PREFACE TO THE REVISED EDITION
\nMultiple events have shaped the global landscape since the publication
\nof When Religion Becomes Evil in 2002. It would not be an overstatement
\nto say that we have been bombarded with numerous,
\ninterconnected, and often conflicting images on issues at the heart
\nof this book. The role of many groups and individuals claiming
\ninspiration or divine mandates from God have become an increasingly
\nvisible-and often violent-factor of the global landscape. This is
\nespecially true of Islam, the world\u2019s second largest religion. New
\nexamples demonstrating the \u201cfive warning signs\u201d presented in this
\nbook abound. Multiyear sectarian conflict between Sunnis and
\nShi\u2019ites in Iraq, the growth of Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in
\nGaza, as well as international concern with extremist groups wreaking
\nhavoc in Great Britain illustrate the point. And yet, despite several
\ncover stories on Time and Newsweek, extensive reporting on
\nseveral 24\/7 cable news channels, and countless stories in major
\nnewspapers and other broadcast media, many people remained
\nconfused about even the most basic information. The problem was
\nillustrated dramatically on October 17, 2006, when the New York
\nTimes featured an op-ed article by Jeff Stein titled, \u201cCan You Tell a
\nSunni from a Shi\u2019ite?\u201d Stein spent several months interviewing top
\ncounterterrorism officials in Washington, D.C., and various congressional
\nleaders sitting on select intelligence committees. Five
\nvi Preface to the Revised Edition
\nyears after the September 11 attacks and well into the fourth year of
\nthe war in Iraq, most \u201cleaders\u201d in the unfolding \u201cwar on terrorism\u201d
\nwere flummoxed by the most basic questions about Islam and distinctions
\nbetween the major Sunni and Shi\u2019ite branches\u2014both in
\ngeneral and as they relate to highly visible and sometimes violent
\ngroups with political agendas.
\nHaving spent a great deal of time in Washington over the past
\nquarter century, I was not at all surprised by Stein\u2019s sobering revelation.
\nAlthough we might expect or hope that government and political
\nleaders would be exceedingly well informed about such vital
\nmatters, they often simply mirror the larger society. After more than
\nfive hundred media interviews and several hundred question-andanswer
\nsessions following lectures or panel discussions during the
\npast five years, I know that many people continue to operate with
\nwhat might be called detailed ignorance. They have many pieces of
\ninformation in mind but often fail to place them within any coherent
\nframe of reference for understanding and interpreting that
\ninformation.
\nWhen Religion Becomes Evil seeks to address this challenging problem.
\nIn addition to the main arguments supporting the five warning
\nsigns of religion becoming corrupted, the text provides a gentle introduction
\nto the critical study of comparative religion. The approach is
\nnot comprehensive. Rather, my goal is to offer an introduction to
\ncritical thinking and questions about the multifaceted phenomenon
\nwe call religion, the fundamental tenets of Islam, diverse and converging
\nunderstandings of God, the challenge of conflicting truth claims
\nin religion, the universal imperative to work diligently for a better,
\nmore just, and peaceful society, and so on. In response to consistent,
\npositive feedback, this revised edition strengthens these dimensions
\nof the book and makes the resources more easily accessible to individuals,
\nclasses, and study groups by including a reader\u2019s guide, a brief
\nglossary, and an index.
\nWhile the international spotlight continues to focus on turbulent
\ndevelopments in many lands where Islam is the dominant religion,
\nPreface to the Revised Edition vii
\nthe warning signs and examples apply directly to Christianity and
\nother religions as well. Many who communicated with me or published
\nreviews of the book underscored the connections in their local
\nsettings. Even a casual reading of newspaper headlines makes clear
\nthe pervasive\u2014and often pernicious\u2014role of religion in shaping key
\nelements of the U.S. political scene. In the United States, as is the case
\naround the world, religion continues to inspire people to their highest
\nand noblest best. Sadly, religion can and too often is also used as
\nthe justification for violent and destructive behavior among individuals
\nas well as in local and national political processes. Again, examples
\nare as close as the front page of the daily newspaper.
\nSince this book first appeared, two other significant developments
\nrelated to our focus emerged: the death of Pope John Paul II
\nand subsequent election of Pope Benedict XVI, and the publication
\nof several books arguing that religion is the problem. The new edition
\nof this book addresses these dynamics directly.
