Religion, Peace & JusticeWhat You Need to Know - OCR Specification
Keywords
- Attitudes to War
- Attitudes to War
- The Just War Theory
- Violence and Pacifism
- Attitudes towards the use of violence
- Attitudes towards pacifism
- Reasons for these attitudes
- Crime and Punishment
- Concept of justice
- Aims of punishment
- Attitudes towards capital punishment
- Beliefs about the treatment of criminals
- Responses to the treatment of criminals
- Social Injustice
- Concept of social justice and injustice
- Beliefs about social injustice
- Responses to social injustice
- What is capital punishment?
- What is meant by the term 'social justice'?
- What is meant by the term 'social justice'?
- What is meant by the term 'Just War'?
- Give two aims of punishment
- Give two reasons why Christians might be pacifists
- Give two ways in which criminals might be punished
- Give two examples of social injustice
- Describe what the attitude of Christians might be towards capital punishment
- Give three ways in which Christians might respond to social injustice
- State three reasons why Christians might work for social justice
- What do Christians believe about pacifism?
- Explain what Christians might believe about the treatment of criminals
- Explain what Christians might believe about Just War
- Explain why Christians might take part in a war
- Explain why working towards social justice is important for some Christians
- "Putting people into prison is a waste of money." Discuss this statement
- "You should always stand up to unjust governments."Discuss this statement
- "Justice is more important than peace." Discuss this statement
- "Capital punishment can never be justified." Discuss this statement
- ATTITUDES TO WAR
"You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you."(Matthew 5:38-45)
"Then Jesus said to him, 'Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword.'"(Matthew 26:52) - THE JUST WAR THEORY
"A time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace."(Ecclesiastes 3:8) - ATTITUDES TOWARDS THE USE OF VIOLENCE
"Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword."(Matthew 10:34)
"And let the one who has no sword sell his cloak and buy one."(Luke 22:36) - ATTITUDES TOWARDS PACIFICM
"But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you."(Matthew 5:44)
"But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also."(Matthew 5:39) - CONCEPT OF JUSTICE
"When justice is done, it is a joy to the righteous but terror to evildoers."(Proverbs 21:15)
"Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, 'Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.'."(Romans 12:19) - <AIMS OF PUNISHMENT
"For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality."(Colossians 3:25)
"Be assured, an evil person will not go unpunished, but the offspring of the righteous will be delivered."(Proverbs 11:21) - <ATTITUDES TOWARDS CAPITAL PUNISHMENT
"Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe."(Exodus 21:24-25)
"You shall not murder."(Exodus 20:13) - <BELIEFS ABOUT THE TREATMENT OF CRIMINALS
"For he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer."(Romans 13:4)
"Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’He will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me'."(Parable of the sheep and the goats) - <BELIEFS ABOUT SOCIAL JUSTICE
"Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause."(Isaiah 1:17)
"Thus says the Lord: Do justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place."(Jeremiah 22:3)
Keywords
- War
- Just War theory
- Violence
- Pacifism
- Crime
- Punishment
- Justice
- Capital punishment
- Criminals
- Social justice
- Social injustice
Amnesty International Research
http://www.amnesty.org.uk/
copy and paste these questions into a document
1) What is Amnesty international?
2) What do you think the Amnesty international logo symbolises?
2) How many members are there?
3) What are human rights?
4) What are the three fundamentals oh human rights? (click on what are human rights for the answer)
5) What event led to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
6) Give three examples of the work of Amnesty International
7) Look at the Universal Declaration of Human Right - See which rights relate to Justice, Equality, The poor , Treatment of Criminals, Conflict,
http://www.amnesty.org.uk/
copy and paste these questions into a document
1) What is Amnesty international?
2) What do you think the Amnesty international logo symbolises?
2) How many members are there?
3) What are human rights?
4) What are the three fundamentals oh human rights? (click on what are human rights for the answer)
5) What event led to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
6) Give three examples of the work of Amnesty International
7) Look at the Universal Declaration of Human Right - See which rights relate to Justice, Equality, The poor , Treatment of Criminals, Conflict,
Capital Punishment
Death Penalty: capital punishment; form of punishment in which a prisoner is put to death for crimes committed
In Britain the death penalty was abolished in 1965 (this was made permanent in 1969). Not only can you not be executed for any crime in their country but the law also says that we cannot send criminals back to countries where they would face the death penalty. For example, we could not send a murderer back to China or the U.S.A. without an agreement that, if found guilty, they would be given a life sentence rather than capital punishment.
