Pacifism And Christianity Essay Example For Students

Pacifism And Christianity Essay Jesus spoke of it, Kahlil Gibran wrote about it, Mahatma Ghandi demonstratedabout it, The Beatles sang about it and most importantly is has been shownthrough the ages by humble deeds Peace that is. The way to peace is throughlove. Love cannot be forced and it cannot be found through sloth therefore forpeace to flourish it must be wanted and acted upon accordingly by the people whowill grow under it. However to have peace there must be only peace, it cannot beinterrupted by acts of violence or aggression and it especially cannot existwhen those who are supposedly working for it also engage in violent acts on theside. In other words pacifism is the only way to achieve peace. Catholicismsupports pacifism but it also supports the Just-War Theory which is a set ofrules that must be followed to make a war just. It includes: a just cause- warmust confront a real and certain danger, competent authority- war must bedeclared by those responsible for public order, there must be right intentionsand it must be a last resort. It is unclear how anyone could call themselves aChristian and fight in wars at the same time when in the Ten Commandments itclearly states Thou shalt not kill. That phrase is alone, it is notfollowed by a list of exceptions and loop holes to the commandment. Next, Jesus,the founder of Christianity, said to do unto others as you would have then dounto you. If a person is of sane mind that person does not wish to dietherefore killing deliberately breaks Jesus rule. Not only does being aChristian and fighting wars break simple rules of the faith but if you are atrue believer in Christianity it is also absurd. What is the purpose of aso-called just war? To stop an immediate danger that threatens safety and peaceand to protect but what do Christians have to protect and guard against whenthey believe that their kingdom is not of this Earth? If the Christian kingdomis with their god in the afterlife what kingdom that resides only on Earth couldthey possibly justify killing to protect? Or perhaps it is protecting their ownand other lives. Although did Jesus protect his own life when Judas came tobetray him? No, infact according to the Bible when an apostle drew a sword toprotect Jesus life Jesus stopped him and healed the wounded soldier. Furthermore what would be protected here on Earth when it is the Christianbelief that the soul is the most important part. Should Christians act in a waythat would hurt souls and save minds and bodies or act in a way that saves soulsbut leaves minds and bodies to die? Perhaps waging war to stop a threat such asNazis from overtaking the world because in doing so they would destroy peaceand love along with Christianity. The only argument that can be made forpacifism here is that if you are a Christian you are to have faith that your godwill protect you especially if you are following your faith in spite of the factthat is might get you and many others killed. In the end war is not peace andthe two cannot both exist at the same time. It is one or the other. John Lennonmade the statement All you need is love which is so simple yet so hard tofollow and see. Peace and love have become almost interchangeable with eachother because they are so very much alike. With peace there is inner contentmentand with love there is benevolence, kindness and fraternity toward all life. .u1e35c4b0d50014c854e993b589294467 , .u1e35c4b0d50014c854e993b589294467 .postImageUrl , .u1e35c4b0d50014c854e993b589294467 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u1e35c4b0d50014c854e993b589294467 , .u1e35c4b0d50014c854e993b589294467:hover , .u1e35c4b0d50014c854e993b589294467:visited , .u1e35c4b0d50014c854e993b589294467:active { border:0!important; } .u1e35c4b0d50014c854e993b589294467 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u1e35c4b0d50014c854e993b589294467 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u1e35c4b0d50014c854e993b589294467:active , .u1e35c4b0d50014c854e993b589294467:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u1e35c4b0d50014c854e993b589294467 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u1e35c4b0d50014c854e993b589294467 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u1e35c4b0d50014c854e993b589294467 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u1e35c4b0d50014c854e993b589294467 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u1e35c4b0d50014c854e993b589294467:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u1e35c4b0d50014c854e993b589294467 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u1e35c4b0d50014c854e993b589294467 .u1e35c4b0d50014c854e993b589294467-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u1e35c4b0d50014c854e993b589294467:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: The Events Leading To The Collapse Of Enron Accounting Essay Thetwo forms compliment each other in such a way that it is either not possible tohave one without the other or it is just foolish to have only one. This beingsaid it is true that pacifism is the only way to have peace because peace andlove are so close yet war is the opposite of peace so it cannot logically bereasoned that war is close to peace. John Lennons statement could just haveeasily been All you need is peace. Peace brings with it prosperity,knowledge and opportunity. War brings death and the wasting of resources howeverit can be used to energize a nations economy and patriotism but the result ofwar outweighs the good side of war. Pacifism can bring change to the world ashas been shown to us by the actions of many including Socrates, Jesus, Luther,Ghandi, King and many, many others but the greatest example of this is not thesemen but the one who lives humbly for the cause of peace in pacifism.