2018

Arguments in support

• War can be the lesser of two evils: It can be justified if its purpose is to stop atrocities and may be a reason to go to war to solve problems between countries.
• It is the best way if it is sanctioned by God, eg Holy War.
• It is if you are abiding by rules of Just / Holy War.
• It might be the only war a particular country (leader) might respond / listen to international pressure.
• War can be quicker than diplomacy.

Arguments in support of other views

• There are many other methods of resolving conflicts eg. negotiations, through UN, through sanctions or use of peace keeping forces.
• War ignores the sanctity of life by taking lives and ruining others. War creates refugees and brings terrible destruction.
• There has to be a better way of resolving problems between countries that doesn’t cause so much destruction and harm.

War wastes a country’s resources etc.

Christianity
Matthew 5:9: ‘Happy are those who work for peace.’ / Matthew 5:44: ‘Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.’ / Matthew 5:38-48 –do not take revenge, if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, let him slap your left  cheek.. .Matthew 22:39: ‘Love your neighbour’ / Romans 12:17-21 Jesus taught peace, forgiveness and overcoming evil with goodness but he did overturn tables in
the temple because it had become ‘a den of thieves.’ Matthew 10:34, etc.

Judaism
Exodus 20:13: ‘Do not kill’ / Micah 4:3 ‘Nation will not lift sword against nation, there will be no more training for war.’ / Proverbs 25:21: ‘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 pre-emptive strike against an enemy about to invade, or by God’s command / Deuteronomy 20:1-4 / Exodus 15:3, etc.

2019

Arguments in support
• Religions teach that war is an evil which should be avoided as it kills innocent civilians and ruins the environment.
• Religions teach their followers to work for peace so it is hypocritical to fight in war.
• Wars are fought because of motives like greed and wanting more power or land or to impose beliefs on other people which is not what religions teach.
• Disputes should be settled in other ways eg negotiations, through the United Nations, trade sanctions. / There have to be better ways of solving a dispute as war creates more problems than it solves.
• Goes against the religions’ golden rules and peace is priceless.
• Religions teach forgiveness and overcoming evil with goodness / examples of believers who have advocated overcoming injustice in peaceful ways include Martin Luther King, The Dalai Lama, Gandhi, etc.

Arguments in support of other views
• Sometimes it is seen as right for religious believers to fight if there is a just reason for a war / accept Just War conditions eg just cause / lawfully declared by proper authority / good intention / last resort / reasonable chance of success / fought by just means / the good achieved will outweigh the evil / avoidance where possible of injury to civilians / protect trees, crops and  animals / need to overthrow a cruel dictator / stop genocide or other atrocities / bring freedom to a country / defend faith / self-defence.
• May be classified as a Holy War eg fighting to protect their religion.
• May be seen as the only way to bring peace in the end.
• Could be seen as the lesser of two evils such as the only way to destroy weapons of mass destruction and / or stop genocide or an aggressive regime, etc.

Christianity
While the Christian Church may speak out against killing and Jesus said “Blessed are the peacemakers”, many Christians are prepared to fight for their country or religion against evil / 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 / other Christians are pacifists eg The Quakers (Society of Friends) and will not fight under any circumstances / the Ten Commandments include ‘Do not kill’ / many in the early Church were against fighting, 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 / ‘Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in His image did God make man – Genesis 9:6 / The Ten Commandments – ‘Do not kill.’ / Jews hope for peace in the future – Micah 4:3, Isaiah 9:6–7 / promote peace-making where possible, etc.

2021

Arguments in support
• Throughout history war has been greedily used to gain more land or territory.
• Greed and envy can cause countries to invade others in order to gain control over important resources / such as oil and so become much richer / some believe that the US and UK invasion of Iraq in 2003 was more about gaining control of oil reserves than politics.
• Greedy rulers have wanted to gain more power and have great empires eg Romans and Greeks, etc.

Arguments in support of other views
• There are many causes for war, such as retaliation, self-defence, religion, difference in ideology.
• Most wars are the result of complicated factors and not for just one reason.
• Often wars are fought to resolve an injustice or a conflict which hasn’t been resolved by other means.
• Some religions believe in the concept of the Holy War to defend their religion from attack.
• People living in abject poverty might believe going to war to improve their lives is justified and a just cause.
• It is unfair that some people are suffering while others live in plenty, etc.

Christianity
Christianity warns that greed can cause a lot of suffering / “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil” – 1 Timothy 6:10 / a war is not regarded as a Just War if it’s purpose is for greed such as to gain territory or resources / may support a war if it is to right an injustice or remove an evil dictator / “if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one” – Luke 22:36 / some wars have been caused to defend their religion / eg idea of what might be called an Holy War such as the Crusades, etc.