So, why did Britain abolish the death penalty?
Reasons to bring back the Death Penalty:
Buddhism
Buddhists believe in ahimsa, the principle of non-harming. The first of the Five Moral Precepts is to abstain from taking life. Buddhism teaches about non-violence and compassion and thus, in theory, opposes the death penalty.
However, some Buddhist countries like Bhutan and Thailand do have death penalties. Largely this is justified by the balancing effect of karma allowed by granting death to murderers.
Christianity
Much biblical teaching is in opposition to the death penalty. Jesus seems to have preached a message of FORGIVENESS and peace, for this reason Christians might focus on methods of punishment that allow REFORM to take place, which the death penalty does not.
There are also strict teachings about the SANCTITY OF LIFE in Christianity. Life is created by and belongs to God. It is not up to us to take it.
“…all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.” – Psalm 139:16
However, some Christians look at the Old Testament laws which do prescribe death for certain crimes. For example:
“Whoever sheds human blood,
by humans shall their blood be shed;
for in the image of God
has God made mankind.” – Genesis 9:6
Death Penalty: capital punishment; form of punishment in which a prisoner is put to death for crimes committed
In Britain the death penalty was abolished in 1965 (this was made permanent in 1969). Not only can you not be executed for any crime in their country but the law also says that we cannot send criminals back to countries where they would face the death penalty. For example, we could not send a murderer back to China or the U.S.A. without an agreement that, if found guilty, they would be given a life sentence rather than capital punishment.
So, why did Britain abolish the death penalty?
- It is impossible to rectify mistakes. If you execute someone and then find out they were innocent there is nothing you can do. There are three people in Britain who have been pardoned after they were executed: Timothy Evans, Mahmood Mattan and Derek Bentley. IF these people had been imprisoned they could have been released.
- There is no evidence that the death penalty is more of a DETERRENT than prison. In the U.S.A., where most states still have a death penalty, there are more capital crimes (crimes that could carry the death penalty) committed per head of population than in the U.K. where we do not have the death penalty.
- There is no opportunity for REFORMATION. There have been several cases of serious criminals, such as Nicky Cruz, who have turned from a life of crime to help people in later life.
- Many religious people argue that only god has the right end life. It is not up to use to do so. We will look at religious arguments in detail below.
Reasons to bring back the Death Penalty:
- RETRIBUTION – people who commit serious crimes, like murder, deserve to die.
- DETERRENCE – a death penalty makes people afraid to commit crime (note there is no evidence for this – see above!)
- PROTECTION – with re-offending rates at 70%, we do not want to release murderers from prison in case they reoffend. We are safer with them dead!
- It is cheaper to kill people! Consider £30,000 per year to keep someone in prison for life, vs. the one-off cost of an execution (though evidence from the U.S.A. shows trials can cost up to three times as much in death penalty cases!)
Buddhism
Buddhists believe in ahimsa, the principle of non-harming. The first of the Five Moral Precepts is to abstain from taking life. Buddhism teaches about non-violence and compassion and thus, in theory, opposes the death penalty.
However, some Buddhist countries like Bhutan and Thailand do have death penalties. Largely this is justified by the balancing effect of karma allowed by granting death to murderers.
Christianity
Much biblical teaching is in opposition to the death penalty. Jesus seems to have preached a message of FORGIVENESS and peace, for this reason Christians might focus on methods of punishment that allow REFORM to take place, which the death penalty does not.
There are also strict teachings about the SANCTITY OF LIFE in Christianity. Life is created by and belongs to God. It is not up to us to take it.
“…all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.” – Psalm 139:16
However, some Christians look at the Old Testament laws which do prescribe death for certain crimes. For example:
“Whoever sheds human blood,
by humans shall their blood be shed;
for in the image of God
has God made mankind.” – Genesis 9:6
forgiveness.pptx | |
File Size: | 37 kb |
File Type: | pptx |
theories_of_punishment.ppt | |
File Size: | 441 kb |
File Type: | ppt |
Religion, Peace and Justice
Topics; For the mock revise
The war proposed must be declared by the authority of the state or ruler.
There must be a Just cause.
There must be a JUST intention – the war must be to promote good and stop evil.
The war must be a last resort.
The good done must outweigh the harm done.
It must be possible to win.
During War the methods must be just:
The methods (what is done in war) must be proportionate – no more force than necessary.
Innocents should not be targeted.
After War
Peace must be restored after the war is over.
