Peace and Conflict

GCSE Religious Studies · Themes

This theme examines how Christianity and Islam approach war, peace, terrorism, weapons of mass destruction and reconciliation.

Christianity is fundamentally a religion of peace — but Christians disagree on whether war is ever justified.

Some Christians (especially Quakers) are absolute pacifists — they believe violence is never justified
Jesus taught: "Blessed are the peacemakers" (Matthew 5:9) and "Love your enemies" (Matthew 5:44)
Jesus did not resist his arrest and crucifixion — he chose non-violence
"Put your sword back in its place... for all who draw the sword will die by the sword" (Matthew 26:52)

Most mainstream Christians accept that war can be justified under strict conditions. St Thomas Aquinas developed the Just War Theory:

Condition	Meaning
Just cause	War must be for a morally right reason (e.g. self-defence, protecting the innocent)
Legitimate authority	Only a recognised government can declare war
Right intention	The aim must be to promote good or prevent evil — not revenge or gain
Last resort	All peaceful alternatives must have been tried and failed
Proportionality	The force used must be proportionate to the threat
Reasonable chance of success	There must be a realistic possibility of winning
Protection of civilians	Non-combatants must not be targeted

In the past, Christians fought Crusades — wars to reclaim the Holy Land from Muslim control
Today, virtually no mainstream Christian leader supports the concept of holy war
The idea that God commands war is rejected by most modern theologians

Islam means "submission" but is rooted in the word salam (peace)
The Qur'an teaches: "If they incline towards peace, then incline to it also" (Surah 8:61)
War is permitted only in self-defence and under strict conditions (see the note on Jihad)
Lesser jihad rules apply — non-combatants must not be harmed; war must be a last resort

WMDs include nuclear, chemical and biological weapons.

Both Christianity and Islam oppose WMDs because:
They kill indiscriminately — civilians, children, the environment
They cause disproportionate and long-lasting suffering
They violate the Just War principle of proportionality and the Islamic rules of lesser jihad
They threaten God's creation — nuclear weapons could destroy the world
Counter-argument (nuclear deterrence): some argue that possessing WMDs prevents war because enemies are too afraid to attack — this has kept major powers from direct conflict since 1945

Terrorism is the use of violence and intimidation against civilians for political or ideological goals
Both Christianity and Islam condemn terrorism — it targets innocent people and is never justified
Terrorism violates both the Just War Theory and the rules of lesser jihad
The vast majority of Muslims reject terrorism — it contradicts the Qur'anic principle that killing one person is like killing all of humanity (Surah 5:32)

Reconciliation means restoring broken relationships after conflict
Christian examples: Archbishop Desmond Tutu and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa; the Corrymeela Community in Northern Ireland
Islamic examples: the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah — Muhammad made peace with his enemies; the Qur'an encourages dialogue and forgiveness
Both religions believe peacemaking is a duty — "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God" (Matthew 5:9)

Know the Just War Theory conditions — list them precisely
Compare Christian pacifism with Just War Theory — show that Christians disagree
For AO2: Can any war truly be "just"? Is nuclear deterrence morally acceptable? Does religion cause or prevent conflict?
Use specific examples of religious peacemaking for higher marks

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