7) Religion, Peace and Conflict Revision

Christian teachings about violence

For Christians, violence should never be the first way of dealing with a situation, but many Christians
will accept that it could be allowed as a last resort.

Teachings that may allow for violence:

- Just War Theory. (See more detail in section below.)

- Sometimes in the Old Testament God commanded the Israelites to go to war, e.g. Joel 3:9:
“Prepare for war! Rouse the warriors!”
- God killed many people as a form of punishment, e.g. the Great Flood (Noah’s story) in
Genesis 6-8 and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19.
- Jesus responded with righteous anger to the traders in the Temple in Jerusalem, turning
over their tables and making a whip to drive them away (John 2).
- “Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed”
(Psalm 82:3).
- Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a Christian pastor who believed that killing Hitler was the right
thing to do because of all the injustice he was causing. He was executed by the Nazis for his
involvement in a plot to assassinate Hitler.
- Lex talionis - the law of retaliation or retributive justice; ‘An eye for an eye, a tooth for a
tooth’ (Exodus 21:24).

Teachings against violence:

- God made all men and women ‘in his image’ (imago dei), Genesis 1:27.
- Exodus 20:13: “Do not kill.”
- Matthew 5:38-39: “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell
you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the
other cheek also.”
- Matthew 5:9: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”
- Matthew 5:44: “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”
- Hebrews 12:13: “Make every effort to live in peace with everyone.”

Just War Theory - Thomas Aquinas

- Developed originally by St Augustine in 4th Century but significantly by Thomas Aquinas

in 13th Century, this theory attempts to justify how war might, at times, be in keeping with
the Christian message, which is typically pacifist.

Jus ad bellum - Justice going in to war, e.g. The war must be started by a legitimate authority, the
war must be a last resort, have a just intention (e.g. to bring about good), have a just cause (e.g.
defending the innocent).

Jus in bello - Justice during war, e.g. civilians should not be harmed, should be proportional (only
an appropriate amount of force should be used [e.g. no nuclear weapons]).

Jus post bellum - Justice after the war to promote peace after the conflict, e.g. helping to restore
order after an unjust regime has been defeated, appropriate punishment for war criminals, no
revenge.
Apocalyptic Warfare

Nuclear warfare has devastating potential. In

1945, an atom bomb dropped by the US killed
over 100,000 people in Hiroshima, Japan (left).
While this event was strongly criticised by many,
it did help bring the war to an end [but does that
justify it?].

Some specific views about nuclear weapons

include:

The Church of England:

“Such weapons cannot be used without harming
non-combatants and could never be
proportionate to the just cause of war.” (The Church and the Bomb report)

Roman Catholics:
“It is impossible to conceive of a just war in a nuclear age.” (Pope John XXIII, 1963)
“In a world where millions of children and families live in inhumane conditions, the money that is
squandered and the fortunes made through the manufacture, upgrading, maintenance and sale of
ever more destructive weapons, are an affront crying out to heaven.” (Pope Francis, 2019)

Methodists:
Nuclear weapons have too much destructive potential to be used in war. However, possessing
nuclear weapons could act as a deterrent.

The CCND (Christian Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament)

campaigns for the UK government to get rid of nuclear
weapons. The UK keeps them as a deterrent, but the CCND
feels there is no just reason to possess nuclear weapons; they
have potential to destroy life, and they are expensive (5% of the
UK’s Trident budget [£205 billion] could end homelessness).

Technological Warfare

Military technology, such as drones, can be operated

remotely to carry out attacks from a distance. Some
Christians fear this can reduce the awareness of the
human cost of war. Catholic scholar Robert George
argues that the number of civilian deaths caused by
drone strikes could be unacceptable.

The Presbyterian Church raised the issue that drones

make going to war easier and less risky. Also, it is harder to
apply human judgement.
Pacifism

- The belief that violence is not justified and conflict should

be resolved by peaceful means.
- Quakers are an excellent example of a pacifistic
denomination; because they believe that God is in
everyone, to harm a person would be like harming God.
- Conscientious objectors are those who refuse to fight in
war because of their moral or religious principles (e.g. ‘Do
not kill’, Exodus 20:13). They may still participate in war as
chaplains (who provide pastoral and spiritual support to
soldiers, and provide the sacraments), as medics or even just by praying.
- Absolute pacifism - there should be no use of military force whatsoever. Quakers, the
Amish and Seventh Day Adventists all typically hold this view.
- Conditional pacifism - in some circumstances, the results of war are less bad than what
would happen without a war, so it may be acceptable. (e.g. Catholics use Just War Theory)

Christian Realism

Reinhold Niebuhr argued that, because all humans are sinful by nature (because of Original Sin
from the Fall, Genesis 3), ethical perfection is unrealistic, so absolute pacifism will not work.
Therefore, in some circumstances, war may be necessary to prevent greater evil (e.g. to stop Hitler
conquering Britain).