The general idea is to limit the number of Wars that happen and for people to behave morally within War.
Christian attitudes towards the use of violence and towards pacifism
In Matthew 5 Jesus says:
“You have heard it said ‘an eye for an eye…’ but now I tell you: do not take revenge on someone who wrongs you. If someone slaps you on the right cheek, let them slap you your left cheek too.”
It is thought that Jesus was teaching that acts of revenge were wrong.
More from Matthew:
“Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you”
Christians may argue that you cannot ‘love your enemy’ if you are being violent towards them.
And more …
“Blessed are the peacemakers, God will call them His children.”
Again this seems to suggest that God wants people to be peaceful not violent.
When Jesus was arrested he refused to use violence to resist arrest and stopped one of his disciples when he got a sword and tried to stop the authorities from arresting him.
Concept of Justice
Christian responses to social injustice
Violent and Non-Violent Action
and righteousness like a river that never runs dry.”
They may argue to stand by and allow people to be oppressed and murdered and do nothing is a worse evil than to use violence to protect.
Remember Oscar Romero from El Salvador
You may have learnt about Cardinal Ernesto – He believed that like with Just War Theory sometimes violence was necessary to resist an evil regime.
Christian beliefs about the treatment of criminals
Remember the different ideas about the purpose of punishment:
Retribution
Protection
Rehabilitation + Reform
Revenge
For
Topics; For the mock revise
- Just War Theory
- Attitudes towards the use of violence
- Attitudes towards pacifism
- Reasons for these attitudes
- Concept of Justice
- Aims of punishment
- Attitudes towards capital punishment
- Beliefs about the treatment of criminals
- Responses to the treatment of criminals
- Concept of social justice and injustice
- Beliefs about social injustice
- Responses to social injustice
- In the Old Testament Wars happen as a way of God punishing those nations who oppose the Israelites – the Israelites fight on behalf of God – a Holy War, where they destroy their enemies.
- Initially in the early days of Christianity the new followers of Christ were pacifists and any soldiers who became Christians were expected to leave the army.
- When Emperor Constantine became a Christian in the 3rd Century the pacifism of Christianity was problematic for the huge empire of Rome – it they remained pacifist then anyone who chose could invade without anyone putting up a protest.
- This lead to the establishment once again of the idea of a Holy War.
- In the Middle Ages Thomas Aquinas devised something called ‘Just War Theory’.
- Aquinas saw the appalling suffering caused by the idea of Holy War caused and believed that there should be an assumption that War was wrong unless it was being fought for Just reasons.
- Conditions of a Just War – this criteria should be met before a war could be started:
The war proposed must be declared by the authority of the state or ruler.
There must be a Just cause.
There must be a JUST intention – the war must be to promote good and stop evil.
The war must be a last resort.
The good done must outweigh the harm done.
It must be possible to win.
During War the methods must be just:
The methods (what is done in war) must be proportionate – no more force than necessary.
Innocents should not be targeted.
After War
Peace must be restored after the war is over.
The general idea is to limit the number of Wars that happen and for people to behave morally within War.
Christian attitudes towards the use of violence and towards pacifism
- Christians look to the Bible to look for guidance about violence and war.
- Although the Old Testament has stories of God ordering the Israelites going to war the New Testament says nothing directly about War – although it does reject the use of violence for personal gain.
In Matthew 5 Jesus says:
“You have heard it said ‘an eye for an eye…’ but now I tell you: do not take revenge on someone who wrongs you. If someone slaps you on the right cheek, let them slap you your left cheek too.”
It is thought that Jesus was teaching that acts of revenge were wrong.
More from Matthew:
“Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you”
Christians may argue that you cannot ‘love your enemy’ if you are being violent towards them.
And more …
“Blessed are the peacemakers, God will call them His children.”
Again this seems to suggest that God wants people to be peaceful not violent.
When Jesus was arrested he refused to use violence to resist arrest and stopped one of his disciples when he got a sword and tried to stop the authorities from arresting him.
- Christians may argue that killing in war is as bad as any form of murder. If you kill because you hate the enemy this is wrong and if you treat them as is they aren’t really human so you can bring yourself to kill them then this is wrong because all humans are children of God.
- People who refuse to go to war are called pacifist.
- Quakers are pacifist – they believe that if it’s wrong to murder people (‘thou shalt not kill’) then it is ALWAYS wrong – and will only breed more violence.
- Quakers believe that they can find better, more creative ways to solve problems and will often try to be mediators in times of war.
