How Religion Has Brought Worlds Together and Drive Them Apart
Introduction
The world today faces the threat of religious radicalism and clashes between religious societies. This is evident especially among Abrahamic faiths: Christianity, Islam, and Judaism that emerged around 600 BC. Historically, religious radicalism is complete and well documented. Many research in the past focuses on religion and its conflicts. These conflicts have drawn worlds together or apart. The contribution of religion to bring nations together or separately relates to the context of international affairs[1]. This paper focuses on the contribution of religion in bringing worlds together through peacemaking. To draw nations together, all the three Abrahamic faiths advocate for peace. Essentially, peace forms the strongest pillar towards attaining global consensus, which most religious movements wish to obtain. In drawing nations together, religious leaders show signs of reconciliation among nations.
Research indicates that religion plays a vital role in cross-cultural difference resolution. Most proponents of religious thoughts in cross-cultural conflict resolution accept the fact that religion is a powerful part of cultural standards and virtues. Religion deals with the most significant existential matters of human life including freedom and inevitability, right and wrong, in addition to what is sacred and profane in human existence. This implies that religion strongly implicates personal and social ideas of peace.
On the roadmap of religious contribution towards cross-cultural disagreement resolution, it is obvious that honouring differences of the communities’ humanistic and religious conventions while looking for a common ground among communities poses the biggest challenge. In this regard, religious activists request an agenda for research and dialogue that is comprehensive in theory and subject to public challenges of peacemaking.
Religion in Conflicting Situations
In endorsing ideals and values believed strongly by groups and individuals, religion plays a crucial role in goal-seeking characteristics in conflicting events. This is through establishing the criteria of reference to determine the aptness and imprecision of events. Taken from a religious point of view, analysis of conflicts is not only according to bursts in baseline correlations between people but also according to splits in a person’s vertical relationship with the divine. In conflicting situations, religion provides mutual cosmology that works at both a cognisant and subliminal level. The two cases occur in the middle of conflicts. In the case of two opposing parties, the disruption that follows conflict can reduce unstated, fundamental prospects and underpin propensities to build relationships in terms of religious types. This usually calls for religious speculation regarding self, conflict, and peace as people from the conflict. The next step by religious movements is to assign meaning and practice rejoinders suited to spiritual values and goals for its commitment[2].
Religion contributed towards bringing nations together through enjoining a wide range of models while admonishing others. It unreservedly influenced the activity and probability of unambiguous schedule of influence over others in conflict resolution. Religious activists utilized their faith to transform individuals and social responses to initiate peace through putting the difference in a historical context. They also provided meaning for conflicts in light of values, goals and religious identity. They offered roles for handling conflicts through appropriate, affirmative reactions in accordance with religious values and idealized aspects. Religions have contrasting approaches towards peace and conflict resolution process.
Contrasting Western and Abrahamic Faiths Approaches to Conflict Resolution
Approaches to conflict resolution display conventions within the Christian religious cosmology. Most of these conventions are associated with temporal rational facade. According to international relations, the alleged western approach is evident in an evolving combination of neorealist influence government and neoliberal institutionalism. For purposes of bringing nations together, western approaches of conflict resolution focus on reduction of war since they link peace to the absence of war. They fight for human rights in lieu of attaining justice for all. As a result, church maintains peace through the threat of intimidation and institutionalising cooperation among super powers of the world. According to western religions, peace involves reason and order assured through hegemonic impact[3]. The most significant aspect of serenity among Christian religions is to maintain rationale in problem solving inclined on logic and expediency.
Similarly, peace is paramount among Islamic and Judaism beliefs. These two religions regard peace to justice and human coexistence. In this case, Muslims express a feeling of principle-based system whereby a series of symmetry can occur. This implies that Islam takes it as a religious responsibility to both intrinsically and extrinsically bring nations together. The act to maintain unity amongst Muslims reflects through their terminologies like the jihad. They put this superficially as “holy war” actually to mean striving to purify oneself and function in a way that improves rather than degrade the divine harmony.
On the contrary, the Judaism religion adopts a practical view of human nature. They stress that the principles of human rule is accurate and Judaism in nature. They carry out the idea of lacking creation of original sin. According to Judaism, initiation of human capacity integrally relates to a form of stewardship towards creation. This contradicts the modern opinion of free choice and independence from limitation. Their beliefs motivate existential freedom. This means that a person’s integrity actualises through service within a wider conception of human solidarity. The Islamic religion articulates preference for nonviolence over violence and compassion over vengeance. As a result, the Qur’an considers regulating the ordinary, vengeance reactions of nations to conflict and violence. Forgiveness consistently comes out as the preferred alternative for people in situations of requiting obvious bias or evil. Based on the Qur’an, 42:40, “The restitution of an injury is an offence the equivalent thereof; but whoever forgives and thereby brings about a reestablishment of harmony, his reward is with God; and God loves not the wrongdoers”[4]. This claim seeks moral right attained through direct forgiveness. The Islamic religion tries to draw worlds apart especially as seen in the way its beliefs focus on warning people against excesses when trying to follow rights or correct injustice. Such perceptions are not in line with the western approaches of conflict resolution.
