CHRISTIANITY AND PEACE
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The understanding of peace in TWO religious traditions
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Peace expressed through sacred texts for TWO religious traditions drawn from:
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The ultimate expression in the NT is the peace that is achieved in the relationship between God and human beings in the forgiveness of sins
Thus peace is ultimately a reference to the death of Jesus, the most significant work of Christ (Romans 5:1-11)
This is the ultimate expression of ‘inner peace’, peace with God.
From that forgiveness of all sins, won by Jesus on the cross, Christians can achieve peace, and spread that peace to others
Peace is one of the ‘fruits of the spirit’ that are to be displayed in Christian lives (Galatians 5:22)
In the NT, peace is a personal quality to be developed and shown in relationships with others
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In the Gospels, peace is a recurrent theme in the teachings of Jesus
“A new command I give unto you: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” (John 13:34)
The most radical thing Jesus said: ‘love your enemies.’ (Matthew 5:38-40)
Jesus suggested that there was a real danger in resorting to violence.
Jesus recognised that his disciples would face difficulties and persecution, and left them with his peace, which would empower and guide his followers in the years ahead (John 14:27-31)
Jesus’ idea of peace is developed further, such as in Philippians 4:7, as the basis for relationships and called ‘peace beyond understanding’.
Often religious traditions encourage both peace and violence at the same time.
Jesus had a militant message as well
Jesus also caused social disruption by violently driving merchants from the Temple (Luke 19:45-48; Mark 11:15-17)
Jesus recognised that his words would bring conflict
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Principal teachings about peace in TWO religious traditions
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Just War: 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.
Pacifism: The belief that war and violence are unjustifiable and that all disputes should be settled by peaceful means.
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The contribution of TWO religious traditions to peace in the context of:
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Christians aim to express their inner peace in their attitudes to the world
Christians use a variety of means to achieve and maintain inner peace
Some of these are conducted by ordinary Christians, such as prayer and meditation; others seek retreats and monasticism as special forms of achieving God’s peace
Inner peace is central to the teaching of the Christian churches
World peace can only come from eh desire of individuals to be at peace with God and each other, and that can only come from the inner peace of the individual
The New Testament links the idea of peace with others with the inner battle that human beings face (James 4:1-3)
Relationships with other people are said to be linked with individual relationships with God
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength and | Love your neighbour as yourself.” - Mark 12:30-31
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Christian involvement in movements for peace includes many different groups
Many work on an ecumenical basis and others at a denominal level, while still others are involved in interfaith dialogue
Some are formal groups; others are informal working relationships
Some of these organisations include:
Pax Christi (Catholic)
Justice and International Mission of the Uniting Church of Australia
Religious Society of Friends (Quakers)
Australian Student Christian Movement
National Council of Churches in Australia - Decade to Overcome Violence
Ecumenical and Interfaith Commission
Christianity contributes to world peace in the following ways:
The bible is a source of peace teachings = over 99 references about peace
Matthew 18:21-22 – forgiveness
“”Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.”
‘The Our Father’ - John
Participates in interfaith dialogue
Participates in interfaith dialogue
St Vincent de Paul (Catholic) works to promote the dignity of every human person by caring for those who are the most marginalised within society such as the homeless, refugees through activities such as Vinnies Can, Doorknock Appeals, home visits, etc.
Advocacy with governments (Australian Catholic Bishops) release documents and petition leaders of government to raise refugee intakes; to provide more funding for humanitarian purposes
Christian Organisations that Promote and Actively Work for Peace
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First Organisation
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Second Organisation
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Third Organisation
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Name of Organisation
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Pax Christi (The Peace of Christ)
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World Council of Churches (WCC)
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Christian Peacemaker teams
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Christian Affiliation
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Catholic
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A fellowship of churches → the bulk of the WCC’s founding churches were European and North American
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All Denominations
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Purpose ( Promote peace, actively work for peace etc)
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It is a global Catholic movement working worldwide to establish:
- Peace
- Respect for Human Rights
- Justice and Reconciliation
Four core means of engagement:
- Facilitate growth and integration of the international movement (networking)
- Coordinate and represent the global movement (advocacy),
- Build capacity of member organisations (capacity building)
- Nurture spirituality → articulation of a vibrant spirituality.
