2. Assess the extent to which the ideas of Just War Theory are influenced by religious beliefs. (12)
2 Assess the value of jus ad bellum (declaration of war) and jus in bello (conduct in war) in the Just War Theory. (12) 2019 AS Q
2. Assess the significance of the claim that war can sometimes be considered justifiable. (12)
2 Assess the relevance of religious contributions to just war theory. (12)
2. Assess the credibility of the claim that there are never good reasons to go to war. (12)
2 Assess the strengths of one conflict or war success of named wars in achieving their goal. (12)
2 Assess the success of Just War Theory in theory and in practice. (12)
2 Assess the success of a named war in achieving its goal. (12)
2 Assess the claim that pacifism is impractical. (12)
2 Assess the practicality of pacifism in its different forms. (12)
2. Assess the extent to which the ideas of Pacifism are influenced by religious beliefs. (12)
2. Assess what extent is pacifism a diffcult position to hold. (12)
2 Assess the importance of the perceived advantages of war such as technological development for pacism. (12)
2 Assess the strengths of the claim that a pacifist can never accept the principles of Just War. (12)
2 Assess the significance of the claim the view that despite the strength of pacifist arguments, war can sometimes be justified. (12)Â
2. Assess to what extent pacifism is compatible with a Just War. (12)
Pax Christi was established in France by French Christain citizens in 1945, interested in reconciliation between French and German Citizens in the aftermath of World War II, using the Jesus' teaching that 'blessed are the peacemakers' to support this. However, the policy of peaceful resistance could not have been used as national policy during the war, as France would've been rapidly conquered, Pax Christi work in solidarity with peacemakers in Palestine and Israel, holding a World Assembly to affirm their stand in favour of non-violent struggle against the occupation. They believe it is necessary to resist evil by non-violent means, always retaining a reverence for life, arguing that if we abhor Hitler because he was a mass-murderer, how can it be right to murder and bomb in order to defeat him? On the other hand, there is a logical case against the pacifist works of Pax Christi - pacifism has no place in the face of extreme evil, because the world is not perfect meaning war is not always wrong. In addition, Pax Christi held meetings on East-West relations to prevent further war, offering non-violent and more positive ways of solving conflicts, which is supported by the Biblical teaching that 'all who take the sword will die by the sword ' and the Church teaching that 'the Lord, in disarming Peter, unbelted every soldier'. Conversely, the holocaust and other industrial scale abuses of human rights caused many to think that there could be cases when war was the least-bad course of action. Moreover, declaring an entire war as unjust undermines the sacrifices of soldiers - would it be wrong to honour such soldiers for their sacrifice, if pacifists deem wars as unjust? Nevertheless, the work of Pax Christi is successful. War is inhumane, impractical, immoral, unjust and wasteful, and we should offer nonviolent ways of solving conflicts and achieving lasting peace.