Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Religion and cultural identity
Conflict between religions
Religion & conflicts
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Religion and cultural identity
A vital part of conflicts and how they arise is the idea of identity. Who a person is can determine how he or she presents, interprets, and reciprocates actions with another party. Something that the majority of the world uses to define its identity with is religion. Many people may think of religion as a significant cause in the creation of conflicts, as there have been and still are so many disputes rooted in religious differences. Too many people nowadays look past the healing aspects that may be applied equally from across many religions, and instead focus only upon its ability to divide people. It is upsetting to know that “the parts of [religion] that speak for openness, diversity, and unity have been a woefully underdeveloped resource in conflict resolution in general’” (Goldberg, & Blancke, 2011). Nevertheless, I wish to analyze the other half of conflict with respect to this intense personal identifier. I ask, what role does religion play in conflict resolution?
I was raised as Roman Catholic, and so I was taught many moral principles such as respect, honesty, and reconciliation. I personally believe that these values, which have been instituted in me by my parents and church, affect the way I deal with conflict. Religion is a key factor in peace building, even in conflicts across different systems of beliefs. I specifically wish to focus on how religion and identity are intertwined in their affects on resolution, on examples where religion was considered the cause of conflict, and on the role of Catholicism specifically in peacemaking. Following my belief as a Catholic, I hope to better myself through what I learn here as well.
A huge aspect of religion that is not necessarily overlooked, but perhaps more subconsciously...
... middle of paper ...
...ty with conflict of Ireland. All of these examples and constituents of conflict lead up to the revelation that one major theme overlaps them all: religion. “‘Being religious’ may itself foster a sense of shared values, altering the premises for cooperation and a relationship based on negotiation, while shifting the focus away from transcendent identity issues” (Harpviken, & Roislien, 2008). I have come to the realization that there are many different perspectives of conflict and, through that, conflict resolution; I have realized the importance of identity and the role it plays in both religion as well as conflict; finally, I have realized that, by putting these two pieces together, religion is a plausible and almost necessary tool in the use of conflict resolution and peace building. Conflict is a place inescapable for religion – this is, I believe, for the good.
In his essay, Rodriguez believes that the diplomatic affairs we see on the evening news are merely being disguised as a religious war. The fight over oil or land when in reality it is the fight between whose side God is on, the attacks under the control of Al Qaeda when perhaps it’s the greed for power or world domination. According to Richard, these religious wars are allowing terrorism to become prevalent; often times within the same culture (147).
As the world becomes increasingly more interconnected, differences among the many religions prove to be obstacles to the global society. In an effort to overcome these obstacles, religious authorities propose the essential sameness of all religions (that all religions point towards the same goal); however, this hypothesis oversimplifies all religions to an arbitrary base. On the other hand, Stephen Prothero’s, the author of God Is Not One, proposal for the acknowledgment of the differences preserves the multidimensional aspects of religions. By rejecting the hypothesis of a basic and similar structure of religion, Prothero allows for them to exist as complete entities; however, Prothero also creates false barriers that over differentiate religions.
Religion is a part of society that is so closely bound to the rest of one’s life it becomes hard to distinguish what part of religion is actually being portrayed through themselves, or what is being portrayed through their culture and the rest of their society. In Holy Terrors, Bruce Lincoln states that religion is used as a justifiable mean of supporting violence and war throughout time (Lincoln 2). This becomes truly visible in times such as the practice of Jihad, the Reformation, and 9/11. The purpose of this essay is to show that as long as religion is bound to a political and cultural aspect of a community, religious war and destruction will always occur throughout the world. A historical methodology will be deployed in order to gain
I believe that religious pluralism is more relevant in today’s society than ever before. Religious differences have been a major source of conflict in the world for thousands of years, ranging from the Christian Crusades to the Holocaust. Today we have the War on Terrorism, directly related to the Islam. People, often blinded by patriotic media, government propaganda, and even biased news outlets, are unable to see the situation happening around them from multiple perspectives, creating segregation, prejudice, and hate. I feel religious pluralism will open people’s eyes to the entirety of the situation, allowing them to make an honest and educated opinion. Therefore, by promoting religious pluralism, I will be guiding people towards self-exploration and religious growth, while simultaneously helping them to assess relevant events and politics through their own unbiased
Christians refuse to fight at war, they can still be part of war in a
Violence, terror, suffering and death. The conflict that has been burning in Northern Ireland seems to be an unstoppable battle and it has flooded over the land of Northern Ireland. The struggle for power and the persistence of greed have fueled the raging fires of the opposing groups. The conflict in Northern Ireland has been discussed continually over the past few decades. Ever since the beginning of the “Troubles,” organizations have been scavenging to find a plan that will cease the violence. Throughout my research for this project, the questions of what are the main sources of conflict in Northern Ireland and why have they continued today guided me to many fascinating pieces of evidence that provided me with a more compassionate view of the situation of Northern Ireland. My research topic was very broad and to get down into a more explicit viewpoint, I chose to search for my sources by selecting three disciplines.
