Religion and Violence
A World Council of Churches’ conference
Eckerd College, St. Petersburg, Florida, U.S.A. February 8-12, 2002

We, members of five religious traditions – Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism – came together with deep concern about the growing violence in the world today. Our own traditions give us our ethical values and offer us a vision of peaceful co-existence predicated upon justice and harmony with the earth. We are conscious of the need to be self-critical and to go beyond a discourse shaped by narrow political, national, economic or military objectives. We endeavor to go beyond religious idealism and explore concrete modes of expression and action.

Faces of Violence
In attempting to identify the many faces of violence, we are conscious of the complexity of the phenomenon and the need to develop deeper understandings of it. Identifying the different faces of violence will help us to discover relevant and effective ways of overcoming them. In accounting for the sources of violence, some of our traditions see it as an integral part of nature, while others locate it in human greed, hatred, and ignorance.

The following are some of the faces of violence that we identify:
Physical Violence – Warfare, the use of brute force such as battering and domestic abuse, terrorism by individuals, groups or states.
Political Violence – Such as when laws are enacted that militate against the recognition of each person’s dignity, worth and equality with another.
State-sponsored Violence – Such as extra judicial killings, torture, and detention /incarceration without due legal process.
Structural Violence – Violence that is built into social, political, and economic structures such as caste, patriarchy, etc.
Ecological Violence - The destruction of environment resulting from irresponsible use of natural resources.
Liberative Violence – When individuals or groups – as a last resort – seek recourse to violence to respond to the above listed forms of violence and achieve liberation from oppression.

The Relation between Religion and Violence
Religious traditions can be resources for building peace. At the same time, religious communities often play a role in advocating and justifying violence. In the face of structural violence, religious traditions should help us to overcome the lust for power, control, and possession of material goods that are the driving impulses of violence and violent systems.

The following are some of the ways in which we characterize the relationship between violence and religion:
Silence: Religious communities often maintain silence in the face of violence. There are many reasons for such silence, including, the concern for the survival of their own communities and structures. Some may also see their role helping their adherents feel satisfied in the status quo and in their own material prosperity without a concern for the marginalized.
Sanctification: Religious communities justify the use of violence by the state or extra state entities or by other agencies. Examples of this would be when a religious tradition attaches itself to the militaristic objectives of the state and the textual/canonical legitimization of violence against women.
Expansion: Religious communities use violence for purposes of spreading themselves or of ensuring their own growth.
Images of God: Some religious traditions have violent images of the Divine, which may have problematic implications for the self-understanding of their believers.
Images of Self: Religious traditions promote violence by framing the worth of their adherents in terms of the ‘lesser worth’ of others.

While the above list exposes some of the problematic aspects of the relationship between religion and violence, the following point to constructive forms of engagement.
Unmasking/Opposing: Religious communities have played a role in opposing violence both within their own community and when others are injured.
Models of Non-Violence: Each religious tradition has also had significant individuals and groups that have lived lives testifying to the peaceful impulses in religion.
Limiting Violence: Religions have often played a role in checking the levels of violence or ‘humanizing’ it. In most of our traditions, limited use of violence is permitted for the defense of good but with the understanding that we are falling short of the ideal and thus in need of forgiveness.

Challenges to Religions by Violence
Our discussion identified some of the challenges that our religious traditions face in our common struggle to overcome violence.

Critique: To engage in an ongoing critique, from within our own traditions, of our understandings of mission, chosenness, salvation, and the relationship between religion and land. Our traditions offer alternative understandings that promote wholeness, justice for all people, and the recognition of our responsibility towards all forms of life.

Means and Ends: To challenge our own communities on the link between violent means and non-violent ends and the way violent means compromise the value of human life and in the long run promote a culture of violence.

Conversation, Encounter, and Solidarity: To move towards greater and deeper conversation, encounter and solidarity with people of other traditions. In our solidarity with the victims of violence and injustice, the strength and value of our traditions become manifest.

Non-violence as Resistance: To promote discourse on peace that deals with injustice, and to practice non-violence as an active mode of resistance.

Countering Extremism: To counter the disproportionate voices and influences of extremists within and outside the religious traditions.

Healing of Memories: Many of us have painful memories of victimhood. These memories at times obscure the reality that victims can themselves become victimizers. We are challenged to deal with those memories and try to find other sources for a more positive identity.

A Shared Commitment to Peace
We invite our religious traditions to: