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Religions
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War and Peace in Religious Culture
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War and Peace in Religious Culture

A special issue of Religions (ISSN 2077-1444). This special issue belongs to the section "Religions and Health/Psychology/Social Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2022) | Viewed by 19027

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Douglas Allen

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Philosophy, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469, USA
Interests: Mahatma Gandhi; comparative philosophy and religion; phenomenology of religion; Asian philosophies and religions; Mircea Eliade; Karl Marx; religion and political conflict; philosophies of violence and nonviolence

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We invite you to submit papers to the Special Issue entitled “War and Peace in Religious Culture”. The Guest Editor encourages authors to consider our contemporary existential and civilizational crises of living in a world of so much violence, war, conflict, racism sexism, exploitation, inequality, political and social and cultural divisiveness, greed and hatred, xenophobic nationalism, and environmental destruction. Are religion and religious culture negative forces that cause, exacerbate, and are more of the problem in confronting our life-threatening crises related to war and peace? Or can religion and religious culture be positive forces that are essential for confronting and providing solutions to these crises?

For thousands of years and continuing to our contemporary world, concerns about war and peace have been of considerable significance for most religions and religious cultures. Their essentialized formulations and their applied contextualized formulations have often been diverse and contradictory. They have frequently involved internal and external disputes, divisions, and major changes regarding doctrines, institutional structures, rituals, and ways of living. Contributors may focus on how religious culture has interpreted the nature of war, rejected all war, promoted war, accepted some forms of war as in religious just war theory, and its related approaches to war and peace. Contributors may focus on how religious culture has interpreted the nature of peace, related inner peace and outer peace, separated and/or related peace as transcendence of the world of conflict and war from peace as action-oriented self and worldly transformation as in religious views that there is no peace without justice, and its related approaches to peace and war. Contributors may focus on clarifying what is meant by religious culture, whether there is such a clear concept as religious culture as distinguished from nonreligious culture or whether there are only many contextualized religious cultures, in approaching the issues of war and peace. Contributors may decide to emphasize a specific religious culture, several comparative religious cultures, or universal features of religious culture as related to war and peace.

Prof. Douglas Allen
Guest Editor

Full Fee-Waiver Clarification

Submissions to this Special Issue will be waived Article Processing Charge (APC). The following "Manuscript Submission Information" about APC amount is not applicable to this Special Issue, other statements are still valid.

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Religions is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • war
  • peace
  • religious culture
  • specific religions
  • comparative religions

