Lesson video

Hello, my name's Mrs. Rawbone, and I'm really pleased to be working with you today on this RS lesson on religion and peace-making.

In today's lesson, you will be able to explain the difference between pacifism and peace-making, and give examples of how Christian and others work for peace.

Key words we'll be using today are peace, peace-making, pacifism, and reconciliation.

Peace is the opposite of war, harmony between all in society.

Peace-making is working to bring about peace and reconciliation.

Pacifism is the belief that all violence is wrong, which then affects all behaviours.

And reconciliation is making up and rebuilding relationships between two groups or sides after disagreements.

In today's lesson, we will be looking at peace-making, and then add responses to peace-making.

So let's get started on the first part of our lesson looking at peace-making.

Peace-making is the process of working to bring about peace and reconciliation, especially after conflict or violence.

Peacemakers aim to repair relationships, prevent further harm, and promote understanding.

The terms peace and reconciliation come from Latin.

Peace comes from the word pax, meaning peace, agreement, or treaty.

It's originally meant the absence of conflict or the establishment of order, and it's understood now as meaning both the opposite of war and harmony between all in society.

Reconciliation comes from the Latin re, again, and conciliare, which means to unite or make friendly.

Originally, it was used to describe restoring broken relationships, but it's come to mean making up and rebuilding relationships between two groups or sides after disagreement.

So what is peace-making? Pause the video.

Take a moment to write down a definition and come back when you're ready to move on.

You could have said peace-making is the process of working to bring about peace and reconciliation, especially after conflict or violence.

Well done if you've got something similar to that.

Laura, Andeep, Jun, and Sofia are discussing peace-making.

Laura says, "Peace-making means stopping violence by dealing with its causes." Andeep says, "it's about helping people forgive and rebuild after conflict." Jun says, "It's standing up for others in non-violent ways." And Sofia says, "Peace-making starts with how we treat each other." So how are each of these examples of working to bring about peace and reconciliation? Pause the video, turn and talk to someone the nearby if you can, or you can talk to me.

Think about what each of our characters has said, and then come back when you're ready to move on.

Peace-making involves educating others about peace and resolving conflict, promoting dialogue and understanding, forgiveness and reconciliation, nonviolent protest and resistance, supporting victims of war, campaigning for justice, and fairness.

Give one example of how someone might put peace-making into practise.

Take a moment, pause the video, think about finding an example from what you know, and then come back when you're ready to see what you could have written.

You could have said any one of the following.

Promoting dialogue and understanding, forgiveness and reconciliation, nonviolent protest and resistance, supporting victims of conflict, campaigning for justice and fairness, and educating others about peace and resolving conflict.

So well done if you manage to mention one of those examples.

Pacifists and peacemakers agree on peace as a goal.

However, there are some key differences between them.

A pacifist would believe that violence is morally wrong and never justified.

They often engage actively in peace, work through nonviolent means like protests, civil disobedience, or advocacy.

A peacemaker might not reject all forms of violence if they consider them essential to peace, and they actively seek to resolve conflicts through dialogue, mediation, or practical solutions.

So they definitely have a lot in common.

But the key difference is that a pacifist always believes violence is wrong, and a peacemaker may not always believe this, but their aim is always going to be peace.

Some people have specific jobs as peacemakers.

And for others, it's just part of a way of life.

So, religious leaders, political figures, ordinary people, religious groups, and non-religious organisations might all be peacemakers in one way or another.

So what factors do you think might influence someone to become a peacemaker? Take a moment, pause a video, turn and talk to someone nearby if you can, or you can talk to me, and then come back when you are ready to move on.

And which of these factors influence your view on peace-making? Again, take some time to discuss your ideas, come back when you're ready to move on.

Although you might think soldiers are more interested in war than peace, some people would argue that much of what they do involves peace-making.

For example, they take part in United Nations peacekeeping missions to protect civilians and monitor ceasefires.

They support local communities by rebuilding schools, roads, and hospitals.

They prevent further violence by creating safe conditions for dialogue and reconciliation.

They assist in humanitarian efforts, such as delivering aid and helping refugees.

They clear landmines and unexploded weapons.

Zoe and Zara disagree about whether peace-making can be achieved with weapons.

Zoe says, true peace-making means solving problems without weapons or force.

It's about listening, understanding, and finding peaceful solutions that bring people together.

Zara says peace is the goal, but being equipped with weapons doesn't mean seeking violence.

It means being ready to protect and prevent it.

So what might have influenced Zoe and Zara to think differently on this? Turn and talk to someone nearby if you can or talk to me.

Pause the video.

Come back when you're ready to move on.

