6 - Religion
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 December 2011
Summary
Possibly no domain of human thought and behavior is more riddled with ambiguity and ambivalence than religion. Does religion promote peace or does it encourage war? Are some religions peaceful and others warlike? Do religious differences contribute to distrust and violence? Today contention over religion is exacerbated by both the apparent increase in Islamist extremism and the rise of outspoken atheism in Christian nations, and so far, antagonists (believers and unbelievers) have not found an acceptable way to carry on a conversation. This does not bode well for a cooperative program to promote peace.
In this chapter, I will concentrate on the problem of dialogue and, particularly, on what American citizens should know about religious history and thinking in order to converse across the lines of belief and unbelief. The issue is of huge importance for education. I do not suggest that students should be persuaded to adopt either a particular religion or a secular view. I will argue, however, that acceptance of dogmatic views makes rational debate almost impossible and that we must find a way to discuss religion as openly and productively as we do other issues central to human life.
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- Peace EducationHow We Come to Love and Hate War, pp. 82 - 95Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2011