Though much has been written about particular forms of violence
related to religion, such as sacrificial rites and militant
martyrdom, there have been few efforts to survey the phenomena in
all of the world's major religious traditions, historically and in
the present, viewing the subject in personal as well as social
dimensions, and covering both literary themes and political
conflicts. This compact collection of essays provides such an
overview. Each of the essays explores the ways in which violence is
justified within the literary and theological foundation of the
tradition, how it is used symbolically and in ritual practice, and
how social acts of vengeance and warfare have been justified by
religious ideas. The nature of the connection between violence and
faith has always been a topic of heated debate, especially as acts
of violence performed in the name of religion have erupted onto the
global stage. Some scholars argue that these acts of violence are
not really religious at all, but symptomatic of other elements of
society or human nature. Others however point to the fact that
often the perpetrators of these acts cite the faith's own
foundational texts as their inspiration-and that the occurrence of
violence in the name of religion exists across all faith
traditions. Is violence, then, the rare exception in religious
traditions or is it one of the rules? The contributors to this
volume explore many possible approaches to this question and myriad
others. How is religion defined? Must a religion be centered on
supernatural beings? Does the term refer to social behavior or
private? Is dogma or practice the key to its essence? Is it a
philosophical system or a poetic structure? And how should violence
be defined? From whose perspective and at what point is an act to
be deemed violent? What act cannot be construed as violent in some
way? For instance, are we talking only about war and genocide, or
psychological coercion, social restrictions and binding
categorizations? Collectively, the essays in this volume reflect
the complex and contested meanings of both religion and violence,
providing overviews of engagements with violence in Hindu,
Buddhist, Chinese, Sikh, Jewish, Christian, Islamic, African, and
Pacific Island religious traditions. By shedding light on the
intersection of violence with faith, this volume does much to
expand the understanding of the nature of religion itself, and the
diverse forms it may take.
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