History indicates religion incorporates a communally embedded approach to Conflict Resolution. From a religious perspective, the success of dominant western approaches to bringing nations together through order is accomplished[5]. However, the religion argues out that this approach in one-sided. They assert that western approach emphasises on institutional techniques and the “invisible hand” of competition. They overlook the importance of communal cooperation in the conscious accomplishment of values. As other religions pride in human self-determination, the Muslims highlight divine purpose and human action. Other approaches to peace attainment focus on political pluralism, personal rights and consumerism as the essence of acquiring peace and universal harmony. Contrary to this, the Islamic point of view stresses on intellectual pluralism, communal cohesion, collective impartiality and devotion.
Religion in most regions of the world contributes to violent conflict. This relies on documentation that in most cases exaggerates the level at which religion plays an integral role in tearing nations apart. It proves difficult to resolve conflicts amicably in most regions due to negligence to incorporate religious leaders and institutions in promoting peace and harmony. In most cases, conventional diplomacy is at the centre of every attempt to find peace. However, this approach has been lax in its overlook of religious techniques to conflict resolution.
For many years now, religious leaders, diplomats and politicians search to resolve the conflict between Arabs and Israelis. Many negotiations have been underway to find a baseline for the people and land conflict that exists between Israel and the Arab land. However, remarkably little attention considers the dimensions of religion in resolving the conflict. There is a facilely reference to the “Holy Land” without truly establishing the religious implications. It is inevitable to rule out conflicts in the Middle East based on its widespread religious beliefs. Such contentious matters of control on land require critical importance of religious movements.
From a Christian perspective, they perceive Israel as a Holy Land. This contrasts the Jewish point of view in which case, they believe this is their promised land. On the other hand, the Muslims look at Israel as their territory. The ultimate issue is that the land is not an ordinary matter to the three religions. Religious boundaries fight for the same land and this heighten the possibility of religion drawing worlds apart[6]. To make matters worse when it comes to the Land of Israel, there is that fervent belief of masses from the evangelical Christians around the universe, especially those in the United States of America, that the Jewish dominance of all the Holy Land is essential in fulfilling Biblical prophecy. To find peace in this land, religious leaders from leading Jewish, Muslim and Christian religions from Israel and Palestine should come together to encourage a religious perspective to peace. Religious peacemaking in these two regions is tough. It calls for a long-term commitment. To tears nations apart, it is evident from the elevated opposition that comes from religious leaders towards efforts that should bring peace in the region.
There is a lot of tension in the Middle East posed towards peacemaking and this emanates from increased religious dimensions of conflict throughout the world. There is a clear indication that nations cannot abate together unless religious leaders and political leaders come to a common ground. According to Hans Kung, the Global Ethic Foundation president, “It is difficult to attain peace between nations without religious peace. Other regions that suffer from religious conflicts like Nigeria and Iraq also require the involvement of religions to attain tranquillity among nations of the world. It is therefore crucial to form a vast network of religious leaders supportive towards attainment of peace and harmony among nations[7].
The biggest challenge in today’s quest for universal integration is living up to the expectations of liberal conventions of the west. It calls for consistent openness to novel revelations of truth. On the other hand, the Muslims face the challenge of expanding their initial ideas of Islam. A change to cross-cultural conflict resolution by any of the radical religious groups is not only a rejection of the widespread diversity of the contemporary cultural experience, but also a denial of accountability for the future generations.
Conclusion
Religion has a substantial impact on drawing nations together and/or apart. History attributes such religious influence on cross-cultural diversity. The paper revealed that religious beliefs and movements are on the forefront in attaining peace around the world. At the same time, diversity in their values leads to conflict creation among nations of the world. In such regions like Israel and Palestine, different perception of the land of Israel by different religions is integral to the continued conflict in this region. As much as Christians believe that this is their holy land, the Jews acknowledge the land as the Promised Land. Muslims in the same way hold a divergent view of the land, which results into the conflict experienced in the region. To restore peace in such areas and therefore bring nations together, collaborative efforts are imperative from all religions and political leaders. The Muslims in the same line propose a communal approach towards conflict resolution. This as noted contradicts the western point of view in peacemaking. All the same, religions should focus on justice to all.
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Diamond, J. Guns, Germs & Steel. The Fates of Human Societies (W.W Norton and Co, 1999),
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[1] Robert Tignor, (2011). Worlds Together; Worlds Apart: A History of the World, Vol. 1: Beginnings through the Fifteenth Century, 2011 (3rd Edition)
[2]t Diamond, J. Guns, Germs & Steel. The Fates of Human Societies (W.W Norton and Co, 1999)
[3] Stearns, P. N. Gosch, S. & E. Grieshaber, Documents in World History, Volume I: The Great Tradition: From Ancient Times to 1500
[4] Robert Tignor, (2011). Worlds Together; Worlds Apart: A History of the World, Vol. 1: Beginnings through the Fifteenth Century, 2011 (3rd Edition)
[5]d Stearns, P. N. Gosch, S. & E. Grieshaber, Documents in World History, Volume I: The Great Tradition: From Ancient Times to 1500
[6] Diamond, J. Guns, Germs & Steel. The Fates of Human Societies (W.W Norton and Co, 1999)
[7] Said, Abdul Aziz, Charles O. Lerche, Jr. and Charles O. Lerch, III. 1995. Concepts of International Politics in Global Perspective, 4th edn. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall, Inc.
