Theme D: Religion, Peace and Conflict Flashcards
(21 cards)
Peace (all of these can be used as reasons against violence and violet protest)
“Clothe yourselves with compassion” - Bible
“Blessed are the peacemakers” - Bible
“The servants of the Lord of Mercy are those who, when aggressive people address them, reply with words of peace” - Qur’an
“If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also” - Bible
“Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore” - Bible
“Put your sword back in its place, for those who live by the sword die by the sword” - Bible
“Do not take life, which God has made sacred” - Qur’an
Ahimsa - Hindu and Buddhist concept of non-violence
“We believe that as Christians we are called to follow the way of Jesus in loving our enemies & becoming peacemakers” - Anglican Pacifist Fellowship
“Spirit of Christ will never move us to fight” - Bible
“Do not kill each other, for God is merciful to you. If any of you does these things, out of hostility and injustice, we shall make him suffer Fire” - Qur’an
Justice
“Stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to Allah” - Qur’an
“He [God] will judge between the nations and settle disputes for many peoples” - Bible
“If there is a serious injury, you are to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth” - Bible
Forgiveness
“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you” - Bible
“Allah is forgiving and merciful” - Qur’an
Reconciliation
“Leave your gift before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift” - Bible
“Whoever pardons and seeks reconciliation, then their reward is with Allah. He certainly does not like wrongdoers” - Qur’an
Beliefs on retaliation
Is allowed:
“If there is a serious injury, you are to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth” - Bible
Is not allowed:
“If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also” - Bible
“The servants of the Lord of Mercy are those who, when attacked by aggressive people, reply with words of peace” - Qur’an
“Do not repay anyone evil for evil” - Bible
Reasons supporting violent protest
Lesser Jihad
Thich Quang Duc self-immolated to protest against the persecution of Buddhists in the Vietnam War
Retaliation - “If there is a serious injury, you are to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth” - Bible
Example of terrorism
9/11 attacks, where over 3000 people were killed by Al-Qaeda, a Muslim terrorist group led by Osama bin Laden at the time (they have also performed many other terrorism acts worldwide, including the London bombings in 2005)
War for greed
“The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil” - Bible
War for self-defence
“If you have to respond to an attack, make your response proportionate, but it is best to stand fast” - Qur’an
“If there is a serious injury, you are to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth” - Bible
Lesser Jihad
Violence as a last resort
“If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at
peace with everyone.” - Bible
“If you have to respond to an attack, make your response proportionate, but it is best to stand fast” - Qur’an
Conditions of the Just War Theory (accepted by all major world religions)
War must be declared by the government of a country
War must have a just cause (e.g. defending against invasion, or stopping major human rights violations)
War must have a good chance of bringing about peace
Fighting must be in proportion (should not kill too many people, especially if they aren’t involved in the fighting)
War must be the last resort (all other peacekeeping methods must have been tried first)
The good achieved by the war must outweigh the evil that led to it
Example of holy war
The Crusades (battle between Muslims and Christians for Jerusalem)
Reasons supporting holy war
The Prophet Muhammad fought in battles to defend Islam
Lesser Jihad
“Fight in the way of God those who fight you” - Qur’an
Violence due to religion
9/11 was orchestrated by Al-Qaeda, led by Osama bin Laden by brainwashing people into misinterpreting the Hadith and using Jihad to justify terrorism
Charlie Hebdo magazine attack killed 11 employees, due to the publication of cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad
Reasons against nuclear weapons & WMDs
“By far the greatest single danger facing humans is
the threat of nuclear destruction” - Dalai Lama
“If you have to respond to an attack, make your
response proportionate, but it is best to stand
fast.” - Qur’an (PROPORTIONATE)
Can also use any quotes supporting peace
Reasons supporting nuclear weapons & WMDs
They can be used as a deterrent accoring to the Roman Catholic Church
It ended WW2 quicker, potentially being the lesser of 2 evils and saving many more lives than the amount sacrificed - Hiroshima and Nagasaki (Two bombs were dropped on the Japanese cities, and a week later the Japanese government surrendered. A total of 140K people were killed)
The Christian Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
The CCND is a group of Christians in England whose aim is the permanent elimination of nuclear weapons worldwide
They campaign and protest peacefully to spread this message
Examples of peacemakers
Mahatma Gandhi used peaceful protest to gain Indian independence from the British Empire, even though they were murdering large numbers of people
Desmond Doss was a devout Christian who refused to carry a weapon. During WW2 he joined the US army as a doctor and did not carry a gun, yet he single-handedly rescued 75 men from inside the Japanese front line
Violence may be necessary in some situations
“There is a time for war and a time for peace.” - Bible
In Christianity it claims violence may be needed to force change for common good
“Fighting has been ordained for you” - Qur’an (it is allowed in times that it is required)
Helping victims of war
“Whoever saved a life, it would be as if they saved the life of all mankind” - Qur’an
“I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink” - Bible (helping people suffering and in poverty due to war)
Christian Aid
Wants to end poverty, which is often caused by war, so establish basic human rights and fairness by supporting local groups - Bible)
E.g. they deliver food and shelter to Gaza