Is this statement true or false? Pacifism rejects all forms of violence while peacemakers may sometimes accept limited force if it helps bring about peace.

Take a moment, think about your answer, and also think about why.

Come back when you're ready to move on.

Well done if you spotted it's true, but why is it true? While pacifism is based on moral principles about violence always being wrong, while peace-making is a practical approach that sometimes allows force to prevent greater harm.

For your task, part one, I'd like you to match the peace-making activity to the person or group.

So over on the left, we have peace-making activities, campaigning for nuclear disarmament, providing spiritual care in conflict zones, promoting forgiveness between enemies, running workshops on non-violence, and rebuilding schools in war-torn communities.

And over on the right, for persons or groups, we have army engineers, peace campaigners, religious leaders, community mediators, and activists, and non-religious peace organisations.

So pause the video.

Think about which peace-making activity matches best with which person or group.

When you finish, come back to check your answer.

Let's have a look at what you should have said.

For campaigning for nuclear disarmament, you should have said five, activists and non-religious peace organisations.

For providing spiritual care in conflict zones, religious leaders.

For promoting forgiveness between enemies, that might be community mediators.

Running workshops on nonviolence, peace campaigners.

And rebuilding schools in war-torn communities, army engineers.

So well done if you manage to match those up correctly.

For part two, I'd like you to complete the table by explaining why that person or group is involved in that kind of peace-making.

So remember, we've got campaigning for nuclear disarmament, providing spiritual care in conflict zones, promoting forgiveness between enemies, running workshops on non-violence, and rebuilding schools in war-torn communities.

So again, take your time, pause the video, come back when you're ready to see what you could have written.

You could have said the campaigning for nuclear disarmament, that they would raise awareness and put pressure on governments to avoid future conflict.

For the second, providing spiritual care, religious leaders would offer comfort, guidance, and support to those affected by violence.

For promoting forgiveness between enemies, community mediators would help rebuild trust and encourage reconciliation between divided groups.

For running workshops on non-violence, peace campaigners would educate others about peaceful resolution and inspire action.

And for rebuilding schools in war-torn communities, army engineers would restore essential services that help communities recover after conflict.

So well done if you managed to develop the ways in which and the reasons why each of those different groups will be involved in that particular peace-making activity.

For the second part of our lesson, we're going to be looking at responses to peace-making.

Christian beliefs and teaching support peace-making.

Jesus showed compassion.

He heal people and help 'em to reconcile.

He taught blessed are the peacemakers.

Key Christian values are supported by these kinds of teachings, so love, justice, and forgiveness.

The ultimate aim of peace-making is restoring harmony and healing broken relationships.

So we can see how it's supported by biblical teaching and Christian values.

Jun is asking Sarah about her role as a chaplain in the British army.

Jun says, "How do you follow Jesus' teaching blessed are the peacemakers in Matthew 5:9?" Sarah says, "I see myself as putting that teaching into practise by offering support in conflict, helping others act with compassion, and working for peace." Jun continues, "But isn't it hard to be part of a military force and still be a peacemaker?" Sarah says, "It can be, but I'm there to support soldiers emotionally and spiritually.

Many of them are peacemakers too.

They protect civilians, rebuild communities, and help prevent further violence.

Peace-making isn't just about stopping conflict.

It's about helping people move forward." So why might a Christian pacifist disagree with Sarah's approach to peace-making? Take some time to talk about the answer with someone nearby, or you can talk to me.

Come back when you are ready to move on.

Jun is asking Tamara who's a Quaker Christian about her views on peace-making.

Jun says, "How do you follow Jesus' teaching blessed are the peacemakers, Matthew 5:9?" Tamara replies, "I run workshops in schools about non-violence, take part in peaceful protests and join silent vigils.

I also write to MPs and support campaigns for disarmament.

Peace-making means acting without using force." Jun continues, "But if there's real danger or injustice, isn't force sometimes needed to keep the peace?" Tamara replies, "I believe there's always a peaceful alternative.

I support people affected by violence and try to create understanding before things escalate.

Peace-making isn't passive.

It means working actively for justice without adding to the harm." So why might some Christians disagree and think that the threat of force can be a way of ensuring peace? We might want to think about what Sarah has just said.

Pause the video, turn and talk to someone nearby if you can, or you can talk to me.

Come back when you are ready to move on.

Blessed other peacemakers for they will be called children of God.

Matthew 5:9.

Which interpretation best matches the view of a Christian who works in the army? A, this means avoiding all conflict, even in defence of others.

B, peace-making means supporting others with compassion, even in places of violence.

Or C, peace is only achieved by refusing to engage with those who use force.

Take a moment to think about your answer.

Which of those interpretations best matches the view of a Christian who works in the army? Pause if you need to.