"Center Update: Case Studies on Religion and Conflict." The Berkley Center. Georgetown University, n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2012.
Just as there is a variety of identities involving race, gender, and class, so too are there a range of religious identities. Byzantine Catholics, Hindus, born-again Evangelicals, atheists, agnostics, and Buddhists are only a few religious identities I have encountered in America. This environment, at best, allows religious variety to be understood and embraced—and at worst, divides us. In Acts of Faith, author Eboo Patel discusses his belief that the “faith line” will define conflict and concord in the 21st century.
Throughout history it is evident that many religions have been tried, tested, and, for some, radically changed. Many religions have gone through periods of time in which the way they were run or enforced underwent changes in practice and leadership. In many cases disagreements and differing outlooks among members of certain religions were to blame for these changes. Christianity and Islam are two examples of religions that have experienced changes over the course of their existence. While these religions seem to have little in common at first glance, both have strikingly similar pasts that consist of radical splits due to disagreements among members of the Christian and Islamic churches, resulting in new branches within each religion.
Every state, culture, and society in the world has some form of religion. The most popular religions in the world today are Christianity, Buddhism, and the Muslim religions. Members of every religion follow some form of philosophy or ideology that shape their thinking and behaviors. One common thing about the existing religions is the presence of a supreme being. People misinterpret existing religious ideologies serving their personal interests that at times turn out to cause war. Religious ideologies brainwash populations who end up acting violently in different deviant forms (Richardson, 518). Religions use specific ideologies to make people living in a society violent to peaceful members who may fight back in self-defense.
Yet this discussion should not end by recalling the broad, if only tacit, role of religion in bringing about violence, but should recall the role of religious faith in promoting love between diverse peoples. Fundamental to the Church’s centuries-old teachings is the importance of humanity’s dignity a sons and daughters of the Creator. Violence, if even in part motivated by religion, contradicts what St. John taught us about God – “God is love” – a divine love that humanity is called to mirror and extend.
Because of the colossal impact of religion in the countries surveyed the only accurate way to peek at how these people understanding themselves and their place in the world is to first have an understanding of the major religion or religions that are at work within a given society. But that statement demands the question, how is it that through religion we define ourselves? My research relies heavily on the inte...
ASSIGNMENT Philosophy of Comparative Religion TOPIC The Problem of Evil, why people suffer and how to deal with it. It’s the sort of thing the religion was invented for. THE CONCEPT OF EVIL:
Religion has played a major role in the lives of most cultures whether it is Christian, Islamic, Judaism, or another religious faith, but has it been the leading cause of war throughout history? God refers to sin as being the force that drives the world it provokes conduct involving one’s flesh and mind. Richard Dawkins an evolutionist, and agnostic, states that “religion causes wars by generating certainty” (Thacker). When he implies certainty in his quote, does he mean that this is a fact he is certain of, or can he provide proper evidence? War and conflict is a characteristic nature of man it was around before religion ever existed and many other factors are the cause of war such as, ethnicity, culture, ideologues, race, class, gender, power, greed, selfishness, revenge, genocide, immigration, government decisions, and SIN these are just a few. Bible scriptures say, “war is the cause of sin in the world not god” (King James Version, Matt. 15.19). Therefore, the aim is to prove that religion is more of an excuse for war. Then refute that selfishness, greed, and sin caused by human-violence are the primary causes of war.
How do we define religion? According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the definition of religion is as follows: “the belief in a god or in a group of gods, an organized system of beliefs, ceremonies, and rules used to worship a god or a group of gods, or an interest, a belief, or an activity that is very important to a person or group” (Merriam-Webster.) My personal definition of religion is that it is a set of beliefs and practices that generally pertain to the worship of one or more than one spiritual being or representation of a spiritual power. Religion can be a personal belief or an organization or group of people who have similar beliefs and values. There are many different types of religions in the world and have been since the beginning of mankind.