Religion and Conflict: are religion and conflict closely related?

The past years, we've been confronted by many violent terrorist attacks. 'Religious Violence' or 'Islamic Terrorism' are recurring headlines in newspapers. But are religion and violence so closely linked as we seem to think? In three lectures, scientists discuss why religion and conflict are more and more perceived as
Siamese twins. The series is organized by Studium Generale Groningen and the Centre for Religion, Conflict and the Public Domain of the Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies of the University of Groningen. The first lecture starts March 22 at 8 p.m.

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Tuesday 22 March

Does Religion Cause Violence? – William Cavanaugh

The myth of religious violence does not correspond to fact, but is a central legitimating narrative of Western secularism according to Professor William Cavanaugh. He will argue that the idea that religion promotes violence is part of the common understanding of Western liberal societies. William Cavanaugh is Professor and Director of the Center for World Catholicism and Intercultural Theology at DePaul University in Chicago.

Tuesday 29 March

Religion, Conflict and Peacebuilding: Through the Lens of Competitive Victimhood – Joram Tarusarira

The conflictual relationship between religion and the secular is often sparked by humiliation, deprivation and embarrassment: a sense of victimhood. Why do parties to a conflict compete for victimhood? What are the implications of victimhood identity for conflict and violence on one hand and peace and reconciliation on the other? Joram Tarusarira is Assistant Professor of Religion, Conflict and Peacebuilding, in the Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies at University of Groningen.

Tuesday 5 april

University Colloquium: Hate Speech, Pluralism, and the Many Faces of Tolerance – Paul Rasor

Religious freedom has become a hot topic in an age of increasing migration and the apparent resurgence of religion in public life, challenging the limits of tolerance. Pluralism (religious and otherwise) is both the hallmark and the inevitable product of religious freedom.  Hate speech is a mark of intolerance. The dramatic increase in anti-religious hate speech in recent years has undermined this important democratic value, both in the Netherlands and throughout Europe, and narrows the social space required for a healthy democracy. Paul Rasor is visiting professor of law in the Faculty of Law and Gerardus van der Leeuw Fellow in the Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies at the University of Groningen. Rasor recently retired as Director of the Center for the Study of Religious Freedom and Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies at Virginia Wesleyan College in Norfolk, Virginia.