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As members of this fellowship, WCC member churches:
- Called to the goal of visible unity in one faith and one eucharistic fellowship
- Promote their common witness in work for mission and evangelism
- Engage in Christian service by serving human need, breaking down barriers between people, seeking justice and peace, and upholding the integrity of creation
- Fostering renewal in unity, worship, mission and service
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Christian peacemaker teams work actively to build partnerships which transform violence and oppression within communities. They aim and actively work to create a world of communities that together embrace the diversity of the human family and live justly and peaceably with all creation.
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Example of the work they do
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- Catholic Non-Violence Initiative
- Human Rights
- Human Security
- Disarmament and demilitarisation
- Just World Order
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Focuses its work in three programme areas:
- Unity, Mission, and Ecumenical Relations
- Public Witness and Diakonia
- Ecumenical Formation
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- Work in columbia with communities caught in crossfire of civil war. Work with organisations to use a non-violent resistance
- Iraqi Kurdistan operations to fight against military destruction and create a peaceful existence.
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Bible Passages Related to World Peace
Colossians 3:15
1 Peter 5:7
Galatians 5:22
Philippians 4:7
Hebrews 12:14
Psalm 29:11
James 3:18
Denominations and What They Teach About Peace
Quakers: Undertake a peace testimony, or testimony against war, which generally states they will not participate in war, by means of promoting peace through their faith. Teach therefore that war is avoidable should people refuse to participate in it. Pacifism.
Seventh-day Adventists: Peace involves four steps, dialogue, justice, forgiveness and reconciliation. Dialogue - Lasting peace will never come from violent means, therefore, dialogue and negotiation is needed to ensure meaningful and lasting peace. Justice - “Justice and peace join in hands, as do poverty and war” - 2002 Call for peace statement, Spring Meeting of the General Conference Executive Committee. Forgiveness - For peace to occur, burdens of the past must be dropped and forgiven. Reconciliation - Forgiveness provides the basis for reconcilliation and can restore peace to relationships.
Community of Christ: Peace is God’s shalom, which includes justice, righteousness, wholeness, and the well-being of creation.
Fellowship of Reconciliation: Protests against injustices by NON VIOLENT means. Proving peacefulness is possible.
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JUDAISM AND PEACE
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The understanding of peace in TWO religious traditions
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Peace expressed through sacred texts for TWO religious traditions drawn from:
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Peace in Judaism:
Judaism values peace above all else. Many Jewish prayers look forward to a state of peace, The Torah, Talmud and Jewish writers all instruct Jews to pursue peace. Each week Shabbat is intended to bring n interval of peace to people’s troubled lives.
The Lord will give strength to his people; the Lord will bless his people with peace. (Psalm 29.11 –Grace before meals)
SHALOM means (hello or goodbye) means peace or wholeness –it is more than an absence of war or conflict –it refers to the perfect state of the world after the Messiah comes and it is something Jews must hope for and work towards in the present.
Obedience to God brings hope and prosperity [and peace beyond human understanding]; disobedience brings alienation and disaster; also keep the covenant and challenge the dominant rulers and their injustices (Pilkington/Gorsky; Brueggemann).
THE WORLD TO COME
The biblical prophet Isaiah dreamed of a time, when (Isaiah 11:6-9)
The wolf shall dwell with the lamb,
And the leopard shall lie down with the kid;
And the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; …
They shall not hurt nor destroy
In all my holy mountain;
For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord,
As the waters cover the sea.
And (Isaiah 2:4)
They shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not take up sword against nation: they shall never again know war
Isaiah's dream of a time of ultimate unity, peace, and prosperity was similarly expressed by many of the prophets. It continued to be developed and explored through ongoing generations.
Isaiah is the pre-eminent example, with the grandeur of his poetry, the power of his extraordinary vision of peace on earth and his condemnation of hypocrisy, immorality and social oppression. Isaiah wrote in the eighth century BCE as the Assyrians descended on the Middle East, leaving a trail of terror and devastation
Jews speak of this prophetic vision of the future as "the world to come," and they believe that the person who will arise to rule over this future united world will (figuratively or literally) come from the family of the King David.
