ENGLISH

The Religious in Responses to Mass Atrocity: Interdisciplinary Perspectives

Book information

Year
2009
ISBN
0521518857, 9780521518857
LCC
BL65.V55 R56 2009
Open Library ID
OL22795964M
Language
english
Format
PDF
Filesize
2 MB (2208055 bytes)
Pages
296\297
Topic
Religion
Orientation
yes
Scanned
no
Time added
2011-06-04 13:46:07

Description

A peculiar and fascinating aspect of many responses to mass atrocities is the creative and eclectic use of religious language and frameworks. Some crimes are so extreme that they "cry out to heaven," drawing people to employ religious vocabulary to make meaning of and to judge what happened, to deal with questions of guilt and responsibility, and to re-establish hope and trust in their lives. Moreover, in recent years, religious actors have become increasingly influential in worldwide contexts of conflict-resolution and transitional justice. This collection offers a critical assessment of the possibilities and problems pertaining to attempts to bring religious - or semi-religious - allegiances and perspectives to bear in responses to the mass atrocities of our time: When and how can religious language or religious beliefs and practices be either necessary or helpful? And what are the problems and reasons for caution or critique? In this book, a group of distinguished scholars explore these questions and offer a range of original explanatory and normative perspectives.

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