Religion and Peace Essay – Christianity and Islam (19/20)

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Religion and Peace – Christianity and Islam Essay.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your
enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your father in heaven.” (Matthew
5:43-45)
”The wrongdoers shall be sternly punished. As for those that have faith and do good works, they shall be admitted to
gardens watered by running streams, in which, by their Lord’s leave, they shall abide forever. Their greeting shall be
‘Peace!’” (Surat 14:23)
Analyse how Christianity and Islam influence the individual to work towards peace
The dynamic nature of the term ‘peace’ is fundamentally what develops the differing interpretations of it across
religious traditions. A definition can be stated as simply an absence of war in the form of justice across the globe, or
rather “freedom from disturbance or tranquillity” (Oxford Dictionary 2020), within an individual. Principle teachings of peace are exhibited in the religious traditions of Christianity and Islam and through examination, one can find that in the Bible, specifically the New Testament, inner peace is displayed through prayer and having good relations with oneself and others, with the central focus being peace through love. Similarly one finds that in Islam, inner peace is achieved through the following of the Quran and Hadith, and absolute surrender to Allah, with the central focus of
peace through good deeds. Through the evaluation of principle beliefs and sacred texts, key ideas of peace within
religious traditions can be drawn, demonstrating how individuals of Christianity and Islam work towards peace.
In Christianity, strong emphasis is placed to strive for peace within themselves and others. This emphasis is showcased
in the stimulus “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you so that you may be children of God in heaven”
(Matthew 5:43-45), showcasing the immense importance of loving all, as this is what leads to world peace. The
beatitude of “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God” (Matthew 5:9) influences
adherents to work towards peace as God will have appointed them as blessed in the kingdom of heaven, therefore Christians should keep good relations with others in order to be right with God. For example, Martin Luther King Jr was a Christian civil rights leader who fought for peace between black and white people in the USA. He attempted to achieve this through peaceful protests about equality. Christians today can use this example to advocate against injustice in a peaceful manner, in which one’s enemies are treated justly and righteously. It is evident that world peace and inner peace are closely connected as one can only attempt to achieve world peace if peace within oneself is found.
This is demonstrated in “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle
within you?” (James 4:13), stating that the absence of inner peace causes war. Consequently, adherents achieve world
peace through following the example of Jesus Christ and advocating against injustice in their everyday lives. A significant example in Christianity is arguably St Paul, who preached that inner peace is the foundation of world peace
and that it relies on the adherent, ‘it depends on you, be at peace with all’ (Romans 12:18).