• principal teachings about peace in TWO religious traditions

• outline the principal teachings about peace in TWO religious traditions

Below are some principal teachings within Christianity about peace.

• Christianity was passifist in nature in its first 300 years of existence.
• The Just War theory was formulated after the Council of Arles decided that extreme passifism would mean the extinction of the Christian faith.
• Jesus' teaching about the Reign of God are centred on the ideals of peace and peacemaking (working for justice, forgiveness and reconciliation).
• There is a strong emphasis on Jesus' promise to his disciples after his resurrection:
  • "Peace I leave you, My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives" (John 14:27)
• This Peace of Christ (Pax Christi) is a peace that humanity cannot give, as it comes from divinity
• It includes Peace of soul, of mind, of heart, and among humanity

• Pax Christi
  • Literally the "peace of Christ"
  • Jesus granted his disciples a peace that transcends their humanity, a peace that cannot be attained without God
  • It is a way of life for Christians
  • They are obliged to become actively involved in the attainment of peace
  • Peace in the world begins with peace in one's heart; This is vital to world peace
  • No society can live in an environment of peace without acknowledging the full worth of every person within that society
  • Non-violent action rather than non-resisting pacifism - Christians must be active and not stand by while injustices are occuring.

• Just War Theory
  • More a Catholic teaching than other denominations
  • Essentially, it is a set of criteria which must be met in order for Christians to engage in warfare. These criteria are as follow:
    • A just war can only be waged as a last resort. All non-violent options must be exhausted before the use of force can be justified.
    • A war is just only if it is waged by a legitimate authority. Even just causes cannot be served by actions taken by individuals or groups who do not constitute an authority sanctioned by whatever the society and outsiders to the society deem legitimate.
    • A just war can only be fought to redress a wrong suffered. For example, self-defense against an armed attack is always considered to be a just cause (although the justice of the cause is not sufficient--see point #4). Further, a just war can only be fought with "right" intentions: the only permissible objective of a just war is to redress the injury.
    • A war can only be just if it is fought with a reasonable chance of success. Deaths and injury incurred in a hopeless cause are not morally justifiable.
    • The ultimate goal of a just war is to re-establish peace. More specifically, the peace established after the war must be preferable to the peace that would have prevailed if the war had not been fought.
    • The violence used in the war must be proportional to the injury suffered. States are prohibited from using force not necessary to attain the limited objective of addressing the injury suffered.
    • The weapons used in war must discriminate between combatants and non-combatants. Civilians are never permissible targets of war, and every effort must be taken to avoid killing civilians. The deaths of civilians are justified only if they are unavoidable victims of a deliberate attack on a military target.
  • (taken from http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/pol116/justwar.htm)