Religion, Peace and conflict

1. peace

2. justice

3. forgiveness

4. Reconciliation

Bertrand Russell

to be angry at injustice

the story of Noah and the Flood (Genesis 6-9).

‘You are to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.’ [Exodus 21 : 23-25 NIV]

The crusades

peace

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.’ (John 14: 27)

Peace and reconciliation

repentance and faith in God

Pacifism

If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.’ [Matthew 5 : 38-39 NIV].

1. Violence is wrong when it is purely aggressive

2. Violence is just when opposing injustice - self-defence

Campaign for nuclear disarmament

Non-violent actions and acts of passive resistance

Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King

The use of indiscriminate (random) violence to create fear and achieve a particular goal

It goes against 2 just war precepts -

1. Action is taken against civilians.

2. Action is taken without legitimate authority.

it involves inflicting suffering on someone in hopes of gaining useful information?

sometimes it can be justified on utilitarian grounds where the pros outweigh the cons

No - they teach that torture goes against human dignity and is contrary to the moral law

A process by which someone becomes so convinced of their beliefs that they want to force them on others.

They generally go against forms of violence because it opposes the first moral precept - to not cause harm to any living being

When it is more ethical to use violence The Dalai Lama quoted; "If someone has a gun and is trying to kill you, it would be reasonable to shoot back with your own gun"

They usually support peaceful protests eg. in the 1900's a cambodian Monk led a series of non-violent marches to advocate reconciliation and peace after decades of civil conflict

In Vietnam 1963, monk Quang Duc set himself on fire in hopes of bringing light to the repressive government towards Buddhists

To counter terrorism with acts of love and compassion, because revenge only causes suffering

1. Greed

2. Self-defence

3. Retaliation

The Gulf War

Just War theory is a tradition that lays out the conditions for a war to be necessary and permissible.

1. Jus ad bellum - right to go to war

2. Jus in bello - right conduct in war

1. Just cause - there must be a good reason.

2. Right intention - only going to war with peaceful or good intentions

3. Declared by a legitimate authority.

4. Reasonable chance of success.

5. Last resort - all other options must have been exhausted.

1. No use of excessive force.

2. War must be waged only against combatants (fighters), not civilians.

3. The benefits of any actions must outweigh the harms.

4. Proportionality - actions and attacks must be just severe enough to win, and not out of scale with the situation.

1. situation ethics - looking at the context

2. Just war theory

3. Utilitarianism - striving for the greatest possible happiness

They oppose weapons of mass destruction - it is considered a crime against God to cause widespread suffering to non-combatants and wholesale destruction [CCC 2314].

Weapons of mass destruction

• spread harmful bacteria in the atmosphere, polluting water, food and the air we breathe.

• also cause death on a massive scale and are illegal.

1. Deterrent: many countries argue that having nuclear weapons deters other countries from using nuclear weapons.

2. Utilitarianism: the US justified their use of nuclear weapons in Hiroshima and Nagasaki to end WWII by arguing that it was the least costly means of winning the war - both economically and in terms of (American) lives.

1. Economics: A nuclear weapons programme costs money that could otherwise be spent on healthcare or benefits.

2. Loss of lives: Nuclear weapons do not discriminate and have negative health effects for many generations after an attack. This is because of the effects of radiation. This is against the Just War theory, which prohibits targeting innocent civilians.

3. Many countries, including the UK, have signed the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty to limit the spread of nuclear weapons.

• All Christian denominations are against the use of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction.

• Some do say that having nuclear weapons maintains peace because they work as a deterrent.

• Religious people are likely to believe this goes against the sanctity of life.

Holy wars are wars in which people believe they have God on their side.

• A holy war must be authorised by a religious leader with great authority,

• A Holy war's purpose should be to defend the faith from attack

• Those who take part believe they will gain spiritual rewards

• Those who dies in battle will go straight to heaven

Japanese Buddhism war - 20th century

'Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.’ [Matthew 5 : 9 NIV]

Pacifism is a belief that war is never right and that peace is the only option

Mariead Corrigan

Thich Nhat Hanh

An "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of thought, conscience, or religion.

"We can never obtain peace in the outer world, until we make peace within ourselves"

It emerges from inner peace and practice

They believe that you must resist to oppression or injustice since it causes suffering for many beings

War can have devastating affects on the country's resources and the inhabitants. For example, if the main wage earner in a family dies, their family might struggle financially without them. If crops and food are destroyed, the people that survive on this food can become starved and dehydrated if water systems become polluted.

"Love your neighbour as yourself"