Role of Religion in Conflict Perpetuation and Resolution - Research Paper Example

Role of Religion in Conflict Perpetuation and Resolution Religion has two essential benefits when it comes to conflict resolution. First, religion has a vast reservoir of information in sacred texts on peacemaking and pro-social and anti-social values that affect conflict. This part involves how individual should struggle with the inner life that has led either towards or away from a violent disposition. Second, religion plays a central role in the inner life and social behavior molding of a large number of people, many of whom are currently actively engaged in struggle. Although in the past era of human history religion has been a major engine to war, bloodshed, hatred and intolerance, in most case we have seen religion acting as an arbitrator between the conflicting parties. Therefore, to resolve conflicts between conflicting parties, religion has used empathy, openness to and even encouraged love for strangers, the suppression of unbridled ego and acquisitiveness, the communicative of human rights, unilateral gestures of forgiveness and humility, interpersonal repentance and acceptance of responsibility in past errors as a means of reconciliation and the drive of social justice. Sanctity of Life Religion has emphasized that people should view life as sacred and a gift offered to humankind by God. Therefore, each person should value others life by avoiding hurting the inner feeling either by messing with ones peace of heart by conflict or by murder. Many religion has encourage to practice the virtue of love to each other by practicing forgiveness in case one wrong the other instead of engaging themselves in a tug of war as a means of conflict resolution. Therefore, the sanctity of life should be observed at personal, social and political level. The Aspect of Interiority Religion has practiced the aspect of interiority by observing disciplines even in societies that are quite communally oriented. Through prayer, meditation, the experience of divine love, ecstasy, guilt and repentance all reflect the central importance of inner life of a person. When religion influences all these virtues in inner life of people it encourages people to have conflict resolution techniques. Conflicting parties through application of religious virtues are able to have self-control of their ego through the practice of love and kindness to each other. Empathy The role of empathy in western religion and traditions is critically essential. Religion has impacted the experience of empathy in terms of religious contexts to people either in terms of advocacy and long-term education or more directly in the workshop setting. For example, there is the use of religious seminars all over the world for community outreach. Empathy use in conflict acts as a basis for devising mediation strategies that would be a built-in spiritual motivation to engage in exercise emanating out of a familiar value. For example, listening to the public testimony of parties to a conflict is critical to conflict resolution because it shows the act of forgiveness among the conflicting parties. It generates common bond between the enemies through reconciliation that has often led, with subtle but careful guidance, to discussion that is more honest ad better relations. Study of Religious Traditions and Laws Religion has encouraged the study of religious traditions and laws I the community. This has resulted to theological changes in a particular culture especially a group of people whose leadership is buoyed by violent traditions. These have enabled people intending to engage themselves in conflict to have an early warning of the consequences of the conflict. Therefore, this has been a valuable tool in responding to conflict before it reaches a stage beyond which it cannot be controlled. Theology scholars and activists learn ways of coexistence within the ideal community as expressed in sacred texts and history where leaders of most religious traditions have expressed a rhetorical commitment to peace by allowing room theological experts to look at the sources that might countermand the desire f conflict in the minds of conflicting parties. Expanding Religion Centers Religion centers have been widely spread all over the nations to preach importance of peace to people in the various parts of the society. In these religion centers there are religious leaders who also play an important role in local and grassroots communities in relation to socio-economic development and administration of justice in the modern political system. Through locating a large number of religion center people have been influenced to practice cultural heritage where the religion ensure that people are always within the guide of religious virtues I their daily practices. These religious institutions plays an important role in promoting and sustaining social cohesion, peace and order in the societies that serves two main role of religion in the society: a proactive role to promote social cohesion, peace, harmony, co-existence and a reactive role in resolving disputes that have already occurred in the society. Communicative on Human Rights Religion has taken great emphasis on communicating to create awareness of human rights to the society. Through lobbing the government, religion has acted to prevent violation of human rights by any authority. For example, whenever government tries to enact law that oppressive to the public and can cause social movements of the public, the religion acts as the speaker to communicate the grievances and agony of the people to lobby the government to amend the oppressing laws. Moreover, in case of emergence of civil war in the society, the religion is at the forefront to criticize the civil war and tries to bring peace between the conflicting parties by bring them together for a peace making dialogue. Om the other hand, religion has been observed to be at the frontline to address the issues of racism, social stratification and ethnicity that have been the engine igniting the occurrences of conflicts in the society and prevent the emergence of conflict by emphasizing the issue of equality in the eyes of our creator. Therefore, religion prevents conflict from occurring by emphasizing the importance of every person to have the ability to exercise his or her human rights either internationally or locally. Encouraging Reforms Reforms have been ensured I n the society by religion having specific judicial and legislative reforms that are assessed to society. The reforms are aimed to positively change people in the society by making them reconcile and forgive each other when involved in a conflict. For example, religion has introduced the religious laws that guide society. Kadhi laws are responsible to guide Muslims in their relationship. Muslims involved in conflict and are arrested are assembled in Kadhi court where their case is heard. This shows that the religion has actively