Published Papers (9 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 862 KiB  
Article
What Changed in Medina: The Place of Peace and War in the Life of Prophet Muhammad
by Suleyman Sertkaya
Religions 2023, 14(2), 193; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/rel14020193 - 01 Feb 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 4124
Abstract
The Prophet of Islam, Muhammad, is depicted through extremely polar interpretations. Some perceive his life as a source for peace-making societies, whereas others portray him as a “warmonger” or “Prophet of the sword”, and use his examples to justify violence and terrorist attacks. [...] Read more.
The Prophet of Islam, Muhammad, is depicted through extremely polar interpretations. Some perceive his life as a source for peace-making societies, whereas others portray him as a “warmonger” or “Prophet of the sword”, and use his examples to justify violence and terrorist attacks. The major incidents referred to in the latter context are the wars and conflicts that occurred after his migration to Medina. These conflicts are also prominent in sīrah narratives of his Medinan life from classical and modern periods. One can argue that there is a significant difference in the way Prophet Muhammad acted in Medina compared to the Meccan period. This is mostly attributed to the power balance, as the Muslims had little power in Mecca, which resulted in them enduring adversities, including verbal insults and physical torture while remaining peaceful and non-violent. In Medina, however, the Muslims obtained relatively more power and behaved differently. The main criticism of the Prophet at this juncture is that he took advantage of this power and became violent; this is the reason all the battles fall in his Medinan life. This article examines the root causes of his behaviour and shift in attitude. It clarifies the Prophet’s goal and agenda at this stage of his life. The article highlights his attitude towards peace and war by holistically analysing the battles and skirmishes that unfolded during the Medinan period. It examines the time spent on war and peace throughout his prophetic mission. In doing so, it enumerates statistical data, such as the number of battlefield casualties and those from expeditions. To attain accurate information in this regard, classical sīrah works and modern research on the battles are referred to as the main resources. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue War and Peace in Religious Culture)
13 pages, 260 KiB  
Article
The Nonviolence Conundrum: Political Peace and Personal Karma in Jain and Hindu Traditions
by Veena R. Howard
Religions 2023, 14(2), 178; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/rel14020178 - 29 Jan 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2526
Abstract
Debates on war and peace within Jain and Hindu traditions revolve around the fear of incurring individual bad karma from violence, potentially inhibiting the individual’s journey to spiritual liberation. Generally, the religious culture of both Jain and Hindu traditions elevates nonviolence to one [...] Read more.
Debates on war and peace within Jain and Hindu traditions revolve around the fear of incurring individual bad karma from violence, potentially inhibiting the individual’s journey to spiritual liberation. Generally, the religious culture of both Jain and Hindu traditions elevates nonviolence to one of the highest moral principles. Jainism embraces ahiṃsā (non-harming) as the central doctrine, and Hindu traditions exalt non-harming as one of the highest disciplines and virtues (dharma). However, a personal spiritual commitment to nonviolence creates tension with the humanistic value of striving for an ethic of social justice and peace. Maintaining social harmony sometimes requires confrontation or targeted violence. It is not surprising that while both traditions laud ahiṃsā for personal peace, they also deliberate on the challenge of using necessary violence to maintain an orderly society. Despite sanctioning limited violence (hiṃsā) in acute situations, various texts and myths express a general suspicion for using war or other aggressive methods to solve social and political problems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue War and Peace in Religious Culture)
16 pages, 271 KiB  
Article
God, Religion, and War: Language, Concept, and the Problem of Definition from Genesis to Jihad to Levinas
by Ori Z. Soltes
Religions 2023, 14(1), 127; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/rel14010127 - 16 Jan 2023
Viewed by 1629
Abstract
Using a discussion of the etymology of re-lig-io as a starting point, this essay begins by considering the problem of religion—of understanding God, and of language as an instrument for achieving the ends of religion and that understanding—and the problem for religion of [...] Read more.
Using a discussion of the etymology of re-lig-io as a starting point, this essay begins by considering the problem of religion—of understanding God, and of language as an instrument for achieving the ends of religion and that understanding—and the problem for religion of revelation and interpretation. It follows to the consequences of this double complication for understanding “war” in the biblical and early Christian traditions. The essay leads, then, to a tri-valent discussion of “jihad”, and from this jihad centerpiece toward further versions of these complications as they apply to mysticism, medieval Jewish thought and thence toward and into modernity, from Spinoza to Levinas. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue War and Peace in Religious Culture)
8 pages, 223 KiB  
Article
A Catholic Pope and a Rawlsian Statesman: War and Peace through the Lens of Non-Public and Public Reason
by Jeff Shawn Jose
Religions 2023, 14(1), 49; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/rel14010049 - 28 Dec 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1756
Abstract
A Catholic pope and a Rawlsian statesman respectively represent religious and political leaders who confront the reality of war and face the challenge of responding to it. A political decision during conflict based exclusively on religious or secular justifications will be unconvincing in [...] Read more.
A Catholic pope and a Rawlsian statesman respectively represent religious and political leaders who confront the reality of war and face the challenge of responding to it. A political decision during conflict based exclusively on religious or secular justifications will be unconvincing in a contemporary plural public space. John Rawls’s solution to this dilemma was to offer justifications based on public reason grounded on political values and not on religious or secular values that support non-public reason. However, restraining religious arguments can ignite passionate religious objections when the decisions of government contradict the demands of their religious values. Hence, this paper argues against an exclusive position and highlights the importance of a nuanced approach that engages religious and political perspectives. The arguments are presented by engaging both Catholic and Rawlsian responses to war by focusing on just war theory and the role of a statesman. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue War and Peace in Religious Culture)
14 pages, 263 KiB  
Article
Religious and Secular Visions of Peace and Pacifism
by Andrew Fiala
Religions 2022, 13(11), 1121; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/rel13111121 - 18 Nov 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2407
Abstract
Pacifism is a complex and significant moral, political, religious, and philosophical idea. There is an evolving conversation about peace and nonviolence that occurs among secular scholars, religious figures, and activists. This paper explores this conversation, while employing a five-part thematic frame of analysis [...] Read more.
