Religious Violence - Christianity Versus Islam - Admission/Application Essay Example

Today, many religious thinkers focus on the cherished, perfect, and ideal aspects of religion that reflect the universe as a peaceful, just, and truthful for all its occupants. When it comes to violence, most of them dismiss the notion as the absence of the religious spirit that is truthful, and as religious teachings distortions (Fijmer-Kensky 170). As a result, many conflicts and violence around the world are said to be hidden under the religious language. The public mind has been made to think that violence emanates from religious differences. This paper aims at discussing religious violence in the perspective of Christians and Islam. Various aspects that are involved and play a role in religious violence will be discussed. According to Duncan (15), most of the time, religions are associated with violence and are seen as actively engaging in activities that triggers violence. For example, Muslims confrontations about militant extremism rise and how the world view Islam as full of violence, Judaism is trying to cope with such difficulties like suicide bombing, Palestinians struggle, and also the challenge of the military power. Moreover, Hinduism experiences confrontations between Muslims and Hindus in some parts of India. There have been cases of genocide in places like Cambodia and ethnic conflict in some parts of Srilanka, and Buddhism is held responsible. Christianity is not left behind as it has a past of conflicts of violence, and it has always tried to intervene in military wars with the aim of preventing acts of atrocities and genocide. Today, the term Jihad from Islam has been translated as meaning the holy war although some researchers argue that in Islam, war has never been in any time holy. According to them, the greatest jihad is the most spiritual thing, and it involves efforts that focused on commendable aim, and includes Sufis passive resistance and peaceful persuasion. They further describe another aspect that is believed to end the conflict. This term is known as Suth. Suth involves efforts aimed at ending conflict, peacemaking, and restorative justice. Judaism thinkers, on the other hand, describe the term shalom that is believed to be a combination of wellbeing and peace. In Christianity especially in the book of Hebrews, violence is seen as part of the struggle that many ancient nations used. In addition, God used acts of violence like plagues and floods. Blood sacrifices were also part of rituals, and capital punishments were very severe at that time. The bible at the same time considers human life as sacred and prohibits murder, and advocate justice as the best way to achieving peace (Katz 550). Furthermore, the bible in the New Testament specifically in the book of revelation predicts and reflects the battle between the evil and good. Jesus roles are reflected in a way that shows the behavior that is non-violent. The concept of just war is mostly used by senior members of the church and through this concept, churches support wars that have been called by nations’ lawful authority in the name of just cause. The Islam through Quran mostly accepts the necessity of war, although it has principles that advocates for no coercion in faith matters. According to the Quran, for thirteen years, Muhammad practiced passive resistance before he engaged in self-defense afterwards. Religious thinkers argue that the bible came during the time people believed that national and tribal gods fought for them. On the other hand, Quran is believed that was formulated when conflict was rampant. Religious developments kept on being influenced by history. Rome was taken over by Christianity, and Christianity used imperialism to consider warfare and conquest. Consequently, such actions led to a history full of bloody situations, forced crusades, heretics’ wars, armed conquest, and forced conversion. Islam’s first three centuries were characterized by situations of imperial conflicts. Fijmer-Kensky (173) suggests that Muslims believed that the conception of the world involved two territories. The territory of war, and two, the territory of Islam. These two territories were a subject to poll tax payment or to conversion. The image of God as a warrior is reflected in the bible. Christians believe that the war was done to please God, was presented by God and acted as a divine struggle of what is evil or good. How individuals perceive humanity has tremendous influence on violence. The assumption that humans are evil and violent justifies various forms of violence. Moreover, violence is also justified and invited by the assumption that some people are more influential than others. The views from the bible suggest that human beings were made in the image of the lord, and therefore it is a sin to kill. In contrast, the perpetrators were always killed during the ancient time. Religion is mostly engaged in acts of violence through wars. Today, religious justification for war has risen. In the Bible, God fought for his people, and extremist from Israel has been using this aspect as a justification for their violent actions. The just war concept allows legitimate authorities to engage in wars for just cause such as in what is right or wrong, and in self-defense. Islam also is always against the war and defines it as evil, but term it as just in cases of persecution avoidance or preservation of values that are perceived as decent. In the modern world, the growth of pacifism in churches is seen as causing violence and violence is considered as part of the past of Christianity. Buddhism thinkers argue that their religion is non-violent, and rather suggest that the recent struggle of violence is caused by ethnic prejudice rather religion. Some scholars in Judaism believe that modern violence as caused by concepts of covenant and chosen people as they are still used today. Military power forms the major challenge for Judaism. Islam, on the other hand, emphasizes on the issue of social justice and rejects pacifism. Muslims believe that the global order is not, and can never be just (Erickson 582). Christian religion has been for decades seen as a religion of peace and love, and that of Islam has been seen as a religion of sword and conflict (Shafaat 1). The media have reinforced these perceptions by how they cover stories related to Christians and Muslims. Some Muslim researchers believe that the western and Christian perceptions disregard various facts in Islam. Christianity has been beating various Muslim nations in the name of creating peace for centuries now. Many Muslims die, yet the bible rejects killing and terms it as a sin. Christian nations first went to Muslim countries as crusaders; later on, they colonized these nations with the aim of destroying their religion and culture. Some Muslims experienced terrible violence as they struggled for independence. In Algeria, the French killed about a million of Muslims because they requested for their independence. Even today, the war against Islam has continued in Algeria. Military dictatorship has been used to any Muslim party that has the capability of winning the elections. Moreover, cases of persecutions of Muslim women with hijab and men with beards have increased in France in recent years (Shafaat 1). Christian countries like Britain and USA are believed to have killed many Iraqis, and majority of their people approved this. The world did not see what was happening, and it is believed that they did not expose the bloody circumstances as a lesson they learned at the time Vietnam War was experienced. In Kosovo and Bosnia, many Muslim women were raped, and men killed by the Serbs. Duncan (23) suggest that Western Europe and USA at times were viewed as supportive of the Muslims, but at the same time they protected their soldiers as they did not want to lose them. For half a century, Palestinians have been repetitively destroyed by Israel with the help of USA through moral support, financial support, and even with armory. USA as a Christian country condemns the acts of the Serbs in attacking the people of Kosovo, yet they support the massacres conducted by the Israel to Palestinian people. Another place where Christianity has played a part in violence is in Lebanon. When the majority population in Lebanon was dominated by Christians, cases of war were experienced everywhere. When Muslims took over, and they dominated Lebanon, it became peaceful except for some parts where Christians are in the majority. Other countries that have suffered from religious violence include Afghanistan and Sudan. Thinkers from Islam religion believe that Christian countries leaders attack Muslim countries to divert the attention of their people because most of them approve those violent attacks, just because they are Christians and believes that Muslims are violent, thus attacking them is justifiable. They also believe that the media has played a bigger role in tarnishing Islam as a violent religion, and because many Muslims lack the resources to defend themselves, they end up being perceived as weak. Moreover, they believe that Christianity has drowned Islam, and most of their voices condemn the Islamic religion. For example, the media report deaths from Christians more often than they report about the number of Muslims killed during religious violence. Therefore, according to Muslims these acts of attacking Islamic nations tarnishes the good reputation Christianity claim as being people of love and peace (Erickson 584). How witches and heretics were treated during the middle ages is believed to have inspired the later century’s tyrants (Katz 547). With the help of Christian churches, Christian nations have destroyed many nations and even their own (Shafaat 1). For every attack, they make in a Muslim nation, and they emerge winners, victory is celebrated by even the churches. Not only do acts of Christian violence experienced by nations, but also, they have been experienced by the Christians themselves. Recently, cases of violence have increased all over the Christian nations (Erickson 583). For example, cases like Christian serial killers, rapists, abusers of orphans, Catholic priests committing sodomy with orphans, and such cases like child torture to the point of death. This is contradictory of what the bible dictates that people should always love their enemies and neighbors. Some verses seem to support the acts of violence like when it says that God will put angels in front of a person, when he or she faces the enemies, and the angels will give him or her power to demolish them and their pillars. Exodus 23, verse 23-33, further states that enemies will be driven out, until the Christian person increases and later possess the land. In addition, the notion of the bible stating that the Israelites are the only chosen children of God invites violent activities, as it humiliates other religions. Islam religion states that God sent revelations to all nations of the world, but man’s ignorance and desires have corrupted these revelations. According to Fijmer-Kensky (165), the Quran that was given to them through Prophet Muhammad states that men have the capability of coming up with good ideas, but the problem is, they have weakness of not keeping them in their correct places. This prophet was engaged in warfare in places like Arabia, but Muslims believes that he did that as a gesture of love to people. He used force to unite tribes that were in dispute; thus, warfare was made necessary. They also believe that their ideal is to use force correctly with the fear of human beings, God, and creatures. Moreover, most of the wars from Muslims are believed to aim at fighting injustices, and to prevent those who do not fear God from running the world. Also, their mission is to unite all human beings around the world through resistance as their prophet achieved in Arabia, thus according to Islam, uniting all nations to serve one God, whom they believe is true, would lead to stability and peace around the world. Therefore, use of force used with the fear of God to unite all nations to serve one God is said to cause religious violence, as it means that their mission is to convert all people to be Islam. In conclusion, there have been sects that use the name of religion to justify violence against nations that hold a different religious view. Islam has been perceived as a violent religion, but most of its principles condemn violence, but the followers believe that violence is justifiable if it involves matters of injustices and self-defense. In addition, they believe that use of force with the fear of God will unite all nations, and as a result, they will serve one God leading to stability and peace all over the world. On the other hand, Christianity uses the concept of just war to justify the attacks that have been made in Islamic nations, causing many deaths, yet at the same time murder is condemned in the ten commandments of the bible. Works cited Duncan,Christopher. Religious Violence? Violence and Vengeance. New York: Cornell University Press, 2013. Print. Erickson, Debra.”The Myth of Religious Violence by William T Cavanaugh.” The Journal of Religion, 90. 4 (2010): 582-584. Print. Fijmer-Kensky, Tikva. “Religions and Violence.”An Analytical Synthesis 30.2 (2009): 164-180. Print. Katz, Marco. “Milton and Religious Violence.”PMLA, 121.2 (2006): 546-567. Shafaat, Ahmad. Violence, Christianity and Islam. Islamicperspectives.com. Web. 26 September 2014. . Read More