Terrorism

- The illegal use of violence to cause fear and intimidation for political aims.
- Usually people who use terrorism feel like they have no alternative (e.g. Nelson Mandela
bombing a government building in protest against Apartheid, when he felt that his
peaceful protests were falling on deaf ears) or because they feel a lack of identity, or that
they have been isolated by their society.
- Terrorists may use violence in an attempt to gain independence, for land that is believed to
be rightfully theirs, or to gain religious freedoms where they feel these are violated.
- Islamic extremist groups like Daesh or ISIS have an extremist take on jihad (the struggle to
do the will of Allah). Most Muslims believe that they are distorting the Islamic message of
peace (e.g. “There is no compulsion where the religion is concerned,” Surah 2.256).
- The British government has responded to terrorism in many ways, including engaging in
combat against ISIS in Syria and using schemes like CONTEST (which has four stages:
Prevent, Pursue, Protect, Prepare) to try to prevent radicalisation of British citizens.
- The Irish Republican Army (IRA) was a terrorist group made up of Catholics in Northern
Ireland that used violence against the Protestants in an attempt to gain independence from
the UK (as the Republic of Ireland had done in 1921). However, this goes against the official
teachings of the Catholic Church; the Catholic Catechism 2297 says, “Terrorism threatens,
wounds and kills indiscriminately; it is gravely against justice and charity.”
- The Church of England opposes terrorist activity (good to know!) and accepts lethal force
as a last resort when tackling terrorists.
- Pope Benedict argued that acts of terrorism are never justifiable, even if it is intended to
make a better society.
- Absolute pacifists (like Quakers and the Amish) would condemn terrorism but would not
fight back. They might quote Isaiah 2:4: “God will settle disputes between nations.” They
might pray for the situation and remember Jesus’ example of peace (“Forgive them, Father,
for they know not what they do” – Luke 23:34).
Holy War

- Some wars are fought and justified on religious grounds, such as the Crusades from 1096 to
1487 when Christians attempted to reclaim the holy land of Jerusalem from the Muslims.
The Pope offered spiritual rewards such as forgiveness of sins for taking part in combat.
- Tony Blair and George W. Bush attempted to use religious ideas to justify invading Iraq,
claiming that they were defending the people against Saddam Hussein’s oppressive
regime (Psalm 82:3 says, “uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed.”)

Forgiveness and Reconciliation

- Forgiveness is part of the Lord’s prayer in Luke 11: “Forgive us our sins as we forgive those
who sin against us.”
- Confession (asking for forgiveness) is a sacrament in the Roman Catholic church, where a
believer goes to a booth in the church to speak to a priest.
- Reconciliation - restoring good relationships
between parties that were in conflict. For example,
Archbishop Desmond Tutu (right) headed up the
Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South
Africa after Apartheid to try to relieve tensions
between blacks and whites so that the country
could make progress at the end of a very difficult
period.
- To repent = to turn [from evil to good]
- If Christians forgive those who repent, how many
times should they forgive?
- The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant (Matthew 18) teaches that Christians have been
forgiven for all they have done wrong by Jesus and so they should be willing to forgive
others who do wrong to them. Jesus says we should forgive ‘7 times 70 times’, meaning we
should keep on forgiving if someone repents. [How wise is this?]
- In the Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15), a man takes his father’s inheritance and
wastes it on lavish living [think going to Vegas!]. When he has nothing left, he goes home to
apologise, but before he can say anything his father runs out and welcomes him back. God
is the Father, showing that as soon as we repent (turn back) we are forgiven.

Social justice
- Social Justice = Justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, opportunities and privileges
within society. E.g. the wage gap between men and women doing the same job is a case of
social injustice.
- Social justice should lead to a reduction in conflict.
- Teachings on equality show that social justice is important, e.g. “Galatians 3:28: “You are all
one in Christ Jesus” and The Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10).
- Christians may work for social justice by supporting groups like Fair Trade. The Salvation
Army has projects dedicated to rescuing people who have been caught up in human
trafficking, as well as helping the homeless..
- Liberation Theology is a movement that emphasises the belief that God has the power to
change situations that are unjust. It originated in Latin America in the 1960s, where many
people lived in poverty and were exploited by the wealthy elite. Some liberation theologians
believe that if peaceful means of attaining justice fail, violence may be justified. Oscar
 Romero, a Catholic archbishop in El Salvador, was killed for speaking out against the social
injustice in the country.
- In the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats, Jesus said that if you help the poor and needy,
you directly help him and will go to heaven. Catholics might use this to suggest social
action is necessary for salvation. Other Christians (e.g. Evangelicals) may say that faith is all
you need to get to heaven (helping the poor is just a nice thing to do).
- Criticism of Liberation Theology: Cardinal Ratzinger (who became Pope Benedict XVI) said
that liberation theology focuses too much on the poor, when the focus of Christianity
should be on Jesus (evangelism, missio dei, the Great Commission)

Example questions:

(a) State three ways Christians might resolve conflict. [3]

(a) State three conditions of a Just War. [3]

(b) Describe Christian teachings about going to war. [6]

(b) Outline Christian teachings about pacifism. [6]

(c) Explain why Christians differ in their support for social justice. [6]

(c) Explain why Christians have different attitudes to terrorism. [6]

(d) “All Christians should be pacifists.” Discuss. [15]

(d) “It is always possible to forgive people.” Discuss. [15]