Judaism
In the Tenakh, God expresses his disapproval of greed / the tenth commandment is “You shall not covet” – Exodus 14:17 / “A greedy man provokes quarrels, But he who trusts the Lord shall enjoy prosperity” – Proverbs 28:25 / many wars in the Old Testament were to gain territory eg the conquest of Canaan or in self defence eg against the Philistines / in the 20th Century Jews suffered because of their race and religion because of the Nazi regime / since 1948 Jews have fought to defend Israel and safeguard its territory / “You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against
your countrymen. Love you neighbour as yourself” – Leviticus 19:18 / obligatory wars / optional wars / war fought to protect religion, etc.

2022

Arguments in support
• Religious teachings support legitimate governments including, for example, preparing for self defence.
• If a country is prepared for war potential enemies will not see the country as an easy target.
• Individuals should be willing to fight if called upon as the threat of retaliation will discourage potential attacks.
• The presence of a strong military force acts as a deterrent as others will think twice about attacking.
• If attacked then there is the capability of defending the country and repelling the attacker and bringing about peace.
• Having nuclear weapons has prevented a major war since 1945.
• Protecting the vulnerable is a religious duty, etc.

Arguments in support of other views
• Even to prepare for war would go against some people’s religious principles eg preparing to take life.
• Having strong military capabilities may result in the country deciding to attack another country and starting a war.
• Power hungry leaders may become overconfident and listen to their military commanders and decide to fight.
• Just having people willing to fight and a strong military force doesn’t mean that a country will not decide never to engage in war as they may feel that war is necessary to solve a dispute or put right a perceived injustice.
• Better to have no army or military as then there is no danger of the country starting a war.
• There are other better ways of keeping the peace, eg talking to one another or praying for divine help or being peaceful oneself are better ways to maintain peace rather than relying on military force, etc.

Christianity
Many Christians have been prepared to join the armed forces although they wish for peace / other Christians do not support being part of the military as they are pacifists eg Quakers but believe that negotiations would be more effective than being ready for war / Isaiah looked forward to the day when there would be no more war – Isaiah 2 : 4 / “Blessed are the peacemakers” Matthew 5:9 / Christians who believe in the Just War theory, begun by St. Augustine and developed by Thomas Aquinas, may well support the idea of having a military capabilities to act as a deterrent to prevent war / as a last resort if negotiations and if all avenues fail then it may be right to go to war / “if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one” Luke 22 : 36, etc.

Judaism
Throughout history Jews have had many conflicts to gain territory and settle disputes / although having a desire for peace the history of the Holocaust and hostilities since 1948 has motivated the Jews in Israel to be ready and prepared for war / Israelis have seen some of their neighbours as threatening their security and that relative peace can only be maintained by having a strong military presence / rocket attacks and occasional attempted invasions on Israel have taken place but haven’t been very successful and a somewhat uneasy peace is maintained / peace talks have also
had limited success, etc.

Spec 1

• pacifism is right because war can never be justified. This is because Buddhists support the idea of ahimsa (not harming a living thing)/religious believers support the idea of the sanctity of life, etc
• pacifists believe that all killing is wrong. This is because religions have laws such as ‘do not kill’ and so will not fight eg Quakers, etc
• some Christians believe that war is the sometimes the best option and would not support being a pacifist. For example, they would fight in a ‘Just War’ or to stop genocide taking place, etc.

Christianity
There are different views among Christians/some see nuclear weapons
as a deterrent to maintain peace and prevent attack/others like the
Quakers are pacifists and oppose them/against the Just War rules.

Judaism
The Talmud (Shavuot 35b) explicitly prohibits the waging of war in a situation where the casualty rate exceeds a sixth of the population/it would be difficult to actually use a nuclear weapon but having them as a deterrent is seen as justified.

2018

All religions recognise that nuclear weapons are always a danger/ if they exist that they could be used/ might get into the hands of terrorists or an unstable leader/ concern about rogue states like North Korea/ if used would cause terrible destruction/ long term effects eg Hiroshima and Nagasaki/ there are enough nuclear weapons to destroy the whole world/ very expensive to make and maintain/ there is a need to pray for peace and campaign for disarmament/ countries who get rid of them will be setting an example for others to follow/ nuclear weapons are immoral.

Religions recognise the need for protection/ possessing nuclear weapons acts as a deterrent/ actually prevents wars if the other side knows that they will be hit by nuclear weapons in retaliation/ has kept relative peace in Europe since World War 2/ if others have them they may be needed for defence to maintain a balance of power/ self-defence/ they are no problem if they are not used, etc.