been involved to ensure reforms of people involved in conflict by mediating to solve their differences and encourage reconciliation and forgiveness (Lederach 120-124). Assist in Overcoming Change Obstacles There are obstacles to change that can prevent search for a solution to a conflict. Such obstacles include factors like psychological, social and political determinants but religion has worked to solve such determinants from preventing resolution of conflict be achieved. For example, psychological factors such as ego between the conflicting parties can affects the resolution for a conflict but religion has taken the responsibility to encourage conflicting parties to endure forgiveness and forgetting the disagreement that may have resulted to the parties’ indifferences. Moreover, the tendency to arrive at the solution to a conflicting issue is affected by social norms that support consistency, flexibility and willingness that encourage people to learn from experience and willingness to sacrifice the cause rather than preservative to change. Religion plays a vital role in molding social norms of the society by encouraging people to do according to religious teachings. Therefore, religion develops a society capable to allow face of diversity and sacrifice for the course of obtaining solution to a conflict rather than compromise. On the other hand, in many societies religion have taught people that withdrawal from problem solving as a sign of weakness and unwillingness or inability to change the course of a sign of strength such as fear to be found guilty. Additionally, there are political obstacles to change for a resolution. Such obstacles include internal rivalry and challenges that exist in the leadership and need to be taken considered during conflict solving. Religion has assisted to curb such obstacles by transforming the leader’s skills and qualities into God-fearing leaders through holding public rallies to pray for the leadership of their countries in different part of the world (Harold 130-140). Nature of Religious Decision-Making Regarding Peace and Violence Religious language and symbolism are critical ways in which human beings interpret reality. The society is very conservative on the variety of myths, laws or meta-physical assumptions that are in the minds of deep believer’s feelings. Religious beliefs affect the ability of negotiator to emphasize the forces of both side of conflict and to interact dynamically with the spiritual language of frustrations and anger that one may encounter during conflict resolution process. When the causes of conflict are economic discontent, the revolt against status quo may in fact express itself in religious form therefore, requiring an intervention strategy that can acknowledge and utilize the role of religion. However, the religion will help to understand the actual practioners of conflict resolution themselves (Mitchell 230-234). Interreligious Peace Building Training Mode Religion can influence conflict resolution processes through a religiously motivated intervener or ensure the conflicting parties get through religious nature of the conflict. When religion introduces an intervener in conflict resolution, it should ensure that when the intervener is religious oriented both the parties in conflict and the issues are no religious oriented to ensure further conflict of religion. The religious intervener uses skills and strategies to fit the conflicting parties although the basic assumption should use religion as culture acting an active role of escalating and de-escalating a conflict because it influences the issue, parties, strategies, outcome and interveners. Use of religion as peace building intervener between the conflicting parties will serve vita purpose such as explore the diverse role played by religious actors and the underlying values and assumptions that help to shape peace building methodologies, develop awareness of the importance of conflict resolution between parties. It also helps to examine how religious intervention can help to solve conflict and encourage participants to examine how religion has helped to shape their relationship (Christopher 450-455). Help to Improve Interpersonal Respect and Acceptance of Responsibility Religion has played an important role in improving interpersonal respect and acceptance of responsibility between the conflicting parties by encourages forgiveness and reconciliation. When religion brings the ability of understanding between the conflicting parties through religious teaching and training, the parties are able to get to the solution of their conflicting issue. For example, religious leaders have adversely educated the society through the religion centers located all over the world to an extent of printing journals and magazine pertaining the religious teachings on how to avoid or solve conflicts that arises among ourselves in our daily life. When people in the society access and read these religious journals, magazine or inspiring short messages in their phones, they get inspired and result to forgiveness and reconciliation from the conflict hence improve the interpersonal respect and acceptance of responsibility to live as one nation of our creator(McCartney 340-344). Using the religion of the interveners and conflicting parties we can conclude that religious aspect can help in peace building process and change in certain conflict settings the proposed interreligious peace building approach in the society has helped in conflict resolution among conflicting parties. When religion influence the society’s view of sanctity of life, empathy, expand religion centers, encourage social reforms and assist in overcoming obstacles to change in the society, it play a vital role to conflict resolution which is a major challenge facing conflicting parties when the fall in indifference due to issues that face them in life. Works Cited Abu-Nimer, Mohammed. Dialogue, Conflict Resolution and Change, New York: Suny Press (1999). Print Christopher R. Conflict, Social Change and Conflict Resolution. An Enquiry, in: Social Change and Conflict. New York: Suny Press, (2006). Print Jonathan. ‘The Influence of Religious Legitimacy on Grievance Formation by Ethnic–Religious Minorities’, Journal of Peace Research (1990). Print 36(3): 289–307. Lederach, John Paul. Preparing for Peace: Conflict Transformation across Cultures. New York: Syracuse University Press (1995). Print McCartney, Clem. Reframing a Strategy for Conflict Resolution. London: Conciliation Publishers, (2007). Print Misher, Ronald. ‘Training as Interactive Conflict Resolution: Characteristics and Challenges’, Journal of International Negotiation, (1997). Print (3): 331–351 Mitchell, Christopher R. Contemporary Peacemaking: Conflict, Violence and Peace Processes. London: Cambridge press, (2003). Print Saunders, Harold. A Public Peace Process: Sustained Dialogue to Transform Racial and Ethnic Conflicts. New York: St Martin Press, (1999). Print Read More