1. Religion and Peace Summary (Christianity)
Outline the principal teachings about peace
 Peace is the central message of the Christian New Testament, the word appears 99 times
 Jesus Christ is often referred to as “The Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6) and is the son of God from whom
all peace is derived. Christians strive to imitate His model of a life of peace
 Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you” (John14:27), “Love the Lord your God with
all your heart, soul and mind. This is the first and greatest commandment and the second is like it,
love your neighbour as your self” (Matthew 22:37-40), “Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be
called the children of God” (Mattew 5:9)
 Christians understand peace to be a state of ordered tranquillity, controlled calm, quiet or serenity, it
is not just the absence of overt conflict
 Justice is integral to establishing peace
 The Greek word for peace in the New Testament is eirene which means “to be in harmony with
another”
 The Jewish word for peace is shalom and it refers to the concept of a peace that engulfs all parts of a
person’s life
Investigate the understanding of peace and how it is informed through significant writings within sacred
texts
Peace was established by For God is not a God of disorder Christians acknowledge that they
God as the instigator of but of peace. are called to be stewards of
creation (1 Corinthians 14:33) creation (Genesis 1) and that this
demands respect and care for all
aspects of life.
The teachings of Jesus Aim for perfection, listen to my Christians are required to be
emphasise respect, unity and appeal, be of one mind, live in people who seek reconciliation
reconciliation peace. And the God of love and over retaliation. The death of Jesus
peace will be with you. was the ultimate symbol of this
(2 Corinthians 13:11) belief.
The peace of God is beyond I have told you these things, so Christians believe that salvation
the peace of this world that in me you may have peace. In was achieved as a result of the
this world you will have trouble. death and resurrection of Jesus. As
But take heart! I have overcome a result they have gained access to
the world. eternal life with God where they
(John 16:33) will live in perfect peace.
Jesus provided a new and You have heard it said, ‘You shall The ultimate teaching in respect to
radical interpretation of the love your neighbour and hate your peace for Christians. It reflects the
Mosaic Law enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your Christian belief in the equality of
enemies and pray for those who all people created in God’s image
persecute you. and
(Matthew 5:43–45) evidenced in the life and teachings
of Jesus

2. Demonstrate how Christianity guides the individual in achieving inner peace
 The primary way of focusing inner peace is by returning to the sacred writings of Christianity
 Prayer and meditation, both communal and private, provides the means for individuals to reflect on
the nature of peace in their lives, “Whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray
to your Father who is in secret” (Matthew 6:6)
 Inner peace can be brought about by living a life that adheres to the gospels with a commitment to
prayer and contemplation
 Christianity promotes selflessness and charity as ways to harness inner peace
 Lectio Divina (Latin for divine reading) is a traditional Catholic practice of scriptural reading,
meditation and prayer intended to promote communion with God and to increase the knowledge of
God's Word
o Traditionally Lectio Divina has 4 separate steps: read, meditate, pray and contemplation
o For example, given Jesus' statement in John 14:27: "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give
unto you" an analytical approach would focus on the the biblical context of the Last Supper,
etc. In Lectio Divina rather than "dissecting peace", the practitioner "enters peace" and
shares in the peace of Christ
 The use of rosary beads in Catholicism or reflecting on icons in the Orthodox tradition aid believers in
prayer and reflection
o The Rosary is essentially a contemplative prayer, which requires "tranquillity of rhythm or
even a mental lingering which encourages the faithful to meditate on the mysteries of the
Lord's life”
 Meditation, such as that practised by the Australian Christian Meditation Community, also focuses
Christians on inner peace
 Hesychasm is an Orthodox meditation that uses a mantra to focus the mind
o Based on Christ's injunction in the Gospel of Matthew to "go into your closet to pray", it is
the process of retiring inward by ceasing to register the senses, in order to achieve an
experiential knowledge of God
 The Taizé Community is an ecumenical movement that promotes personal and communal peace
through prayer and meditation
o The Taizé Community is made up of over a hundred brothers, Catholics and from various
Protestant backgrounds, coming from around thirty nations.
Discuss how Christianity is contributing to world peace
 Inter Faith Dialogue
o The National Council of Churches in Australia whose aim is to provide opportunity for the
national bodies of each faith to come together to build understanding and harmony in the
Australian context
o Participation in interfaith events that promote peace (interfaith commemoration services
after e.g. September 11, 2001, Bali Bombing 2002/2005, Black Saturday, Victorian Bush Fires
2009)
 Decade to Overcome Violence
o The Decade to Overcome Violence: Churches Seeking Reconciliation and Peace 2001 – 2010
(DOV) is an initiative of the World Council of Churches
o The DOV highlights and networks efforts by churches, ecumenical organizations, and civil
society movements to prevent and overcome different types of violence. It seeks to establish
points of contact with the relevant aims, programs, and initiatives within the United Nations
Decade for a Culture of Peace and Nonviolence for the Children of the World (2001-2010).
o Objectives Include:

3.  To work together for peace, justice, and reconciliation at all levels - local, regional,
and global
 To embrace creative approaches to peace building which are consonant with the
spirit of the gospel
 To interact and collaborate with local communities, secular movements, and people
of other living faiths towards cultivating a culture of peace
 To empower people who are systematically oppressed by violence,
and to act in solidarity with all struggling for justice, peace, and the integrity of
creation
 To repent together for our complicity in violence, and to engage in theological
reflection to overcome the spirit, logic, and practice of violence.
 World Conference on Religion and Peace
o Religions for Peace brings together hundreds of key religious leaders every five years to
discuss issues surrounding peace
o Founded in 1970 recent successes include building a new climate of reconciliation in Iraq;
mediating dialogue among warring factions in Sierra Leone; organizing an international
network of religious women’s organizations; and establishing an extraordinary program to
assist the millions of children affected by Africa’s AIDS pandemic, the Hope for African
Children Initiative
o Attendees leave the Assemblies with a renewed commitment to multi-religious dialogue and
cooperation, and they leave Religions for Peace with an agenda for action that guides its
activities for the next five years.
 World Day of Peace
o The World Day of Peace is a feast day of the Roman Catholic Church dedicated to peace
which is held on January 1
o It was introduced in 1967 and was inspired by the encyclicals Pacem in Terris and Populorum
Progressio of John XXIII and Paul VI
o Paul VI and John Paul II have each year made important statements on the United Nations,
human rights, women's rights, labour unions, economic development, the right to life,
international diplomacy, peace in the Holy Land, globalization and terrorism
 The Orthodox Peace Fellowship
o An ecumenical society of various Orthodox Churches
o Aims to bear witness to the peace of Christ by applying the principles of the Gospel to
situations of division and conflict, whether in the home, the parish, the community we live,
the work place, within our particular nations, and between nations
o Worked to obtain peace during the conflict between Russia and Georgia in 2008
 Pax Christi International
o Global Catholic peace movement that works to help establish peace, respect for human
rights, justice and reconciliation in areas of the world that are torn by conflict
o Established in France in 1945 as a reconciliation work between the French and the Germans
after the Second World Warwork by the World Council of Churches
o Active in more than 60 countries
o Pax Christi works mainly on the following issues, either by being directly involved or by
means of advocacy:
 Human security and armed conflict
 Economic factors of armed conflict
 Human rights, the rule of law and armed conflict
 Peace building
 Youth work and peace education
 Spirituality and praxis of non-violence