD set up orphanages and rehab programmes in Sierra leone after the civil war in order to get children who had been forced to be child soldiers back into a normal way of life
What have aid to the church in need done to ease the affects of conflicts
-Aid to the church in need have provided blankets,shelter,food and medicine for the innocent people affected by the Syrian civil war
What have caritas international done to ease the affects of conflict
-After the fighting in Niger , Caritas international provided food, water and shelter to the people who had been forced to flee there homes because of the fighting
What are the aims of terrorists
- Terrorists aim to frighten people so they are afraid to go about their daily lives
- Terrorist aim to force governments to give way to demands
What are biblical perspectives on terrorism
- St Paul teaches always to obey authorities as they ahve been put in charge by God
- St paul also teaches “never take vengeance” which suggests that violence and terrorism is always wrong
- In contrast, The jewish Maccabees had to use violent terrorist attacks in against the non jewish power forcing them to give up their religion , if they had not judaism would not have survived
What does the contemporary catholic church teach about terrorism
- The catholic church opposes the use of terror in any situation
- Pope Francis has said it is wrong to carry out acts of terrorism in the name of God
- The catechism says “ Terrorism threatens,wounds and kills indiscriminately ;it is gravely against justice and charity”
How have religions responded to acts of terror
- The actions of terrorists have been completely rejected by the religions they claim to represent
- They have a completely distorted view of the world and of what God wants
- Christian and muslim leaders have strongly condemned the acts of terrorism and have united in solidarity against them
Why does the catholic church oppose torture
- It is illegal
- It is barbaric
- It is inhumane
- It denies the victims their basic human rights
- It goes against the sanctity of life
- The catechism says torture” is contrary to respect for the person and for human dignity”
What are some opposing views about torture
- Other people may say torture may be justified as it may prevent a further wrongdoing e,g a terrorist attack
- Other people may also say that the victims of torture may deserve it because of their wrongdoings
How do people become radicalised
- People may become radicalised by attending radical mosques , being in prison or being shown violent videos of muslims suffering
- It is usually young people from deprived areas who feel rejected by society
What does the catholic church think about radicalisation
- They think radicalisation is wrong because it is a threat to the stability and unity of society and can lead to terrorism
- In order to tackle radicalisation there needs to be more equality and no one needs to feel left out by society
What does the catholic church say about peacemaking
- The catholic church encourages everyone to work together towards lasting peace built on trust and respect
- “peace however is not merely a gift to be received but a task to be undertaken”
What have catholic organisations done to work for peace
- Pax Christi work in over 50 countries . It aims to get involved in early stages of conflict and aims to promote a peaceful and fair resolution before the situation turns violent
- The justice and peace commission are a catholic charity that raise awareness or situations where people are deprived of their rights and needs
What are some successful examples of non violent resistance
-Ghandi used non violent resistance to gain India’s independence in 1947
-MLK used non violent resistance to get civil rights for black people in the US
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How can christians help the victims of war
Christians can pray for the victims of war,donate money to charities to help them and volunteer to help them
