Essay On Christian Peacemaking

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Characterize and analyse differing Muslim or Christian attitudes to possession of holy land or holy sites that might constrain peacemaking and explain alternative Muslim or Christian points of view that might facilitate peacemaking. 

Many Christian communities have ancient claims to the holy land of Jerusalem, which might constrain peacemaking within the area because their claims often conflict with various other religious and political claims; thus causing further disagreement rather than solving it. Disagreement can also be seen amongst different Christian communities because their approach to the Bible varies. Commonly Christians would refer to the Bible as a “source of strength” (Ateek, 1989, p.75) because it leads them to a solution; in this scenario the solution would be positive peace. However, many Christians in the West have used the Bible to support injustice (Ateek, 1989, p.76). They are often referred to as Christian …show more content…

The fundamentalist approach to gaining possession of the land will more than likely result in negative peace being achieved, because it is not achieved by peaceful means. Therefore, it could be suggested that the peace would not last. Furthermore, the Christians are stereotypically considered “good hearted,” so it is hard to understand how many can agree with the oppression of the Arabs and the Muslims (Ateek, 1989, p.76). So by allowing the Bible to be open to interpretation, the “good hearted” Christians accept varying religions living in one state. This would be an example of positive peace because it would allow for structural integration, which has been achieved without violence. Therefore, it is possible that Christians can facilitate

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