The Talmud Teaches:
In God’s eyes the man stands high who makes peace between men –between husband and wife, between parents and children, between management and labour, between neighbour and neighbour. But he stands highest who establishes peace among nations.
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The Prophetic Vision -
Prophets were/ are messengers of God
God often instructed them to call communities to repentance and right living in accordance with the mitzvah.
They reminded the people of what was required in relation to the covenant with God
Prophetic books include Isaiah, Jeremiah, Micah, Hosea, Amos and Ezekiel
The theme of the prophetic books is often about
Faithfulness to God- warning against idolatry
Warnings to act justly and to treat the poor fairly
Attempts to deepen the understanding of God’s love and mercy
Promises of hope for the future
Quote:
Micah 6:8
To act justly and to love tenderly
and to walk humbly with your God.
What does this say about peace?
to act with justice ==> brings inner peace (as a Jew)
the acts of loving kindness (gemilut chasidim)
a way of showing justice
to always remember that you are in the presence of God
Good texts =
Isaiah 2:4
Isaiah 52:7
Isaiah 11:6-9
Prophetic Vision of World Peace and SCRIPTURE
A large percentage of adherents think of a prophet as a person who sees the future, but it’s much more than that. “A prophet is basically a person who is regarded as a spokesman for G-d, chosen to speak to people on G-d’s behalf and convey a message or teaching. Prophets were models of holiness, scholarship and closeness to G-d. They set standards for the entire community.”
Jews believe that the Biblical Prophet Isaiah dreamt of world peace, starting from the simplest things such as the wolf dwelling with a sheep. Jewish people hope for the world to end like this, as it will cause more people to find their way closer to their faith, and God.
Peace
Peace is seen as something that comes from God and that will only be fully realised when there is justice and harmony not just between peoples, but within individual communities.
JEWISH TEACHINGS ABOUT WAR:
Deuteronomy 20:19-20
19 If you besiege a town for a long time, making war against it in order to take it, you must not destroy its trees by wielding an axe against them. Although you may take food from them, you must not cut them down. Are trees in the field human beings that they should come under siege from you? 20 You may destroy only the trees that you know do not produce food; you may cut them down for use in building siege works against the town that makes war with you, until it falls.
In summary:
War is always regrettable –even when it is necessary (King David was not allowed to build a temple because he was a man of battles and shed blood)
War can only be justified ONLY in self-defence
However, a key commandment in Judaism is to preserve life at all costs, if maiming someone is enough to deflect an attacker, then killing them would be murder.
*This is related to war between nations – war is only just if: the enemy has attacked first
*Conditions to be met:
- war must be last resort
- non violent approaches must have been tried first and exhausted
- civilians must be targeted
- damage must be minimised
*War for any other reason is not allowed in Jewish teaching:
- to create political advantage
- to enhance national security where it has not been threatened
- if it destroys entirely whatever is growing (scorched earth)
- if it targets civilians specifically as opposed to accidentally
- if it's sole purpose is to inspire militarism
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Principal teachings about peace in TWO religious traditions
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So what do you see as the principal teachings about peace in Judaism? They would include:
1. That the Jewish understanding of peace lies in the belief that human beings are created in the image of God: " God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them" Gen 1:27
Thus Jewish adherents are consequently required to ensure all God's creation is respected and given the dignity. Jews believe every life is sacred. They are called to repair the world through "tikkun olam" and to do loving acts of loving kindness "gemilut chassidim".
2. Hillel's Golden Rule of Jewish ethics, "what is hateful to you do not do to others" compliments the law " you shall love your neighbour as yourself Lev 19:18. This means …
3. The pursuit of peace is one of Judaism's highest values and as such war is to be avoided at all costs. However it is not forbidden. There are two situations where Judaism teaches the permissibility of war. One is "obligatory" war and the other is "discretionary war".
