The Omnipresent Violence
Violence is not new. It starts with Abel and Cain. In time, it may change form, yet is not likely to end until the apocalypse. One’s perception of a religion may exacerbate his or her behavior towards others. However, the world will run out of its time, sooner or later, and both Abrahamic and non-Abrahamic faiths have definitions of the end. Violent in nature, human beings load their arms due to upcoming war, waged for salvation by the ones who are chosen by God to walk on the true path. Mark Juergensmeyer defines this divine struggle as “cosmic war” and mentions its relation to “metaphysical conflicts between good and evil.” Good and evil are also subject to change depending on who describes them.
Jewish violence in the Middle East started as soon as Jews survive the holocaust. In World War II, Nazis tortured scores of Jews to death as well as other non-Germans.
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Juergensmeyer posits cosmic war in his book as “a part of the heritage of religious traditions that stretch back to antiquity, and abundant examples of warfare may be found in sacred texts.” He also argues that
[cosmic war images] are larger than life. They evoke great battles of the legendary past, and they relate to metaphysical conflicts between good and evil. Notions of cosmic war are intimately personal but can also be translated to the social plane. Ultimately, though, they transcend human experience. What makes religious violence particularly savage and relentless is that its perpetrators have placed such religious images of divine struggle—cosmic war—in the service of worldly political battles. For this reason, acts of religious terror serve not only as tactics in a political strategy but also as evocations of a much larger spiritual confrontation.
According to Juergenmeyer’s argument cosmic war can be contracted to a triad: the past, the future, and human’s perception of the first
Violence is an unavoidable terror that has played one of the, if not the most, important roles in all of history. Without violence, lands wouldn’t be conquered, empires wouldn’t fall, and people wouldn’t have any limits or restrictions. The French Revolution is one example of a violent uprising because the people of France revolted against the rule of King Louis XVI by raiding, storming, and slaughtering for their natural equal rights. The revolution marked the end of a government ruled by monarchy and the start of the Republic of France. One important reason of why the revolution was successful in bringing political change was because it was violent.
“wars launched by man to annihilate his fellow man” and the outcome of those wars, where “the only vanquished remains man”
If God could have made the world without evil and suffering, why is the world full of evil and suffering? This is the question The Quarrel raises in terms of the Holocaust. According to Webster’s dictionary, quarrel implies a heated, verbal dispute typically between two friends. The two friends in The Quarrel, Chaim, an agnostic writer, and Hersh, a rabbi, become caught up in a quarrel as to why such a good God could allow such evil to be present in the world. This essay will discuss the unexplainable evil that threatens our sense of meaning and purpose by exploring the major issues of theodicies and anti-theodicies in The Quarrel. Exploring these theodicies and anti-theodicies is important in understanding why evil exists rather than explaining the science behind what causes evil.
Warfare and violence has been a part of human life since before history was recorded. As time goes, and war still is a part of life, there is an ongoing debate on whether war and violence are inevitable. War is clearly evitable with the way humans were in the past, as well as how their closest known biological relatives act. By examining history, as well as the looking at the behavioural evidence of other primates, it is clear that warfare and violence is not inevitable.
He has scaled the mountains of ignorance, he is about to conquer the highest peak: as he pulls himself over the final rock, he is greeted by a band of theologians who have been sitting there for centuries.”[v] Though Jastrow treats the issue as settled and declares that scientists have finally been “defeated,” it is too early to reach any judgements on the implications the new cosmology has for both science and religion. Our image of the origin of the universe is not yet complete and further investigations must be conducted before the towel is thrown in. Science has still much to offer to help us understand how the universe came to be. Therefore, let us now attempt to solve the cosmic mystery of creation by referring to the great scientific minds as our guide. Let us now rewind the story of the big bang and look into the origins of the universe.