Pacifism is a complex and significant moral, political, religious, and philosophical idea. There is an evolving conversation about peace and nonviolence that occurs among secular scholars, religious figures, and activists. This paper explores this conversation, while employing a five-part thematic frame of analysis that attempts to distinguish secular and religious visions of peace and pacifism. The result of this analysis provides a ready framework for making that distinction. But it also demonstrates that the task of distinguishing secular and religious approaches is complicated and difficult. The paper also shows, through a brief genealogy of pacifism, how secular and religious voices are in conversation with one another. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue War and Peace in Religious Culture)
16 pages, 242 KiB  
Article
Issues of War and Peace: Is Religion More of the Problem and What Are Mahatma Gandhi’s Insights?
by Douglas Allen
Religions 2022, 13(11), 1088; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/rel13111088 - 11 Nov 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1547
Abstract
When examining the history of religions and dominant religious narratives, institutions, cultures, ideologies, and practices in the contemporary world, one is tempted to conclude that religion is more of the problem in relating to diverse issues of war and peace. Dominant religions and [...] Read more.
When examining the history of religions and dominant religious narratives, institutions, cultures, ideologies, and practices in the contemporary world, one is tempted to conclude that religion is more of the problem in relating to diverse issues of war and peace. Dominant religions and religious cultures seem overwhelmingly to be causes, express systemic structures, and provide ideological, theological, and philosophical justifications for violence, war, militarism, intolerance, divisiveness, oppression, injustice, hatred, environmental destruction, and anti-democratic hierarchical domination. Can religious culture also be a positive force for nonviolence, peace, love, compassion, justice, tolerance and mutual respect, and harmonious and sustainable relations with human and nonhuman life, nature, and the cosmos? A universal, phenomenological, structural model of the dialectic of the sacred and the profane allows us to understand how and why religious culture has been such a negative force, but also how it can develop as a positive force. In that regard, Mahatma Gandhi, the best known and most influential proponent of nonviolence, offers a complex and insightful approach to religious culture in ways that are most significant for relating issues of war, peace, and religious culture today. What I propose to show, by focusing on the phenomenology of religion and the insights of Mahatma Gandhi, is that the full picture of religious culture, violence, war, and peace is complex, nuanced, and contradictory, and there are structural and contextualized openings for understanding ways that religious culture can be a positive force for nonviolence and peace. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue War and Peace in Religious Culture)
11 pages, 793 KiB  
Article
The Voice of Peace: Philosophical Musicality as a Promoter of Peace in Confucianism
by Galia Patt-Shamir
Religions 2022, 13(11), 1063; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/rel13111063 - 04 Nov 2022
Viewed by 1156
Abstract
The main focus of this article is the explanatory power that music has in Confucianism according to the Analects (Lunyu 論語) and The Classic of Rites (Liji 禮記), which is reaffirmed in the Song Dynasty by Zhou Dunyi in the chapters [...] Read more.
The main focus of this article is the explanatory power that music has in Confucianism according to the Analects (Lunyu 論語) and The Classic of Rites (Liji 禮記), which is reaffirmed in the Song Dynasty by Zhou Dunyi in the chapters on music in Tongshu (通書, The Penetrating Book). The article suggests that Tongshu’s chapters on music demonstrate the non-linear and non-metaphysical musical nature of Confucianism. According to this suggestion, the chapters introduce a dynamic, living model for the Confucian Way, on its own terms. This musical model supports the early Confucian vision of a multifaceted person, progressing in a multi-dimensional Way within a multi-layered polysemic world. Progressing along the Way, self-cultivation appears as one’s task to develop the various musical potentialities inherent in her or himself. The article opens with the epistemological idea of “musical knowledge” acquired by attuned hearing that winds up in a creative, peacemaking heart. Next, it introduces the ontological idea of a government that models cosmic harmony, depicting the leader as having an orchestral conductor’s aptitude; last, it presents a pragmatic perspective on the idea of musical education through the rules of propriety, depicting the practitioner as a skillful music player. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue War and Peace in Religious Culture)
21 pages, 369 KiB  
Article
Gandhi and Buber on Individual and Collective Transformation
by Ephraim Meir
Religions 2022, 13(7), 600; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/rel13070600 - 28 Jun 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1748
Abstract
A virtual encounter between Buber and Gandhi articulates where they differ and where they touch common ground. They developed a transformative thinking that opened up the individual and collective ego to others. Only recently have scholars paid full attention to Buber’s theo-political thinking. [...] Read more.
A virtual encounter between Buber and Gandhi articulates where they differ and where they touch common ground. They developed a transformative thinking that opened up the individual and collective ego to others. Only recently have scholars paid full attention to Buber’s theo-political thinking. Gandhi’s article “The Jews” made his way of thinking irrelevant for many Zionists over the decades. The relative neglect of Buber’s political thought and of Gandhi’s contribution to conflict resolution in Israel/Palestine explains why studies systematically comparing Buber’s politico-religious thinking with that of Gandhi are rare. The present article wants to fill this gap. Gandhi and Buber’s religiosity impacted upon spiritual, social, and political life. Their transformational perspectives could shed new light on how to deal with violent conflict situations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue War and Peace in Religious Culture)

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11 pages, 228 KiB  
Essay
Islam, Salafism, and Peace: Facing the Challenges of Tradition and Change
by Amine Tais
Religions 2024, 15(1), 93; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/rel15010093 - 11 Jan 2024
Viewed by 710
Abstract
Moving away from both the apologetic and polemical frames that have become ubiquitous in public discourses about Islam and Muslims, I position Salafism within the interpretative battles of the mainstream Sunni tradition. Through that analysis, I also highlight how the salafi orientation presents [...] Read more.
Moving away from both the apologetic and polemical frames that have become ubiquitous in public discourses about Islam and Muslims, I position Salafism within the interpretative battles of the mainstream Sunni tradition. Through that analysis, I also highlight how the salafi orientation presents a difficult challenge for contemporary Muslims who seek to promote peace, pluralism and harmony within their communities and with other groups and communities in a fast-changing world. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue War and Peace in Religious Culture)
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