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The contribution of TWO religious traditions to peace in the context of:
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Shalom = Hebrew word for ‘ peace ’
Peace, truth and justice are the 3 pillars on which the world is established
Most common Jewish greeting = ‘Peace be upon you’ ; Reply = ‘Upon you be peace’
Sabbath greeting = “shabbat shalom” = “a sabbath of peace ”
Key principle of halakhah (Jewish law) = society should be ordered according to the ways of peace
Shalom bayit = peace in the home; thus the link between domestic harmony & peace between nations
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Ethical Teachings:
All life is sacred
Gemilut chasidim
etc
Sources of Ethical Teachings:
the commandments of the Torah
the Prophetic Vision (-the Prophetic Vision, including social justice and Tikkun Olam – the repair of the world)
the Book of Proverbs – wisdom, righteousness, purity and generosity of spirit
Values:
Inner Peace:
Can be achieved through:
Jewish Individual -
Name: Martin Buber
Aim: Advocate dialogue as a way of establishing peace and resolving conflicts, advocate of pacifism, calls for a bi-national Palestine based on cooperation and parity between both Jews and Arabs living in Israel, sought ways to solve conflict over land through dialogue
Work: 1948 = founded the Israeli Institute for Adult Education training teachers to work in reception camps with Jewish immigrants from post war Europe
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Jewish Peace Fellowship -
Founded in 1941
Pacifist organisation
Committed to active nonviolence as a means of resolving conflict
Program of draft and peace education
Opposition to war
Belief in reconciliation of Israel, Jews and Palestinians
Draws on traditional sources within the Talmud, Torah and contemporary peacemaking sages like Martin Buber, Judah Magnes and Abraham Joshua Herschel
Martin Buber [1878-1965] -
Austrian Jew- hasidic background
Throughout his life he advocated dialogue as a way of establishing peace and resolving conflicts
Advocate of pacifism
He called for a bi- national Palestine based on cooperation and parity between both Jews and Arabs living in Israel
1948 founded the Israeli Institute for Adult Education training teachers to work in reception camps with Jewish immigrants from post war Europe
Sought ways to solve conflict over land through dialogue
Judah Magnes [1877-1948] -
Devout pacifist
Advocated for the principles of compromise and understanding in solving conflicts
Objected to the formation of a particularly Jewish state
In his view, Palestine would be neither Jewish nor Arab
Spoke in favour of a binational state in which equal rights would be shared by all
Help to found Berit Shalom a group of intellectuals who agreed with his vision for the land of Palestine
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Name
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Aim
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Work
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Events
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Jewish Peace Fellowship
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- WORK to abolish war
- REFRAIN from participation in war and military service
- RESPECT the common humanity in each person
- SEEK to avoid bitterness and contentions in dealing with controversy
- STRIVE to build a social order that will utilise resources of human ingenuity for the benefit of all
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- Creates articles, including topics on threats to peace such as conflicts and tensions, as well as commentaries
- Topics include: conflicts and tensions in the Middle East (May 17), Afghanistan and North Korea/US (June 17), commentaries on the likelihood of conscription being reintroduced in areas (April 17), etc.
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- Produce a monthly online Jewish peace newsletter, ‘Shalom’, which deals with current and topical qs of war and peace from a nonviolent and a Jewish point of view
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Name
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Aim
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Work
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Events
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Jewish Voice for Peace
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- Opposes anti-Jewish, anti-Muslim, and anti-Arab bigotry and oppression
- Seeks an end to the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem
- A just solution for Palestinian refugees
- An end to violence against all civilians
- Peace and justice for all peoples of the Middle East
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- Campus organising
Interfaith
- Legislative advocacy
- Arts and culture
- Jewish community transformation
- Boycott, divestment and sanctions
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- ‘Chapters’
→ “Chapters are the foundation of our grassroots power. Join your local community of activists today!”
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Name
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Aim
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Work
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Events
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The Jewish Peace Lobby
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- To develop new and promising approaches to ending the conflict and to communicate those ideas to relevant parties
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We are working on three of the most basic questions:
- How can we solve the Palestinian refugee issue?
- Is there a way to address the question of the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif that would be in line with the religious needs of both peoples?
- Where do we go if bilateral negotiations reach a dead-end?
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- Create ‘JPL REPORT’, including “JLPP REPORT: ___ Annual Report”
- Create articles
- Advocate for/against events
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