Sikhism Teaching on War and Peace

Abstract

Many wars have been fought with religion as their stated cause, and with peace as their hoped-for end. What follows is a very brief summary of what the world’s major religions say about war and peace. Of course, religious beliefs are often complicated; individuals and groups within each religion often have different views; and religious affiliation is often closely associated with partisan emotions. A summary can only give a very limited picture. But it can open a door for understanding the links between religion and war. Put simply, there are three possible views of war that a religion might adopt. The pacifist view: all violence and killing is wrong. Belief in 'a Just War': some wars, at least, are right because they are perceived to be in the interests of justice - and should therefore be fought according to just rules. Belief in 'Holy War': the God of a religion is perceived to ask, or command, its followers to make war on those who do not believe in that religion and who pose a threat to those who do. Three major world religions have their roots in India: Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism. Buddhism and Sikhism both grew from Hinduism. All three share the idea of non-violence (ahimsa). The term 'non-violence' was actually coined in English (assumably in 1920) by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869-1948), as a direct translation of ‘ahimsa’, 'avoiding harm to others'. The idea of non-violence was very important to Mahatma Gandhi’s thinking and actions as a national leader during India's approach to independence in 1947. He wrote: ‘I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent.’