Is religious violence inevitable? This paper from the Jackson School of International Studies, University of Washington, argues that there are patterns within religion that tend towards conflict and violence. Western theorists have viewed the religious world through the blinkered lens of the Cold War. Modernity has not destroyed religion, but become a case study of its resilience.
In the post-Cold War period, religions have come to the fore to push their varied agendas. Many came out of relative obscurity to set cultural and even political agendas. The partnership of religion and conflict is not only longstanding, but new religions make a habit of creating conflict with dominant cultures. Religion has always functioned to shape individual and social identities and inspire group formation. Tension and conflict are inherent in all religious groups and are central to their identity formation and group mobilisation. Religions, especially monotheisms, need social conflict and competition to hone their symbolic boundaries and to keep them from imploding through internecine conflict.
Religion is ideally suited to survive and thrive under difficult circumstances. Study of ancient and modern religions both Eastern and Western shows that:
- conflict galvanises religious communities rather than subduing them, because it is against external forces that purity and chosen-ness are defined
- ‘true’ religion does not necessarily seek peace, nor is it hijacked when implicated in conflict or violence
- few religious groups create violent goals. Violence is an outcome of the relation of religion to culture and politics
- the power and force of religion is beyond question, analysis, or inspection for its adherents. Religions call on sources of moral and spiritual authority that cannot be empirically disconfirmed.
Western theorists of secularisation have misunderstood the nature of religion. Because religion is often an independent cultural force in society, it has the tendency to become a threat to other cultural and political groups. Religion will not submit to external authority, however strong, or be undercut by rational discourse. Religions make claims and create rewards that motivate individuals to do extraordinary things in the light of doctrinal truth claims and promises. Depending on rewards promised, individuals are prepared to give up ‘normal’ preferences for survival, social status, or purported universal social norms. They are thus uniquely able to act as a vehicle for politically oppressed and socially marginalised groups. Therefore:
- it should be accepted that religious violence is probably inevitable
- religion must be given due respect, and the power of any group to motivate and mobilise must be understood
- interventions need to factor conflict prevention and alleviation in their design and implementation. This might reduce the tension with surrounding cultures.