Christianity
Some Christians believe that the problem with nuclear weapons is not the weapons themselves but their use / they can act as a deterrent and result in peace. A fundamental Christian belief is that only God has the right to end life that he has created / the Ten Commandments says, ‘You shall not murder’ (Exodus 20:13) / using nuclear weapons would not be supported by the Just War theory as innocent people are killed indiscriminately / ‘Faith groups in the UK are united in their conviction that any use of nuclear weapons would violate the sanctity of life and the principle of dignity core to our faith traditions.’ (Steve Hucklesby) / many Christians have campaigned for nuclear disarmament (CCND), etc.

Judaism
Jewish scientists Albert Einstein and J. Robert Oppenheimer were involved with others in developing atom bombs that were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and brought World War 2 to an end / later they opposed nuclear weapons / Israel has nuclear weapons for defence purposes but many Jews are totally against their use / the Ten Commandments says, ‘You shall not murder’ (Exodus 20:13) / belief that it can never be justified to kill large numbers of innocent civilians / Rabbi David Saperstein said, ‘We join to call on the world to recognise that violence begets violence; that nuclear proliferation benefits no one; that we can, we will, and we must find other ways to protect ourselves, our nations and our future.’, etc.

Spec 2

Arguments in support
• nuclear weapons are extremely destructive/If nuclear weapons are used, conflict may escalate and destroy the planet
• nuclear weapons are hugely expensive/it is unlikely that nuclear weapons will ever be used
• using nuclear weapons is against the criteria of a just war
• accidents could occur which could have devastating impact, etc.

Arguments in support of other views
• nuclear weapons serve as a deterrent
• countries that possess nuclear weapons can be considered to be safer than those without
• the existence of nuclear weapons has kept the peace in Europe since end of WW2
• as the technology to make them exists, the clock cannot be turned back to ‘uninvent’ them, etc.

Christianity
Christians are encouraged to work towards peace/following peaceful example of Jesus would rule out nuclear weapons/nuclear weapons disobey the just war criteria (proportionality)/potential for massive civilian casualties/sanctity of life/‘do not kill’/‘love your neighbour’ (may be the more loving thing to do if it ends violence/nuclear weapons have proved to be a deterrent and have helped to keep the peace/they could
be used as a last resort in the most serious of circumstances, especially if they prevent further suffering, etc.

Judaism
Teachings on peace, justice and sanctity of life rule out the use of nuclear weapons/using nuclear weapons are contrary to stewardship of God’s earth/mass destruction is unacceptable conduct in war/teachings such as ‘do not kill’/peace should not be built on fear/Israel possesses nuclear weapons and relies on other countries with them/in Israel’s history, there have been occasions where large numbers were killed in battle eg the conquest of Canaan, etc.

2020

Arguments in support
• If used, weapons of mass destruction may kill thousands of innocent people and wildlife and cause immense suffering.
• If weapons of mass destruction are used, the conflict may escalate and destroy the planet so they should be destroyed.
• Weapons of mass destruction are hugely expensive and it is unlikely that they will ever be used so there is no point in having them.
• Accidents could occur which could have a devastating impact, etc.

Arguments in support of other views
• Weapons of mass destruction may serve as a deterrent and help to prevent war.
• Countries that possess weapons of mass destruction can be considered to be safer than those without.
• The existence of nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction has kept the peace in Europe since end of WW2.
• As the technology to make them exists, the clock cannot be turned back to ‘uninvent’ them.
• Mutually Assured Destruction, etc.

Christianity
Christians are encouraged to work towards peace / following the peaceful example of Jesus would rule out weapons of mass destruction / weapons of mass destruction disobey the just war criteria (proportionality) / potential for massive civilian casualties / against the sanctity of life / ‘do not kill’ / ‘love your neighbour’ (may be the more loving thing to do if it ends violence) / nuclear weapons have proved to be a deterrent and have helped to keep the peace / they could be used as a last resort in the most serious of circumstances, especially if they prevent further suffering, etc.

Judaism
Teachings on peace, justice and sanctity of life rule out the use of weapons of mass destruction / using weapons of mass destruction are contrary to stewardship of God’s earth / mass destruction is unacceptable conduct in war / teachings such as ‘do not kill’ / peace should not be built on fear / Israel possesses nuclear weapons and relies on other countries with them / in Israel’s history, there have been occasions where large numbers were killed in battle eg the conquest of Canaan, etc.