Religious attitudes to weapons of mass destruction and nuclear weapons, the effects of war, and religious responses such as helping victims.

What this dot point is asking

Edexcel wants you to explain religious attitudes to weapons of mass destruction (including nuclear, chemical and biological weapons), the effects of war, and religious responses to conflict, such as helping its victims. This dot point completes the peace and conflict theme and connects to the just war and pacifism.

Weapons of mass destruction

WMD raise serious moral problems because they break the just war condition that civilians must not be targeted and that force must be proportionate. A nuclear bomb, for example, kills vast numbers of ordinary people, destroys whole cities, and leaves radiation that harms people and the environment for generations. For believers who hold the sanctity of life, this indiscriminate killing of the innocent is gravely wrong. This is why many religious people and organisations campaign against nuclear weapons and for disarmament.

Religious attitudes to nuclear weapons

The strongest religious view is that no use of WMD could ever meet the just war conditions, so they should be abolished; many Christian leaders and churches, and many Muslims, have called for nuclear disarmament. The deterrence argument accepts the dangers but says that, in a world where enemies have such weapons, possessing them (without intending to use them) may be the lesser evil that keeps the peace. Even those who accept deterrence usually want the number of weapons reduced and would never support targeting civilians. For the exam, present both the opposition (on grounds of the sanctity of life and just war) and the deterrence argument, and link them to the just war conditions.

The effects of war and responding to victims

War has terrible effects: the death and injury of soldiers and civilians, the destruction of homes, towns and infrastructure, refugees forced to flee, famine and disease, lasting trauma and broken communities, and damage to the environment. These effects are part of why both faiths treat war as a serious evil to be limited or avoided.

Religious responses to conflict focus on relieving this suffering and working for peace. Believers and faith-based charities provide aid to the victims of war, food, shelter, medical care and support for refugees, following the command to love one's neighbour and the example of the Good Samaritan. They work for reconciliation and rebuilding after conflict, and many campaign for peace and disarmament. By helping victims and working for peace, believers put their teaching into action even where they cannot prevent war. For the exam, be able to describe the effects of war, explain attitudes to WMD (opposition versus deterrence), and give examples of helping victims, linking to the just war, pacifism and the sanctity of life. A strong Evaluate answer on owning nuclear weapons weighs their indiscriminate dangers against the argument from deterrence, reaching a justified conclusion.