religious violence: fact or fiction?

The main question of this article is this. does religion itself play a role in “political violence”? after clarifying the meaning of relevant terms such as “religion”, “religious violence”, “secular violence”, “voluntary action” and “political violence”, i will examine two arguments that can be formulated in favour of the claim that religion itself is the unique cause of the socalled religious type of political violence, concluding that both of these arguments are subject to criticism and neither is successful in supporting that claim. then i will suggest my own explanation of the real cause and origin of political violence in general and its proper solution. i will also conclude that the wellknown distinction between religious and secular violence is not tenable.

Religious Violence: Fact or Fiction?

The main question of this article is this. Does religion itself play a role in “political violence”? After clarifying the meaning of relevant terms such as “religion”, “religious violence”, “secular violence”, “voluntary action” and “political violence”, I will examine two arguments that can be formulated in favour of the claim that religion itself is the unique cause of the socalled religious type of political violence, concluding that both of these arguments are subject to criticism and neither is successful in supporting that claim. Then I will suggest my own explanation of the real cause and origin of political violence in general and its proper solution. I will also conclude that the wellknown distinction between religious and secular violence is not tenable.