11.1.1 Religion, Peace & Justice (AQA GCSE Religious Studies A (8062))

What is Peace?

• Peace is a state of happiness and harmony, an absence of war, violence or conflict

• There are many organisations, such as the United Nations, who work to try and achieve peaceful solutions to conflict in the world

• There are lots of reasons why there is a lack of peace within the world including:
  

  • Acts of crime which can lead to violence eg. murder or assault

  • When countries go to war with each other 

  • Terrorist activities when groups deliberately cause fear and inflict suffering on people, for religious or political reasons

• Pacifists are people who are against war, violence and conflict no matter what the reason

  • Some pacifists have refused to go to war in the past. They are known as conscientious objectors 

  • Most pacifists would refuse to go to war under any circumstances

  • Some would only choose violence if there was absolutely no choice

• Some religious people are pacifists. For example, Gandhi believed in ahimsa (non-violence) in his approach to protest

• Many pacifists and peacemakers believe it’s important to resist oppression & injustice in non-violent ways, to help create a just and equal world where conflict is not necessary

• Christianity and Islam both encourage believers to seek to find peaceful solutions to problems

What is Justice?

• Justice means bringing fairness back to a situation. Fairness is bringing about what is right

• When justice occurs, people get what they deserve and the situation is fair

• When injustice occurs, people do not get what they deserve and the situation is unfair

• Injustice refers to a lack of fairness or justice

• For many religious and non-religious people, injustice occurs when human rights are violated

• In 1948 the United Nations (UN) drew up the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which set out the basic rights which all humans should be given. These included

  • All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights

  • Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person

  • No one should be subjected to torture, or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment

  • No one should be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile

  • Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion

• These rights belong to everyone, irrespective of race, gender, social class or place of birth because everyone is human

• A failure to protect any of these rights leads to injustice

• All Christian churches support the UN Declaration of Human Rights and the fight to remove injustice in the world

Religious Teachings on Peace & Justice

• Religion is meant to bring justice to the world and to fight injustice where it is seen

• Many wars are about, or include the abuse of justice, so many religious people feel duty-bound to fight against them

• Many religions aim for peace and to remove injustice in the world

• Justice is very important because all people are equal in the eyes of God

• Many religious people believe they must act to create peace in the world and that this can be done directly or indirectly

Christian Teachings on Peace and Justice

• Christianity teaches that it is important to fight against injustice and restore peace where possible

• Christians hold this view because of the example of Jesus and guidance from the bible

  • In the Old Testament Prophet Isaiah looked forward to a time of peace

  • The bible says ‘Nation will not take sword upon nation’ (Isaiah 2:4) which means that countries should avoid conflict with each other
    

  • Jesus said, 'Blessed are the peacemakers (Matthew 5: 9) meaning that those who work to achieve peace are revered by God

  • Jesus said to. 'Love your enemies' (Matthew 5: 44) meaning that Christians should avoid hatred even to those who are their enemies

  • Jesus told his followers to 'turn the other cheek' (Matthew 5: 38-39) when faced with aggression, meaning that Christians should try to avoid conflict

  • Christians look forward to a time when God, the ultimate judge, will establish justice between nations and settle disputes

  • Christians believe that God will ultimately judge over his creation, and that His judgement is a process that ends in a decision about whether a person is worthy of his reward in heaven or punished in hell

• Sometimes Christians believe that violence is needed to stand up for injustices

• In this instance, they believe certain rules should be followed when violence occurs

  • For example, most Christians believe that war is permitted under certain circumstances meaning the war is justified

• The justification for this is that God would want Christians to actively fight against injustice and protect the weak

• The bible says that violence is permitted, particularly in defence of aggression from others

Muslim Teachings on Peace and Justice

• The word 'Islam' means 'peace' or 'submission' to God

• Muslims should work for peace, even when they face criticism and hate from others. They believe this because of what the Qur'an says about peace, and the example of the prophet Muhammad (pbuh)

• The Qur’an described Islam as 'Dar as Salaam' the 'House of peace' (Qur'an 10: 25)

• Heaven is described as a place of peace 'For them will be a home of peace in the presence of the Lord' (Qur'an 6:127)

• Muslims greet each other by saying 'Salaam alaykum' 'May peace be upon you'

• The Ummah is very important and Muslims should try to live in peace with each other and support each other

• One of Allah’s attributes is As-Salam ‘Source of Peace’

• Peace means more than just the absence of war, but also the absence of corruption, tyranny, oppression and injustice

• Muslims believe that accepting Islam brings inner peace through submission to the will of Allah
  

  • When Muslims have inner peace it encourages them to have peaceful relationships with others

• Peace should take a central role in a Muslim's life. They should always look for an amicable solution

• Muslims should follow the example of Muhammad (pbuh) who whenever he had a choice between two courses of action, always chose the non-confrontational one 'an amicable settlement is best' (Qur'an 4:128)

• Muslims should end disagreements by making peace rather than by beginning further disputes

• Working for peace in the world is part of a Muslim’s duty as khalifah

• Allah is called Ar Rahim (all merciful), solving conflicts peacefully reflects this

• Justice is an important aspect of peace-making

  • Allah is just 'Allah commands justice' (Qur'an 16:19)

  • Muslims should ensure that everyone is treated with justice and fairness so that people can live together peacefully

  • If the laws do not create a just society, there may be unrest or even war