Religion, power and violence: an interreligious consultation for peace-building
By Elizabeth S. Tapia (*)
"Religious legitimization of violence," affirmed A. Rashied Omar, an imam from South Africa, "does not occur in a socio-historical vacuum, but within concrete human settings in which power dynamics are paramount". And this holds true despite the fact that "the hegemonic discourse of religion and violence largely ignores the issue of power".
Based on his experience in the struggle against apartheid and the creation of a non-racial and democratic South Africa, Rashied noted the role of religion in "counterbalancing the tendency towards absolutization of the power of the state". Religion, he said, has a prophetic role as "the moral conscience of society", and religious institutions should "align themselves with progressive forces within civil society in launching counter-hegemonic projects in order to counterbalance the pervasive influence of the state".
Rashied was one of thirty-six participants attending the 6th Visser't Hooft memorial consultation on "Religion, power and violence". Jointly organized by the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Bossey Ecumenical Institute, the 8-13 June interreligious consultation for peace-building was held at Bossey, and brought together participants from Buddhist, Hindu, Christian, Muslim, Jewish and Indigenous spiritual traditions who decided to join efforts in interreligious peace-building.
Within the framework of the 2001-2010 Decade to Overcome Violence, and of WCC and Bossey work on interreligious relations and dialogue, the consultation explored the interrelationship between religion, power and violence, and identified models, resources and networks for interreligious peace-building. It addressed the need to confront the misuse of religions to fuel conflicts, and to encourage the practice of religion and spirituality to help bring about lasting peace, justice and human dignity. It was prepared by an interfaith workshop group which met in Bossey in 2003.
During their week of study, community-building for dialogue, and networking, participants shared their experiences of actual conflict situations and concrete ways of working for peace, listened to different perspectives on power and religion, and explored how to work together in the common quest for lasting peace.
Time spent every day in meditation, prayer, and celebration of life - expressed in Muslim chanted prayers, Buddhist and Hindi meditations, welcoming the Shabbat, Christian prayer, an Indigenous spiritual ritual with celebration of water and earth of life, a Brahma Kumaris' ritual of healing the earth - afforded glimpses of the rich spiritualities of the traditions represented in the group.
Religion misused
Hindu scholar Dr Ram Puniyani gave a critical analysis of religion, power and violence in the Indian context, and invited the group to be critical of the use and abuse of power in their own contexts. He urged those who espouse a religion to be in solidarity with the poor and oppressed. "The triad of religion, power and violence gets connected once we see the ambitions of those using religion for their narrow goals," he said. "If people of religion cannot be associated with the plight of the poor and oppressed, then they are handmaidens of the powerful and, in turn, become legitimizers of violence," he argued.
Siddharta, another Hindu participant, discussed the causes of the rise of communalism and religious fundamentalism in India. "In the Indian context, we are unfortunately witnessing the evil side of religion. Instead of outdoing each other in the performance of good deeds, each religion is playing a role in preaching suspicion and hatred. The rise of Hindu cultural nationalism has added fuel to the fire. Some extremist elements in this movement are preaching hatred of the Muslims, and to a lesser extent, Christians. Thousands of people have died in inter-religious conflicts," he reported.
Noting that these conflicts are not merely religious but also engendered by "a crisis in tradition and the emergence of a soul-less neo-liberal modernity," he warned that in this context, many people are manipulated by political-religious zealots who offer the path of fundamentalism, communalism and suspicion of the "other".
Models for peace
Some practical efforts for peace are being made however, Siddharta said. Citing the Fireflies Ashram in Bangalore, India, as an example, he said that many such groups have built peace committees that bring Hindus, Muslims and Christians in conflict-prone areas together to resolve their differences. Apart from receiving training in conflict resolution, young people at the Fireflies Ashram participate in inter-religious dialogues that help them to appreciate the values of other religions. These conflict-resolution activities have considerably reduced violence in the community, Siddharta reported.
Other peace-building models and activities were described (in plenaries and small groups) by Cvijeta Novakovic from Bosnia/Herzogovina, Parichart Suwanbubbha from Thailand, Yasutomo Sawahata from Japan, LaVerne Gill and Arthur Waskow from the USA, Yehuda Stolov from Israel, and Beatriz Schulthess, an indigenous woman leader living in Costa Rica.
