From what we have learned in lecture, it would appear that
all of the world views we have covered have an opinion on the necessity of
war. Even one the most peaceful
religions, Buddhism, condones war if it means protecting the Buddhist
teachings. It at first seems strange to think that religion-so often associated
with peace and righteousness would participate in the violent wars and acts of terrorism that continue to occur
through out the world. Juergensmeyer
pulls out a few key points as to why this violence still happens
To begin, many find their religion as their core identity,
with beliefs and sacred spaces that date back far before that individual may
have lived. The idea then is that when a
person’s religion is threatened, their identity is as well. Juergensmeyer
explains that therefore entering the battle field is not only fighting for your
religion, but your entire identity. This
kind of mentality is very apparent in the long battles between Hindu and Islamic
sects that fight over who has rights to certain sacred land. To give up the
land to the opponent is to give up your ancestral history and background.
Another subject that Juergensmeyer brings up is the idea of
cosmic war. For many of the Abrahamic religions we have discussed there has
been a strict realm of good and evil that are in constant battle both inside of
us and all through out the world. This
battle between good and evil has to be fought by the religion’s followers as
well. In this way, religious followers
make their violence acceptable as they see their actions as defeating the evil
in the world
The western media has the tendency to sensationalize the violent actions of extremist religious groups. However with the themes that Juergensmeyer brings up, they become easier to grasp as to why they occur. For example, the store we talked about in class of the woman who's sons will slain as well as herself for not eating pork may seem ludacris to many. However, this woman's entire indentity was on the line if she were to give into the evil she saw in submitting to another power.
The western media has the tendency to sensationalize the violent actions of extremist religious groups. However with the themes that Juergensmeyer brings up, they become easier to grasp as to why they occur. For example, the store we talked about in class of the woman who's sons will slain as well as herself for not eating pork may seem ludacris to many. However, this woman's entire indentity was on the line if she were to give into the evil she saw in submitting to another power.
Hi Camille! You provide some great insight on the major role identity plays in the claim upon life many religions take in war. It's interesting to see how Juergensmeyer explains the idea of cosmic war being bigger than the individual you or me, yet the back bone of individual joining cosmic war is due to the preservation of identity/individuality itself. While you touched upon the idea during the story of the woman refusing to eat pork, I would have liked to see you expand on how these ideas relate to free will or voluntary action! Nonetheless, concise and organized train of thought!
ReplyDelete