\nIn April of 2005, after more than a quarter century, the Roman
\nCatholic Church elected a new pontiff. During the first years of his
\npapacy, Pope Benedict XVI has often been substantially less inclusive
\nthan his predecessor, John Paul II. Benedict XVI\u2019s public statements
\nabout Islam and the singular, unique path of Catholicism
\nhave frequently stirred controversy and provoked strong reactions
\nboth within and beyond the walls of the Catholic Church. His public
\npronouncements and writings, widely perceived as more narrow
\nand less ecumenical than the Vatican II theology embraced by John
\nPaul II, have surfaced amid the ongoing clergy sexual abuse scandal
\nand emotionally charged demonstrations by Muslims in Denmark,
\nGreat Britain, France, and other lands. As the most visible leader of
\nthe world\u2019s largest religion, Pope Benedict XVI has a substantial
\nimpact on the efforts of all people of faith and goodwill who seek to
\nfind constructive ways forward in our increasingly diverse and
\ninterdependent world community.
\nIn the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, attacks in New York
\nand Washington, D.C., a number of books have engaged converging
\nviii Preface to the Revised Edition
\nissues of religion, politics, and violence in different ways. Among
\nthese, several best-selling books have argued forcefully that religion
\nis the problem. Given the destructive and frequently irrational
\nmanifestations of religion today, these views are certainly understandable.
\nThe most notable of the popular \u201cevangelical atheism\u201d
\nbooks are Christopher Hitchens\u2019s God Is Not Great: How Religion
\nPoisons Everything (2007); Richard Dawkins\u2019s The God Delusion
\n(2006); and Sam Harris\u2019s The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the
\nFuture of Reason (2004) and Letter to a Christian Nation (2006). In
\nchapter 1 of this revised edition (\u201cIs Religion the Problem?\u201d), the
\nmerits and limitations of these books are examined.
\nAs every author knows well, the process of bringing a book to
\nprint requires the talents of many people. In addition to those
\nnamed in the introduction, I would like to acknowledge three other
\ncolleagues who provided extensive feedback and constructive suggestions
\nfor the revised text: Helen Lee Turner, Christopher Chapman,
\nand Charlie Notess. Kris Ashley and Julia Roller at HarperOne have
\nbeen invaluable in the preparation of this project. Working closely
\nwith Stephen Hanselman and Roger Freet on both the first and
\nrevised editions of this book has been a great pleasure. Though their
\nroles have changed in our work together\u2014Steve is now a literary
\nagent and Roger a senior editor at HarperOne\u2014I could not hope for
\nmore thoughtful, insightful, and supportive professional colleagues.
\nAllow me to also express deep appreciation to four mentors and
\nfriends who have died in the past five years: the Reverend William
\nSloane Coffin, Rabbi Arthur Hertzberg, Rabbi Balfour Brickner,
\nand Professor Edward Said. Their lifelong work, personal affirmation,
\nand constructive feedback contributed substantially to the first
\nand this revised edition of the book.
\nCharles Kimball
\nWake Forest University
\nWinston-Salem, North Carolina
\nJanuary 2008
\nINTRODUCTION
\nReligion is arguably the most powerful and pervasive force on
\nearth. Throughout history religious ideas and commitments
\nhave inspired individuals and communities of faith to transcend
\nnarrow self-interest in pursuit of higher values and truths. The
\nrecord of history shows that noble acts of love, self-sacrifice, and
\nservice to others are frequently rooted in deeply held religious
\nworldviews. At the same time, history clearly shows that religion has
\noften been linked directly to the worst examples of human behavior.
\nIt is somewhat trite, but nevertheless sadly true, to say that more
\nwars have been waged, more people killed, and these days more evil
\nperpetrated in the name of religion than by any other institutional
\nforce in human history.
\nQuestions about why people do bad things\u2014sometimes unspeakably
\nevil things\u2014in the name of religion are not new, of course.
\nTheologians and philosophers have long wrestled with questions
\nabout the sources and manifestations of individual and corporate
\nevil. Satisfactory answers to such perennial questions are neither
\nstraightforward nor easy. But the questions have taken on a singular
\nurgency at the dawn of this new millennium.
\nThe dangers posed by people and groups inspired by or operating
\nunder the guise of religion have never been clearer. The tragic
\n2 Introduction
\nevents of September 11, 2001, underscore the point. We may never
\nknow with certainty what was in the hearts and minds of the nineteen
\nmen who hijacked the four planes that changed the world that
\nday. But this much is clear: several key leaders among the hijackers
\nand the al-qaida (\u201cthe base\u201d) network supporting them were
\ninspired and motivated by a particular understanding of Islam. The
\nfive-page, handwritten letter left by ringleader Muhammad Atta
\nrevealed a religious worldview seeking to justify the behavior. The
\nmeticulous planning and preparation were set in a wider framework
\nas he and his cohorts prepared \u201cto meet God.\u201d1 Similarly,
\nOsama bin Laden\u2019s widely publicized Jihad Manual and his various
\ntaped messages following the attacks on the World Trade Center
\nand the Pentagon were laced with religious language and imagery
\ndesigned to motivate his followers.