Violence is an issue in human nature. Everyone has their own definition and their own interpretations of violence. The big question is if the world is still growing in its violent nature, or is it finally reaching its solemn, peaceful generation. The evolution of violence has grown in many different paths from survival of the fittest, genocide, slavery, etc. According to Steven Pinker’s article “Violence Vanquished,” he explains how the world is entering an era of peace because we do not deal with the same violence our ancestors did in the past. That is true. We abolished slavery, stopped brutal wars, and revolutionized with strategies such as commerce. Pinker analyzes his arguments very well, but negates common issues of violence that we still
Religion has come to become a very controlling aspect of people’s lives throughout the world. The very essence of having a faith background to rely on is very comforting for humankind. Since religion has grown to be such a vital role in shaping people’s views and decisions, religious conflict has also sprouted up (Olmstead). It has also been the reason for many wars throughout history. Religion as a source of ideal and morale has gone on for years. In this research paper, I will be investigating the effect religion has played in American wars, specifically. Moreover, I will address the key aspects of religion that can be seen to have influenced American history. The key tenets, which show why religion has been at the forefront of American conflict, are the concepts of ideology, morale, and democracy.
In the monotheistic religious traditions of Christianity and Islam, one role of God (or Allah) is to limit or control aggressions among humankind. In these religious traditions, God establishes an ideal or standard for the righteous use of force by followers of the faith. These standards, or just war traditions, address details of when to use force to solve
The debate between whether religion cause war or not based on their impression of religion; furthermore, it is unreasonably clear about what does and does not permit like a religion. Countries such as Islam are fated while certain others, like nationalism, are subjectively ignored. Authors used different theories such as absolutist, divisive, and absurd to explain why religion is so predisposed to violence. Sometimes authors combine these arguments to make their case.
Until recently, oracles have struggled to understand just what commenced at the beginning of the world. Now, a group of Oracles at Delphi may just have unsealed the strongest piece of evidence yet for the Celestial War Theory in an ostensibly unimportant object—a rock. For readers who may be unfamiliar with this exposition, it states that many eons ago, a great battle ensued between Zeus and his father, Cronus, for control over the universe. This conflict for universal dominion rose about due to Cronus eating all of his children. Appalled by the devouring her children, Rhea, Cronus’ wife, devised a plan to liberate her children. She gave Cronus a rock to eat instead of her child. Because of this, the saved child, Zeus, grew up to overthrow
Religious intolerance and violence, we see terrifying examples of it every day on the news. But, why? Why are there atrocities committed in the name of God? How can people who are trying to get closer to God be so crude and violent towards one another? Will compassion ever rule and there ever be an end to the brutality?
Violence, it has been a main tool in the Christian arsenal since the middle ages. From the Crusades to the Inquisitions of Spain, violence is ever prevalent. Even in this day and age, intolerance and violence continue to be preached. But is this violence an instrument of God or man? Is violence an inherent part of this religion? Some would say that it is indeed built in to the very fabric of its being. The Old Testament is full of the smiting of infidels and those who defy God. The Book of Revelations tells of the violent and fiery demise of this entire planet. There are instances of mass genocide, the killing of innocent children, holy wars, you name a violent act and God has called for it. The story of
The conquering of principalities and powers of darkness which enables the believer to overcome the enemy’s strategies for the furtherance of the Kingdom of God is spiritual warfare. The Christian’s weaponry is an armament from the Commander-in-Chief, our Lord, that is masterful in securing the victory for the cause of Christ. Now, more than ever, time is of the essence for the soldiers of God to herald the call and assemble the warriors in preparation for the concluding conflict.
Since many religions have started in the Middle East, it has become the center for erupting conflicts. For instance, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has been in the news for many reasons. Both groups want control of the God given land that they both claim is theirs, according to God, and what had happened in the past. The result of the conflict is religious terrorism (PBS, 1). Continuing, some Middle Eastern politics have been in conflict, even dividing communities of the
In Israel Jews and Arabs have been in conflict for hundreds of years because they both share religious grounds in Israel. Since the founding of Israel in 1948 there has been continuous conflict between Israel and Arab