Pacifism

Learning Objective:

To understand the Christian belief in pacifism

Key Words:

Pacifism = non- violence

Pacifism

Some Christians believe that war can never be a good thing.

They believe that Jesus taught peace and compassion for others

What is their evidence?

Means ‘Making Peace’

The Commandments

ONE: 'You shall have no other gods before Me.'

TWO: 'You shall not worship idols’

THREE: 'You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain. '

FOUR: 'Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.'

FIVE: 'Honour your father and your mother.'

The commandments are laws sent down by God.

Pacifists say you can’t argue with them.

You simply can’t kill people.

SIX: 'You shall not murder.'

SEVEN: 'You shall not commit adultery.'

EIGHT: 'You shall not steal.'

NINE: 'You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour. '

TEN: 'You shall not covet your neighbour's house; you shall not covet your neighbour's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbour's.'

Love your neighbour

" 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it:

Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?"

Someone asked Jesus:

Jesus replied:

'Love your neighbour as yourself.'

Someone then asked

“Who is my neighbour?”Jesus replied with the story of the good Samaritan…

Once a Jew was beaten up. He was left for dead. Other Jews walked past him. But a passing Samaritan (a group of people who were hated by the Jews) stopped and helped the man.

Moral of the story?

Everyone in the world is your neighbour.

Be like the Samaritan

All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments" (Matthew 22:36-40).

Could You…

Turn the other cheek?Jesus said.

‘If you are slapped on one cheek, turn the cheek”

“An eye for an eye a tooth for a tooth” But what I say to you now is

You have heard it said before

Do not seek revengeThis means

What if they keep slapping you?! How many times should you turn the other cheek?

“70 x 70” ?

“Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you”

Spoken by a man who was persecuted in the worst possible way

What did he say on the cross, just before he died?

“Father forgive them”

“Those who live by the sword die by the sword”

When Jesus had been betrayed by Judas. Peter tried to attack the Roman soldiers, cutting the ear of one of them. Jesus said

for all those who take the sword"Put your sword back in its sheath

shall perish by the sword.”

He healed the soldiers ear and left peacefully with his captors.

Conscientious Objectors

In the first world war conscientious objectors were given white feathers as a sign of their cowardliness.

Most were given the worst, most degrading jobs

When someone refuses to fight for moral reasons they are called:

Are conscientious objectors cowards?

Ask Muhammad AliThe world heavy weight champion of the world was sent to prison for refusing to fight in

the Vietnam war on moral grounds.

How do pacifists combat evil?

Fought for equality with

non violent direct action

That means, peaceful protests, strikes, marches etc. Which is how most people in this country protest today

Martin Luther King

Sometimes such peaceful protests takes courage. This is a student in China stopping a tank in its tracks.

QuakersThis is the only denomination of Christianity that is completely pacifist

Why be a pacifist?

1. Using at least three pieces of evidence explain why a Christian may become a pacifist.

2. “If everyone was a pacifist in this country then evil people would always win.” Do you agree and why?

A Christian would become a pacifist because ………….

I agree/ disagree that if everyone was a pacifist evil would always win, because ……….

Do you believe conscientious objectors are cowards?

“If I use force against evil it will just increase the evil not defeat

it.”