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Theme B: Religion, Peace and Conflict (BIBLICAL PERSPECTIVES ON VIOLENCE…
Theme B: Religion, Peace and Conflict
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JUSTICE
ESSENTIAL INFORMATION
- Christians believe that establishing justice helps God's kingdom to spread on earth.
- Justice is bringing about what is right and air, according to the law, or making up for a wrong that has been committed.
- Some Christians believe that righteous anger (anger against injustice) can be effecticley used to help create justice.
- Christians generally support peaceful protests against injustice but most do not believe in violent protests.
THE IMPORTANCE OF JUSTICE
- The Catholic Church teaches that it is God's desire that everyone should be treated fairly.
- The Old Testament prophet Amos taught that creating justice is more important than ensuring that worship is done correctly.
'Take away from me the noise of your songs; I will not listen to the melody of your harps. But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.' (Amos 5:23-24)
- Injustice can cause people to lose their sense of self-worth and self-respect. It can deny people dignity because they have been treated unfairly, e.g black people suffered during the apartheid era in South Africa.
RIGHTEOUS ANGER AS A RESPONSE OF INJUSTICE
- Although Jesus taught that anger should be avoided whenever possible, he showed righteous anger when he drove the sellers from the temple as they had turned it into a marketplace (John 2:13-17)
- Many Christians believe that righteous anger because it can be controlled and channelled into positive action, which can improve the situation
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THE JUST WAR THEORY
ESSENTIAL INFORMATION
- New Testament - limited violence acceptable
- Just War Theory- St Augustine + St Thomas Aquinas - set of criteria that makes fighting in a war justifiable
- War is sometimes necessary.
BACKGROUND
- Jesus - 'The one who has no sword must sell his cloak and buy one' (Luke 22:36)
- Early Christians refused to fight in war - believed they had no right to take another's life. 370 CE Christianity becomes the official religion of the Roman Empire.
- Christians either had to fight or allow the empire to be overrun by invaders.
JUST WAR CRITERIA:
- It must be because of a just/serious reason e.g. self defence
- There must be a reasonable chance of wining and bringing lasting peace
- It must be declared by a legitimate authority
- only proportional force should be used - no weapons of mass destruction
- Innocent civilians should not be attacked
- It must be the last resort
CONTRASTING VIEWS
- The army should only go to war when there has been a major abuse of power or there s a serious threat to the security of Britain.
- It is so much better if war can be avoided by working together, including the UN, to avoid conflict.
- The just war theory is dangerous as it could be used to defend the concept of war. It is outdated and not relevant to 21st century warfare.
- We should only support was that meet the just war criteria.
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