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Peace and Conflict (Peace (Those who believe that violence is never…

- - - - Some atheists may not disapprove of violence if it achieves something for hem, as they have no religious reasons not to fight
      - Humanists (people who try to live good lives without religion) may accept wars which aim to achieve principles such as freedom and democracy
  - - - So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
        (Genesis 1:27)
      - “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.
        (Genesis 9:6)
    - - "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 someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also." (NIV, Matthew 5:38-45)
      - You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. (NIV, Matthew 5:38-45)
    - - "Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men." (NAS, Romans 12:17-21)
      - "If possible... be at peace with all men." (NAS, Romans 12:17-21)
      - "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." (NAS, Romans 12:17-21)
    - - "And one of them struck the servant of the high priest... But Jesus answered, ‘No more of this!’ And he touched the man’s ear and healed him."
        (Luke 22:49-51)
      - Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called the children of God.
        (Matthew 5.9)
  - - - Surrender to aggression - the evil which results could be much worse than the evil of a war.
        
        E.g. Not fighting the Nazis may have meant that millions of people from several races would have been exterminated, purely because of their skin; there would be no democracy; Europe may be controlled by one dictator; there would be no free speech
        
        Through the "evil" of fighting the Second World War, Europe has had more peaceful relations
        
        COUNTERARGUMENT: Pacifism does not mean being passive; it is active peacemaking through nonviolent means, e.g. Swedish and Danish resistance to Nazism in World War II, Gandhi's independence movement in India, #
        
        Many Christian pacifists see nonviolence as the only way to alleviate the vicious cycles of oppression, hatred, war and revenge that have dominated human history.
        
        BUT why are alternative forms of coercion (psychological & economic) any better?
        
        Non-violent movements were twice as likely to succeed as violent movements, and that nonviolent movements often significantly increased the chances of a more peaceful and democratic government emerging in the aftermath.
        
        From strikes and protests to sit-ins and boycotts, civil resistance remains the best strategy for social and political change in the face of oppression. Movements that opt for violence often unleash terrible destruction and bloodshed, in both the short and the long term, usually without realizing the goals they set out to achieve.
        
        Non-violent protests enjoy mass participation, they produce regime defections, and they employ flexible tactics." Nonviolent movements that failed, they note, did so because they lacked organization and good tactical thinking
      - Pacifism is utopian, and pacifists unfairly reap the benefits of freedom earned by those willing to sacrifice their lives in war
        
        Governments cannot resort to pacifism, as there would be no way to enforce rules in society in the face of riots, brawls or even terrorism - this is dangerous.
      - A pacifist must preserve someone else's life before their own - an absolute pacifist must allow themselves to suffer out of their duty to respect others - this is illogical sit it human nature to preserve one's own life.
    - - There have been circumstances where it was not “correct” or “right” but rather, “necessary” for innocents to be harmed or killed in order to bring about a “greater good” (and so the most amount of happiness for the greatest number of people) e.g. WW2
      - Consequentialist pacifism is based on past experiences of war, and although warfare has had incredibly detrimental effects on the world and international relations in the past, we cannot be absolutely sure that this will be the case again