Religion and Peace

Religion and Peace is Section IV of the SoR II exam: one compulsory 20-mark extended response of about 800 words (20 of 100 marks). There is no choice of question, so prepare all parts of the syllabus. You study two religious traditions, and the syllabus names the sacred texts for each:

For each of your two traditions you need:

• How the sacred texts inform the tradition's understanding of peace.
• The principal teachings about peace.
• How the tradition guides the individual to inner peace.
• The contribution of the tradition to world peace.

The exam question will usually focus on one or two of these, so be ready to analyse or evaluate as well as describe. These notes cover Buddhism, Christianity and Islam only; Hinduism (the Bhagavad Gita) and Judaism (the prophetic vision of peace) are not yet covered on this site.

• Inner peace: a state of calm, wholeness and harmony within the person, often linked to their relationship with the divine or to freedom from craving and fear.
• World peace: harmony between people, communities and nations. Most traditions say this means more than the absence of war; it includes justice and right relationships.

All three traditions link the two: peace in the world is said to begin in the heart, and injustice in society destroys peace for individuals. Showing this link is a strong way to lift an answer.

Texts and principal teachings

• The Dhammapada opens by teaching that the mind is the forerunner of all actions (verses 1–2). Verse 5: hatred is never appeased by hatred, only by non-hatred; this is an eternal law. Verse 103: conquering oneself is greater than conquering thousands in battle. Verse 201: the peaceful person lives happily, having given up victory and defeat. Verses 203–204 describe nibbana as the highest happiness.
• The Karaniya Metta Sutta (in the Sutta Nipata) teaches boundless loving-kindness to all beings, 'as a mother would protect her only child'.
• The First Precept (non-harming) and Right Intention (thoughts free of ill will and cruelty).
• Nibbana is the ultimate peace (_santi_): the end of greed, hatred and delusion.

Inner peace

Inner peace comes from overcoming the causes of suffering in the mind. Ethical conduct (the precepts) removes remorse and fear; samatha meditation calms the mind; vipassana develops insight into impermanence and not-self; metta meditation dissolves anger; the Brahmaviharas, especially equanimity, keep the mind balanced.

World peace

• The 14th Dalai Lama: non-violent Middle Way Approach for Tibet; Nobel Peace Prize 1989.
• Thich Nhat Hanh (1926–2022): engaged Buddhism; nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by Martin Luther King Jr in 1967; Plum Village communities teaching mindful living.
• Maha Ghosananda: the Dhammayietra peace walks in Cambodia from 1992.
• Soka Gakkai International: annual peace proposals to the UN (from 1983) and nuclear disarmament campaigns.

Evaluation point: Buddhist societies have not been free of conflict (for example in Sri Lanka and Myanmar), and Buddhist teachers have criticised the use of religion to justify violence, which shows the gap between teaching and practice.

Texts and principal teachings

• 'Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God' (Matthew 5:9).
• Love of enemies and non-retaliation (Matthew 5:38–44); 'all who take the sword will perish by the sword' (Matthew 26:52).
• 'Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you' (John 14:27); 'the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding' (Philippians 4:7).
• Christ as 'our peace', breaking down the dividing wall of hostility (Ephesians 2:14); 'live peaceably with all' (Romans 12:18).
• Shalom: peace as wholeness, justice and right relationships.

Christians apply these teachings in two main ways: pacifism (Quakers, Mennonites) and just war principles (Augustine, Aquinas), which strictly limit when and how force may be used.

Inner peace

Christians believe inner peace comes from reconciliation with God through Jesus, from trust in God's love, and from forgiveness, received and given. It is nourished through prayer, the sacraments (especially the Eucharist and, for Catholics, reconciliation), Scripture and the community of the Church.

World peace

• Pacem in Terris (1963, John XXIII): peace founded on human rights and duties.
• World Day of Peace (1 January, since 1968).
• Assisi Day of Prayer for Peace (1986), bringing together leaders of many religions.
• Sant'Egidio helped broker the Rome General Peace Accords (1992), ending Mozambique's civil war.
• World Council of Churches: the Decade to Overcome Violence (2001–2010).
• Act for Peace (NCCA), Caritas and Pax Christi.

