RELIGIOUS AWAKENINGS

A brief survey of the most entrenched, deadly conflicts around the world suggests an urgent need for increased understanding of the role religion plays in human dis­putes. From the Middle East to Northern Ireland, Sri Lanka to Sudan, the Balkans to Nigeria, from the poor Acholi region of Northern Uganda to the financial centers of New York City and London, the destructive power of religiously motivated violence has been a stark, horrific reality for people around the world.

Rough estimates find two-thirds of the world’s population identify as part of a religious group. Of the earth’s 6 billion people, around 2 billion call them­selves Christian, 1.3 billion identify as Muslims, some 800-900 million as Hindus, around 350 million as Buddhists, 200-300 million maintain traditional religions, some 14 million are Jewish, and millions more belong to smaller faith groups. Estimates of the number of people who do not identify with a particular religion or who call themselves secular or humanist range around 1 billion.

However, that number appears to be dropping in recent years. At the same time, fundamentalism—characterized across faith traditions by regressive interpreta­tions of doctrine, strict adherence to conservative (often repressive) social rules, and harsh rejection of outsiders—is on the rise globally as people struggle to make sense of a rapidly changing world.

Given that reality, and given the large number of cases where religion has become somehow intertwined with violent conflict, incorporating religion into the theory and practice of conflict resolution has become an imperative. Unfor­tunately, the role of religion in situations of conflict and in peacemaking efforts has only recently begun to be systematically explored by those working to address situations of violent conflict, practitioners and policymakers alike. In addition, theory to help explain the relationships between religion, conflict, and peace­making, has not yet been well-developed or effectively incorporated into conflict resolution and international affairs studies. While a number of notable scholars and practitioners are pioneering in the field, any definitive understanding of the nexus of religion, war, and peace remains illusive.

This chapter proposes that a more integrated and practical approach to under­standing the role of religion in conflict and its resolution is needed within the the­ory and practice of conflict resolution, among foreign policymakers, and for anyone interested in helping the diverse human family coexist with less bloodshed and more compassion. By better understanding the influences religion can exert in con­flict situations—negative and positive—and by examining religion as part of what William Ury (1999) has described as the “third side,” we may begin to fill a gap in our knowledge and treatment of human conflict. More importantly, we may be able to help tip the balance for the future, to reduce the destructive use of religion in the cause of killing and strengthen its power as a healing force in the world.

Religions Between War and Peace

Any effort to demonstrate the constructive contributions religion has made in the field of conflict resolution and peacemaking inevitably encounters skeptics.

However, religion can also undeniably claim a significant role in helping com­munities resolve differences, in advancing international human rights, in over­coming great injustices, and in encouraging peaceful management of conflicts. Faith-based peacemaking is most often associated with well-known names like Mahatma Ghandi, Rev. King, Bishop Tutu, Thich Nhat Han, and the Dalai Lama, or with the pacifist traditions of Quakers and Mennonites. However, a rich history of less recognized examples also exists: the courageous witness of Vietnamese Buddhists against the U.S.-Vietnam war, the dedicated coexistence work of Jew­ish and Muslim religious leaders in the Middle East through years of violence, the active leadership of Catholic clergy in the people power movement in the Philip­pines. This less recognized, but equally relevant, side of religion’s role in human affairs includes countless individuals and communities spanning the globe who have drawn on their faith to help prevent violence and rebuild broken relation­ships and countless more who are continuing this work today. Their contributions confirm that reducing the study of religion’s role in human relations to only the negative would also be a mistake.

How then should students and practitioners of conflict resolution approach reli­gion? Is it part of the problem or part of the solution? Or both? Much may depend on how religion interacts with other social, cultural, political, and economic dynamics in response to problems. Religion exists in relation to, is affected by, and influences the broader sociopolitical context of conflict situations and ulti­mately needs to be understood as part of a complex human system. A clearer understanding of how religion is often used to fuel political violence and when conflicts are susceptible to such exploitation could help save lives and prevent the escalation of disputes. Those working to address situations of conflict, par­ticularly conflicts drawn along faith lines, have a responsibility to acknowledge when religion is being used for destructive purposes and seek ways to reduce the harm. At the same time, the long history and ongoing practice of faith-based peacemaking that is increasingly being recognized suggests religion provides a significant resource for conflict resolution that remains largely underexamined and untapped. Thus, practitioners, scholars, and policymakers working to address entrenched conflicts should also be striving to understand the conditions that best support religious contributions to conflict resolution and actively seeking out such peace-building resources—resources that exist in some form in nearly every conflict situation.