11.5.2 Religious Attitudes to War (AQA GCSE Religious Studies A (8062))
Revision Note
Author
Glenn MillingtonExpertise
Religious Studies
Religious Attitudes to War
Christian attitudes to war
All Christians believe war is not a good thing and should be avoided
Christianity is a religion of peace and the teachings of Jesus are clear about avoiding conflict
There are however some conflicting beliefs relating to war within Christianity relating to the question of whether war can ever be justified
War can be justified in some situations | War should be avoided at all costs |
|---|---|
In the Old Testament, it states on a few occasions that God encouraged people to go to war to defend themselves: this suggests that war is justified if it is to defend yourself. 'You shall destroy them!' (Deuteronomy 7: 2) | Jesus was very clear in his teachings about love (agape) and peace. Jesus would always choose the peaceful option and often responded to violence with kindness and humility |
On one occasion Jesus lost his temper at the Temple and overturned a table: this shows that sometimes violence is needed | Jesus taught that people who followed peace |
The Old Testament teaches that retaliation is appropriate 'But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot' (Exodus 21:23-24) | Jesus refuted the Old Testament teaching 'an eye for an eye' and instead taught that people should 'turn the other cheek' or avoid violence where possible |
'There is a time for killing, and a time for healing, a time for tearing down and a time for building up, a time for tearing and a time for mending, a time for love and the time for hate, a time for war, and a time for peace' (Ecclesiastes 3:2-8) Some biblical passages state that war can be the best course of action at times | 'Do not kill' is one of the 10 commandments in the Old Testament. War involves killing and so should be avoided |
Some Christians believe that war can be acceptable when it is seen as a 'Just War' or a 'Holy War' | Jesus taught people to 'Love your enemies' rather than to focus on hatred and revenge |
Because of these teachings, some Christians believe that although war should be avoided, it can be justified in some situations, particularly in self-defence or to protect the weak and innocent | Because of these teachings, some Christians believe that war can never be condoned regardless of the reasons because innocent people will be killed. Some Christians are pacifists who reject violence and war of any kind and for any reason |
Muslim attitudes to war
Islam teaches that war is justified when Muslims are being attacked (self-defence)
The Qur’an teaches that you should fight back if attacked and Muhammad (pbuh) fought in wars of self-defence:
Blockquote
'Fight in the cause of Allah those who fight you, but do not transgress limits; for Allah loves not transgressors' (Qur'an 2:190
When Makkah, violated the terms of the peace by attacking one of Muhammad’s (pbuh) allies he raised an army and fought against them
However, Muslims should not be the first to attack, and any conflict in which they could be classed as the aggressor could not be fought by a faithful Muslim
So Muslims should not be involved in a conflict which,
Takes resources from someone else
Forces another country or people to become Muslim
Changes in the political leadership or ideology of another country
Changes the culture of a country
Worked Example
Explain two religious beliefs about war
Refer to sacred writings or another source of religious belief and teaching in your answer
[5 marks]
Answer
Some Christians (pacifists) believe that war should not happen no matter what the circumstances. They believe this because Jesus taught that 'blessed are the peacemakers' meaning that those who respond with peace are more likely to go to heaven
Other Christians may believe that war can be tolerated in some circumstances because Jesus himself acted violently in the temple towards people who were acting unjustly and that this should be an example to use violence in exceptional circumstances
Exam Tip
Christian attitudes towards war are very much related to whether the teachings are used from the Old Testament, which seem to condone war and violence in some circumstances, and the New Testament (the teachings of Jesus) which are very much related to peace and non-violence
However, there are many Christians who follow the teachings of Jesus who may support war as a form of self-defence but only when all other forms of non-violent efforts have been made to achieve peace
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