Evaluation point: Christianity has also been used to justify violence, from the Crusades to sectarian conflict in Northern Ireland, and churches were implicated in the 1994 genocide in Rwanda; churches today acknowledge these failures, which shows both the gap between teaching and practice and the importance of reconciliation work.

Texts and principal teachings

• _Islām_ and _salām_ share the same root; As-Salām (the Source of Peace) is a name of Allah (59:23); Paradise is the Abode of Peace (10:25); the greeting 'peace be upon you'.
• 'If they incline to peace, incline to it also' (8:61).
• Killing one innocent soul is like killing all humanity; saving one is like saving all humanity (5:32).
• Fighting only in self-defence and without transgression (2:190); 'there is no compulsion in religion' (2:256).
• Allah made people into nations and tribes 'that you may know one another' (49:13).
• Justice as the basis of peace (4:135; 5:8).
• Hadith: a Muslim is one from whose tongue and hand people are safe.

Inner peace

'In the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest' (13:28). Inner peace comes through submission and is nourished by salah, dhikr (remembrance), fasting in Ramadan, trust in Allah (_tawakkul_) and patience (_ṣabr_). Many Muslims speak of the greater struggle (_jihād al-nafs_) against one's own ego, anger and selfish desires.

World peace

• Amman Message (2004): tolerance and rejection of declaring other Muslims unbelievers.
• A Common Word Between Us and You (2007): 138 Muslim scholars invited Christians to dialogue based on love of God and neighbour.
• Marrakesh Declaration (2016): protecting religious minorities in Muslim-majority countries.
• Document on Human Fraternity (2019): signed by the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar and Pope Francis.
• Islamic Relief and other Muslim aid agencies in conflict zones.

Evaluation point: extremist groups have misused Qur'anic verses and the language of jihad to justify violence. Mainstream scholars have repeatedly rejected this, for example in the Amman Message (2004) and the _Letter to Baghdadi_ (2014) signed by more than 120 scholars, but such declarations do not always reach those at risk of radicalisation.

1. Introduction: define peace (inner and world), name your tradition(s), and state your judgement or line of argument.
2. Body paragraphs organised by argument, not by listing: each one makes a point, supports it with a sacred text and a teaching or practice, and links back to the question.
3. Analysis: show how inner peace and world peace are connected, and how texts become action.
4. Evaluation (if the verb requires it): weigh contributions against limits (misuse of religion, limited political influence, internal division).
5. Conclusion: restate the judgement in light of the evidence.

Worked example (planning only)

_Assess the role of sacred texts in guiding Christians to work for peace._

A plan: (1) judgement: the New Testament is the main source of Christian commitment to peace, but churches interpret it differently. (2) Texts calling for peacemaking and love of enemies (Matthew 5) inspire pacifist churches and peace movements. (3) Texts on reconciliation in Christ (Ephesians 2) underpin ecumenical and interfaith initiatives such as the Assisi gathering (1986). (4) Inner peace (John 14:27) as a foundation for peacemaking. (5) Limit: the just war tradition shows that Christians also draw on reason and tradition, not only the texts, so the texts guide but do not decide every question. (6) Conclusion.

• Describing initiatives without connecting them to the tradition's teachings.
• Quoting texts without explaining how they guide adherents.
• Writing only about world peace when the question includes inner peace, or the reverse.
• Defining _jihād_ only as war, or calling all Buddhists pacifists without nuance.
• Leaving out dates for initiatives.

• Learn four or five short text references per tradition and use them precisely.
• Section IV is the last question in the paper; leave a full 35 minutes for it.
• If the question asks about 'a religious tradition', one tradition in depth is better than two in outline; if it says 'two', give both real weight.

• Depth studies: the ethical teachings and significant people (the Dalai Lama, John XXIII) give evidence for peace answers.
• Australia post-1945: interfaith dialogue as a contribution to social harmony.
• Religion and Non-Religion: religion as a force for social change.