Pacifism

Pacifism - the word pacifism comes from the Latin for 'peacemaking'. Pacifists believe in non-violence. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ A commandment says "thou shalt not kill"

• Jesus spoke about pacifism.
• The actions and example of Jesus.
• War rarely solves problems, just creates new ones.
• An evil action should never be met with retaliation.

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Sitting down and talking to each other is how peace is achieved and not through fighting.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. Matthew 5:9

Peace cannot be achieved through violence, it can only be achieved through understanding. Ralph Waldo Emerson, philosopher (1803-1882)

• The War must be declared by a government not an individual.
• There must be a good reason reason for war e.g. self-defence.
• The intention of the war must be good e.g. to restore peace.
• Civilians should be protected.
• The war should not cause unnecessary harm.

Active pacifism - some get involved in politics to try to bring about peace or to argue against specific wars which they feel are unjust.

Selective pacifism - some types of warfare are acceptable, but wars which use weapons of mass destruction is wrong.

Absolute pacifism - all human life is precious and so there is never any justification for killing another person.

Conditional pacifism - violence and war are wrong in principle, but sometimes war can be the lesser of two evils. it can sometimes be justified by the good it achieves.