Hendrik M. Vroom

Jerald D. Gort

Henry Jansen

Religion plays a part in many conflicts in the world. But what role? Is conflict usually economic and/or ethnic at root, with religion becoming a part of it only secondarily? Or does the very formation of a religious community itself lead to isolation, exclusion and conflict? Reconciliation often has religious roots: through religion people often come to understand that they are part of a greater whole and to realize that they must work at restoring good relationships with others in situations of deep conflict, and especially after direct conflict has ended. Religion, Conflict and Reconciliation: Multifaith Ideals and Realities, the authors of which represent five religious traditions, provides the reader with broad perspectives on the role of religion in conflict and reconciliation, with regard to both the actual processes involved and the central insights of the major religious traditions of the world.

Multifaith Ideals and Realities

Religion, Conflict and Reconciliation

In the few years since the attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, evil has become a central theme in the media and human consciousness: the evil of terrorism, the evil of secular culture, concern for poverty, and climate change... Yet different cultures and religious traditions have different ideas of what evil is and what its root causes are. Although there is no massive clash of cultures, many disagreements and also conflicts in the world arise from the deep differences in views of evil.This volume explores religious views of evil. Scholars from different religions and from various parts of the world describe how people probe the depths of evil—and by necessity that of good—from their own background in various worldviews. In their explorations, almost all address the need to go beyond morality, and beyond legalistic definitions of evil and of good. They point to the radical depths of evil in the world and in human society and reinforce our intuition that there is no easy solution. But if we can gain a better understanding of what people from other worldview traditions and cultures consider evil, we are that much closer to a more peaceful world.

Multireligious Views and Case Studies

Probing the Depths of Evil and Good

M. E. Brinkman

Lucy Jansen

The centre of gravity of contemporary Christianity has shifted to the southern hemisphere where, with the exception of Latin America, almost all Christians are minorities in their home countries. Christians in Asia live amongst Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Shamanist or Taoist majorities and this context shapes the local Christian theology. The same is true in Africa where traditional religions and beliefs influence African Christians. Central to this change in both Africa and Asia is the creation of a new Jesus, one who accretes local beliefs and concerns and who, in that process, is transformed. 'The Non-Western Jesus' reveals how a new theology - with its own images and concepts - is coming into being. A wide range of embodiments of Jesus is examined: Jesus as 'Avatara' and 'Guru' in the Indian context; as 'Bodhisattva' in the Buddhist context; and Jesus within Asian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, African and Indonesian religious contexts.

Jesus as Bodhisattva, Avatara, Guru, Prophet, Ancestor or Healer?

The Non-Western Jesus

H. M. Vroom

From the contents: Andre DROOGERS: Religious reconciliation: a view from the social sciences. - Hendrik M. VROOM: The nature and origins of religious conflicts: some philosophical considerations. - Michael McGHEE: Buddhist thoughts on conflict, Reconciliation' . and religion. - Tzvi MARX: Theological preparation for reconciliation in Judaism. - Agus Rachmat WIDYANTO: Interreligious conflict and reconciliation in Indonesia."

Henry Jansen

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