2021

It has a just cause / lawfully declared by proper authority like the government / has a good intention / is the last resort / there is a reasonable chance of success – of winning the war / fought by just means, not by weapons which are banned / the good achieved will outweigh the evil and restore peace / avoidance where possible of injury to civilians / care is taken to protect trees, crops and animals / need to overthrow a cruel dictator / stop genocide or other atrocities / bring freedom to a country where the people are oppressed / defend faith and freedoms / in self-defence against an invading army, etc.

2020

Sometimes to do nothing would be to allow injustices to continue / it may be seen as the lesser of two evils / it may be seen as right for religious believers to fight if there is a just reason for a war / such as it has a just cause eg to defend their country / lawfully declared by proper authority like the government / has a good intention eg to overthrow an evil dictator / is the last resort eg after sanctions and diplomacy have failed / there is a reasonable chance of success – of winning the war / fought by just means, not by weapons with are banned eg chemical weapons / the good achieved
will outweigh the evil and peace restored / avoidance where possible of injury to civilians / care is taken to protect trees, crops and animals / need to overthrow a cruel dictator / stop genocide or other atrocities / bring freedom to a country where the people are oppressed / defend faith and freedoms / in self-defence against an invading army / religious believers like St Augustine and Thomas Aquinas developed the criteria for the Just War theory, etc.

Christianity
Many Christians are prepared to fight for their country or religion against evil / many stories in the Old Testament of wars promote heroes in battles eg David against Goliath / St Augustine and Thomas Aquinas developed the criteria for the Just War theory / Jesus used violence in the Temple to throw out those who were exploiting the pilgrims, etc.

Judaism
Many Jewish believers do join the armed forces / many Jews believe in pre-emptive strikes to overcome evil / many stories of war heroes in the Tenakh eg Joshua, Samson, King David and Gideon / some wars are regarded as obligatory, others defensive wars and others optional wars / no specific just war theory in Judaism but many accept the Just War theory criteria / many suffered during the Holocaust and many Jews believe it right to stand up against evil wherever it occurs, etc.

Spec 1

Arguments in support
• teaching about the sanctity of life – the belief that it is wrong to take life, and that by doing so a believer is disobeying religious commands
• arguments in favour of pacifism (both religious and non-religious) – violence breeds violence and does not bring about peace and stability
• modern warfare targets innocent civilians through use of weapons of mass destruction. Modern warfare is therefore morally wrong.

Arguments in support of other views
• idea of Just War – criteria include – started and controlled by a properly instituted authority/just cause/last resort/not involve suffering to innocent civilians/protect trees, crops, animals/not act of aggression or to gain territory/aim to restore peace and
freedom/enable release of prisoners of war/must be winnable/proportionality
• war can be the lesser of two evils: It can be justified if its purpose is to: stop atrocities/depose a dictator/to defeat terrorists/stop spread of weapons of mass destruction. If the consequences of war are better than the consequences of not fighting, then war is justified. 
• people have a right to self-defence.

Christianity
Matthew 5v9: “Happy are those who work for peace.”/Matthew 5v44: “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”/Matthew 5v38–48 – do not take revenge, if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, let him slap your left cheek…Matthew 22v39: ‘Love your neighbour’/Romans 12v17–21

Judaism
Exodus 20v13: “Do not kill”/Micah 4v3 “Nation will not lift sword against nation, there will be no more training for war.”/Proverbs 25v21: “If your enemy is hungry, give him something to eat; if thirsty, something to drink.”/the Talmud: “What is harmful to yourself do not to your fellow men”.
Judaism portrays God as a warrior and see some wars as obligatory – a necessary last resort/these may be fought in self-defence or a preemptive strike against an enemy about to invade, or by God’s command/Deuteronomy 20:1–4/Exodus 15:3