- Being a Pacifist is not just about not using violence to solve problems between individuals or nations but also about actively seeking to bring about Peace.
Concept of Justice
- Justice
Christian responses to social injustice
Violent and Non-Violent Action
- Some Christians argue that it is never acceptable to use violence to achieve Justice in Society.
- Martin Luther King argued that the black population should never use violence to achieve equal rights – he believed in Non Violent Direct Action – resisting the unfair laws but without using violence.
- MLK used boycotts (like the Bus Boycott), sit-ins, marches, all designed to make the point without physically harming anyone.
- MLK said this way of stopping of injustice was ‘voluntary, dignified and creative’ – he meant it was a positive choice, it doesn’t take away anyone’s human rights and that it is inventive rather than just reacting in desperation and anger.
- Other Christians have said that like with Pacifism non-violence doesn’t always protect those who are most vulnerable. What would have happened if the American Government had just shot all the Civil Rights Protestors? Sometimes violence may be necessary as a last resort.
- Some supporters of Liberation Theology – which sees that God is on the side of the poor - believe it may be necessary to take up arms (go to war with) evil rulers who oppress and exploit their people in order to protect the innocent and destroy evil.
- They may argue that in the Bible God commanded:
and righteousness like a river that never runs dry.”
They may argue to stand by and allow people to be oppressed and murdered and do nothing is a worse evil than to use violence to protect.
Remember Oscar Romero from El Salvador
You may have learnt about Cardinal Ernesto – He believed that like with Just War Theory sometimes violence was necessary to resist an evil regime.
- He grew up in Nicaragua where there was a lot of oppression by the Government of the people.
- Anyone who disagreed with the Government was murdered.
- As a catholic Priest Ernesto believed that it was wrong to let the Government go unchallenged – if he loved his neighbour he would have to stand up against them – even if this mean violence.
- Ernesto believed in something called ‘Liberation Theology’.
- This belief taught that God is on the side of the poor and that he wants to set people free from poverty and oppression – some also believed that if this meant using violence to do it then it was justified. The lesser of 2 evils.
- Ernesto led an armed attack on the Government forces – believing that he could not stand by and allow the oppression and suffering to continue.
- Eventually Nicaragua had democracy and he served in the Government as the education minister for many years.
Christian beliefs about the treatment of criminals
Remember the different ideas about the purpose of punishment:
Retribution
Protection
Rehabilitation + Reform
Revenge
- The Old Testament teaching about the treatment of Criminals is that of making amends for the wrong done – compensation to the same extent of the harm done - ‘ an eye for an eye’.
- Punishment in the Old Testament seems to be about for retribution and revenge and capital punishment was acceptable for some crimes including murder and adultery, among others.
- In the New Testament there seems to be an emphasis on forgiveness and leaving God to be judge. In the story of the Woman caught in Adultery Jesus suggests that you are only entitled to condemn someone if you yourself are perfect. He tells the woman to ‘go and sin no more’.
- These different approaches lead to Christians having differing views about how criminals should be treated. Some believe that they should pay for their crime and emphasis punishment. People should be held responsible for what they do and this means harsh punishment for their own good and the good of society.
- Others may think it is important to understand the criminal’s background and state of mind – they may think that reform and rehabilitation are more important than just punishing people – people need to be changed.
- Either way, for Christians there is the belief that people can change and faith in Christ can change their life – both Moses and Paul were murders who reformed!
- Many Christians may think that the sort of punishment that allows a criminal to make up for their crime and to understand the suffering they have caused may be best. It is more creative than just ‘banging someone up’.
For
- Although Jesus doesn’t say anything about this issue there are crimes in the Old Testament that carry the death penalty.
- Today there are Christians who are on both sides of this debate – and feel equally passionate about it.
- Those in favour argue that it is Justice if someone takes a life then they forfeit theirs – ‘an eye for an eye, a life for a life’.
- They may say that because life is Sacred if someone takes a life then they must pay the ultimate price – with their life.
- They may argue that some criminals are so dangerous they pose a constant threat to the prison officers who care for them and to protect them and society at large some people need execution.
- Other Christians believe that if murder is wrong then this includes capital punishment. When the woman was caught in adultery according to Jewish Law at the time she should have been executed whereas Jesus stepped in and saved her life – God should be the ultimate judge not us.
- Other Christians argue that to sentence someone to death and have them on death row is inhumane.
- They argue that killing someone doesn’t really give them an opportunity for rehabilitation. People do change and capital punishment ignores this.