The third week of November marked a milestone in my Religion, Violence, and Peacebuilding class. I completed my second exam and earned a perfect score. The exam consisted of four short essay questions, each designed to test how well I've grasped the complex interplay between faith, ethics, and justice. Here's what I learned through answering them.
1. Abraham's Dilemma and Divine Command Ethics
The Akedah, the binding of Isaac, remains one of the most challenging stories in scripture. It forces us to ask: should morality depend on divine command? Robert Adams argues that obedience cannot be blind; divine commands must align with God's loving nature. This tension between faith and ethics is at the heart of Abraham's dilemma and continues to shape debates about moral responsibility in religion.
2. Just War Theory: Traditionalist vs. Revisionist
Matthew Gaudet's account of Just War Theory reveals a deep divide. Traditionalists defend the moral foundations of international law and the legitimacy of state authority, while revisionists challenge these assumptions, emphasizing individual rights and rejecting moral equality among combatants. This debate isn't just theoretical; it shapes how we think about justice in times of war.
3. Negative Peace vs. Positive Peace
Ira Chernus highlights Martin Luther King Jr.'s powerful distinction: negative peace is the absence of conflict, while positive peace is the presence of justice. King's civil rights activism embodies positive peace, using nonviolence not as passive resistance but as a transformative force for equality and dignity.
4. The Doctrine of Discovery and Vitoria's Response
The Doctrine of Discovery justified colonial conquest under the guise of Christian mission. Francisco de Vitoria challenged this, affirming indigenous sovereignty and rejecting religious differences as a cause for war. His ideas laid early foundations for human rights and international law.
This exam reminded me that religion is never just about belief; it shapes ethics, politics, and global history. From Abraham's dilemma to King's vision of justice, these questions push us to wrestle with the moral responsibilities of faith in a fractured world.
Sources:
Adams, R. M. (1999). Finite and infinite goods: A framework for ethics. Oxford University Press. (See chapter “Abraham’s Dilemma”).
Chernus, I. (2011). Religion and nonviolence in American history. In A. R. Murphy (Ed.), The Blackwell companion to religion and violence (pp. 538–567). Wiley-Blackwell.
Gaudet, M. J. (2011). Restoring peace: Toward a conversation between the just war and reconciliation traditions. Journal of the Society of Christian Ethics, 31(2), 37–55.
Vitoria, F. de. (1991). Political writings (A. Pagden & J. Lawrance, Eds.). Cambridge University Press. (Original lectures delivered 1538–1539).
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