A Religion of Peace?: Why Christianity Is and Islam Isn't

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Several Roman writers rejected the militarism of Roman society and gave voice to anti-war sentiments, [21]

Fighting is prescribed for you, and ye dislike it. But it is possible that ye dislike a thing which is good for you, and that ye love a thing which is bad for you… Indeed, those who have believed and those who have emigrated and fought (jihad ) in the cause of Allah – those expect the mercy of Allah. And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful. including Propertius, Tibullus and Ovid. [22] The Stoic Seneca the Younger criticised warfare in his book Naturales quaestiones (c. 65 CE). [23] We might ask whether Islam advocates peace. Being a religion of peace could imply that Islam advocates pacifism. [1] But is this really the case? To test this, we need to examine the teaching of Islam in the Qur’an and the hadith. We are participating in the global mission to go beyond dialogue and bears fruit in common action with communities of faith and the society at large. At the moment our work involves nuclear disarmament education, climate change, inner peace exploration and fighting hate speech. In fact, surah 9 is the last chapter to be revealed in the Qur’an and is seen as abrogating earlier instructions. Surah 9 is also the most violent chapter as the following verses demonstrate:André Durand. "Gustave Moynier and the peace societies". International Committee of the Red Cross. Archived from the original on 8 March 2016 . Retrieved 2 December 2013. Radical Pacifism: The War Resisters League and Gandhian Nonviolence in America, 1915–1963 by Scott H. Bennett. New York, Syracuse University Press, 2003, ISBN 081563028X, p. 18. Jay Beaman's thesis [107] states that 13 of 21, or 62% of American Pentecostal groups formed by 1917 show evidence of being pacifist sometime in their history. Furthermore, Jay Beaman has shown in his thesis [107] that there has been a shift away from pacifism in the American Pentecostal churches to more a style of military support and chaplaincy. The major organisation for Pentecostal Christians who believe in pacifism is the PCPF, the Pentecostal Charismatic Peace Fellowship.

The Southern Baptist Convention has stated in the Baptist Faith and Message, "It is the duty of Christians to seek peace with all men on principles of righteousness. In accordance with the spirit and teachings of Christ they should do all in their power to put an end to war." [110] In fact, Islam was first called a religion of peace as late as 1930 in a book published to promote Islam, [4] and as Muslims sought to promote their faith to western audiences. Thus, for the first 1,300 years of Islamic history, this description was unknown; it occurs nowhere in the texts or traditions of Islam right up until the last century. The meaning of ‘Jihad’ All four principle Sunni schools of Islamic law agree on the importance of jihad as warfare, as do Shi’ites. [15] There is a long history of this teaching because it is very clear in the Qur’an. [16] An online fatwa gives ten reasons why jihad is prescribed. [17] These include: “to make the people worship Allah alone”, “Frightening the kuffaar, humiliating them and putting them to shame”, “Acquiring booty”, and “Taking [i.e. making] martyrs”.Undoubtedly taking the initiative in fighting has a great effect in spreading Islam and bringing people into the religion of Allah in crowds. Hence the hearts of the enemies of Islam are filled with fear of jihad. [22] Conclusion: Islam is not a religion of peace Diamond, Jared (1997). Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies. New York: W.W. Norton. p.53. A.J.Davies, To Build A New Jerusalem: The British Labour Party from Keir Hardie to Tony Blair, Abacus, 1996 Pacifism". University of Wellington. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013 . Retrieved 2 December 2013.

Still more pacifists would argue that a nonviolent reaction may not save lives immediately but would in the long run. The acceptance of violence for any reason makes it easier to use in other situations. Learning and committing to pacifism helps to send a message that violence is, in fact, not the most effective way. It can also help people to think more creatively and find more effective ways to stop violence without more violence.Adam Roberts and Timothy Garton Ash (eds.), Civil Resistance and Power Politics: The Experience of Non-violent Action from Gandhi to the Present, Oxford University Press, 2009. See [1]. Includes chapters by specialists on the various movements.