Come back when you're ready to check.

Excellent work if you spotted that it's B.

Peace-making means supporting others with compassion, even in places of violence.

Christian Aid is a global Christian organisation that works to build peace by addressing the root causes of conflict.

It operates in regions affected by war and violence such as South Sudan, Columbia, and Israel, Palestine.

Christian Aid supports local peace builders, helps communities recover from conflict and campaigns against injustice and inequality that fuel violence.

Its peace-making work is grounded in Christian values of justice, reconciliation, and the dignity of all people.

Desmond Tutu was Archbishop of Cape Town in South Africa.

He is an example of a peacemaker who was inspired by his Christian beliefs.

Tutu promoted nonviolent resistance to apartheid and helped push for international sanctions.

After apartheid, he led the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to uncover past abuses and support healing.

He championed forgiveness, reconciliation, and human rights worldwide.

So what are the missing words? Desmond Tutu promoted, resistance to apartheid and help push for international sanctions.

After apartheid, he led the Truth and, Commission to uncover past abuses and support healing.

Pause, jot down your answers.

Come back when you're ready to check.

So well done if you put that he promoted nonviolent resistance, and that he led the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

Niamh is a Catholic Christian.

She's reflecting on the statement.

Christians have a duty to be peacemakers.

Niamh says, "I believe Christians have a duty to be peacemakers because Jesus said blessed are the peacemakers.

Our faith teaches us to show love and forgiveness.

So working for peace is part of living as a Christian." Does Niamh agree with the statement? Why or why not? Pause the video, turn and talk to someone nearby if you can, or you can talk to me, and come back when you're ready to move on.

Niamh presents the arguments Jesus said, "blessed other peacemakers," and Christian beliefs encourage love and forgiveness.

So she is essentially agreeing with the statement.

Brandon is a humanist.

He's responding to Niamh's arguments about the statement, Christians have a duty to be peacemakers.

Brandon says, "I think peace-making is a duty for all of us, not just Christians.

When peace efforts are based mainly on religious beliefs, they can cause tension in communities that don't share those views." So is Brandon arguing against the statement? Take a moment, pause the video, turn and talk to someone nearby if you can, or you can talk to me, and come back when you're ready to move on.

Brandon doesn't disagree with the statement, but he argues for a different point of view because he says that peace-making is a duty for everyone.

And he raises questions about whether religious people are best placed to be peacemakers.

Give one argument for the statement, Christians have a duty to be peacemakers.

So pause the video, think carefully about what you've learned.

Jot down an argument and come back when you're ready to check your answer.

You could have said: Jesus said, "Blessed are the peacemakers," so Christian beliefs encourage love and forgiveness.

And there are other things that you could have said too.

So well done if you got one argument.

For task B, I'd like you to explain to different religious beliefs in contemporary British society about peace-making.

In your answer, you must refer to the main religious tradition of Great Britain and one or more other religious traditions.

So just to clarify, what's meant by the main religious tradition of Great Britain is that you must include Christianity.

However, you can focus on just Christianity in this answer because there are different traditions within Christianity.

So that's what we're going to do today.

Complete this answer by developing each point.

Some Christians, particularly those who are pacifists, think peace-making is best achieved by.

And to develop, this is because.

Others think peace-making can be achieved by.

And to develop, this is because.

So pause the video, think carefully about the different Christian views on peace-making that you could use to support this answer.

Come back when you're ready to see what you could have written.

You could have said for the first point, some Christians, particularly those who are pacifists, think peace-making is best achieved by nonviolent methods such as dialogue and protest.

This is because they believe Jesus taught love of enemies and non-retaliation.

For example, when he said blessed are the peacemakers in Matthew 5:9.

Quakers, for example, reject all violence and work for peace through silent vigils and mediation.

Others think peace-making can be achieved by using force when necessary to protect others or prevent further harm.

This is because many Christians follow Just War principles which allow for limited violence if it restores peace.

Some serve in peacekeeping missions through the military, believing that maintaining order and preventing conflict is part of their Christian duty to love and protect others.

So have a look at what you wrote.

Well done If you've managed to develop those two different approaches to peace-making.

In today's lesson, we have learned that peace-making is the process of working to bring about peace and reconciliation, especially after conflict or violence, that pacifists reject all violence while peacemakers may accept limited force to protect others or restore peace.

Christians often see peace-making as a duty based on teachings like loving enemies and blessed are peacemakers.

Non-religious views support peace-making as a shared human responsibility, sometimes questioning religious motivations.

Peacemakers include civilians, soldiers, and religious leaders working through education aid, protests, and rebuilding.

Well done for all of your hard work today.

Thank you so much for working with me.