The rhetoric of love in religious peacebuilding

Religious leaders involved in peacebuilding initiatives often refer to the religious value of love to encourage groups in conflict to live peacefully together. In this article, I suggest that references to love as a religious value might contribute to bridging social capital, meaning social bonds be...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Steen-Johnsen, Tale (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Carfax Publ. [2020]
In: Journal of contemporary religion
Year: 2020, Volume: 35, Issue: 3, Pages: 433-448
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B Peace efforts / Religious language / Love
IxTheo Classification:AD Sociology of religion; religious policy
CG Christianity and Politics
CH Christianity and Society
Further subjects:B Religious Peacebuilding
B Social Capital
B religion and violence
B religion and peace
B the rhetoric of love
Online Access: Volltext (kostenfrei)
Description
Summary:Religious leaders involved in peacebuilding initiatives often refer to the religious value of love to encourage groups in conflict to live peacefully together. In this article, I suggest that references to love as a religious value might contribute to bridging social capital, meaning social bonds between groups who have experienced conflict. However, without simultaneously addressing questions of justice, which is often necessary in violent conflicts, creating social bonds through references to love constitutes a weak contribution to peace. The article uses the study of a religious peacebuilding project in Ethiopia as an example and illustrates how religious leaders failed to make a substantial contribution to peace by evoking love but avoiding questions of justice.
ISSN:1469-9419
Contains:Enthalten in: Journal of contemporary religion
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1080/13537903.2020.1810972