"I just recognized one day that the war could be very long, and that the war is horrible," said Cvijeta Novakovic. "I wasn't sure who would stop it… but I just felt that ordinary people had to do something… However small my power was, I had a strong desire to use it in for peace." This was the seed that flowered into the founding of a Centre for a Culture of Peace and Nonviolence in Bosnia/Herzegovina.
Parichart Suwanbubbha, a Theravada Buddhist professor from Thailand, described Dhamma Yatra activities in Thailand and Cambodia. Dhamma Yatra is prayerful walking; the aim is to solve the environmental crisis and end structural ecological violence in Thailand; in Cambodia, it is to remove landmines. Walking through forests and past lakes, Buddhist monks stop in villages along the way to perform Dhamma rituals and impart knowledge about preserving trees, water and forests. For Suwanbubbha, Dhamma walking is "an interreligious dialogue of life and experience"; representatives of local NGOs who participate "learn and understand the concept of loving kindness, Kamma, and interconnectedness".
Representing Rissho Kosei Kai, a Japanese lay Buddhist organization, Yasutomo Sawahata spoke about the Hoza Circle of Compassion. The circle is a small group of people coming together to listen to a neighbour's suffering. Through active listening and group counselling, the troubled person experiences healing and compassion, shared in and through the circle and beyond.
Two rabbis from New York, USA - Arthur Waskow, who directs the Shalom Center, and Phyllis Berman, founder of a language programme for newly arrived immigrants - led a meaningful liturgy on welcoming the Shabbat at the consultation. The Shalom Center projects draw on Jewish and other spiritual teachings to address the dangers arising from corporate globalization and to explore the creation of a "planetary community". Arthur and Phyllis are involved in the "Olive trees for peace" campaign to meet humanitarian needs in endangered Palestinian villages, and both are working with Rabbis for Human Rights.
Another example of peace-building was shared by Yehuda Stolov, the director of the Interfaith Encounter Association in Jerusalem. This centre is dedicated to promoting real co-existence and peace in the Holy Land and the Middle East through cross-cultural study and interreligious dialogue. "When we connect as human beings," Stolov suggested, "we develop a deep, sincere and open conversation. We open the door for a different future…"
Themes, issues, recommendations
Five themes emerged during the week's discussions:
- contextualizing language and the "hidden" assumptions used in religions and spiritual traditions;
- manifestations of violence in many forms: economic, socio-political and religious;
- individual responsibility and accountability and how they impact the participants' collective work;
- conflict and contradictions in the exercise of power and religious leadership;
- strategies and practices that promote interreligious encounters and dialogue.
The participants decided to study more closely the language they use in interreligious relations, and to compile appropriate liturgies for use in religious and spiritual meetings. It suggested that an appropriate theme for the next Visser 't Hooft memorial consultation might be globalization and power, and it asked the WCC to be a catalyst in helping to create a "world religious forum".
Participants paid particular attention to the issues of how to deal with the past in general and experiences of violence and conflict in particular; to globalization, power and justice, and called on the WCC to network with other world religious bodies and participate in joint social actions.
They agreed that, in order to promote interreligious peace-building, people from different religious structures and cultures should build bridges of friendship and understanding among peoples; address violent structures and cultures and acknowledge and promote the core values in religions; and work for justice, healing and forgiveness. It is important, they said, to "go beyond reason and analysis" and to show proof of accountability and compassion; to promote grassroots movements for change and develop coalitions for peace; and, finally, to develop and share liturgies and resources for peace.
The WCC's and Bossey's joint decision to convene an interreligious consultation on the theme of religion, power and violence was, according to Rashied, "both fortuitous and prophetic". By "illuminating the triangular nexus between religion, power and violence," the consultation was able "to make a modest but significant contribution to balancing the available diagnoses of the problem of violence".
Rev. Prof. Elizabeth Tapia is an ordained Methodist pastor from the Philippines who currently teaches at the Bossey Ecumenical Institute.