\nMuslim leaders who clearly wanted no association with the
\ndespicable acts of violence publicly reiterated that Islam is a religion
\nof peace. They denounced the terrorists\u2019 behavior and supporting
\ninterpretations of Islam as false and illegitimate. President Bush
\nechoed a similar message repeatedly during the days and weeks
\nafter the attacks: \u201cWe have no quarrel with Islam, which is a good
\nand peaceful religion.\u201d2
\nOther images of Islam further confused the picture. Osama bin
\nLaden and his network had strong supporters not only among
\nMuslims in Afghanistan, but also in Pakistan, Indonesia, Egypt,
\nSaudi Arabia, and elsewhere. A number of columnists and highly
\nvisible Christian leaders in the United States also seized the media
\nspotlight in order to proclaim their particular message about
\n\u201ctrue\u201d Islam. Some spoke about Islam, the world\u2019s second largest
\nreligious tradition, as somehow inherently violent and menacing.
\nTo bolster the argument, writers and popular preachers frequently
\nhighlighted selected passages from the Qur\u2019an to \u201cprove\u201d a particular
\npoint.3
\nAs a longtime student of Islam, the Middle East, and the interaction
\nof religion and politics, I was drawn deeply into the swirl of
\nIntroduction 3
\nactivities following the attacks and the subsequent \u201cwar on terrorism.\u201d
\nJudging from the hundreds of questions I fielded during many
\nnational and international media interviews and dozens of speaking
\nengagements\u2014in university, corporate, and church-related settings\u2014
\nmost people remained confused about Islam and the forces
\nat work in many predominantly Muslim countries. Who were these
\nhijackers? What is the meaning of jihad? Why do people call Islam a
\nreligion of peace? How many other \u201csleepers\u201d might there be in the
\nUnited States? Canada? Europe? Who and where are the estimated
\nthousands of al-Qaida operatives? How can we make sense of the
\nIslamic connections in the midst of volatile political, economic,
\nmilitary, social, and cultural dynamics? In the first seven years following
\nthe 9\/11 attacks, these and other questions gained more
\nurgency as Osama bin Laden and his cohort, Ayman al-Zawahiri,
\ncontinued to release taped messages, and different groups claiming
\naffiliation with al-Qaida were linked to terrorist attacks in Spain,
\nGreat Britain, Indonesia, and elsewhere.
\nThe media focus was as intense as it has been on anything in
\nrecent memory. But this event was unlike the Iranian hostage crisis
\ntwo decades earlier or the Gulf War of 1991. This time the conflict
\nwas not \u201cover there.\u201d The television images were not those of locked
\nembassy gates in Tehran or chanting demonstrators or night bombing
\nraids on Baghdad. The devastating pictures from New York and
\njust outside Washington, D.C., were all too close and real. Americans
\nfelt vulnerable to powerful forces they did not really understand
\nand could not easily control.
\nIndiscriminate violence against innocent people occurs with
\nnumbing frequency. But the events of September 11 were not the
\nresult of a disgruntled postal worker or a serial killer or angry and
\nconfused adolescents in high school. The attacks were carefully
\nplanned and skillfully executed by seemingly intelligent people
\nwhose level of commitment to their cause included suicidal selfsacrifice.
\nThey intentionally blended in with mainstream society as
\npart of a larger plan. They cleverly used the rules in place\u2014those
\n4 Introduction
\ndealing with the detection of airplane hijackers\u2014to accomplish
\ntheir mission with three of the four commercial airliners.
\nThe world most U.S. citizens\u2014and Canadians and Australians
\nand many in Western Europe\u2014thought they knew changed on
\nSeptember 11, 2001. We had crossed the Rubicon and there was no
\nturning back. Daily life for the foreseeable future would be different.
\nActivities as mundane as opening one\u2019s mail, boarding a commercial
\nairplane, or even attending a major sporting event were no
\nlonger so simple or routine.
\nThe challenges posed by religious diversity combined with the
\ninescapable fact of global interdependence are now as clear as the
\nSeptember sky over New York that fateful day. Political and economic
\ninstability and changing cultural values are readily evident
\nboth in our society and in the world community. Combine these
\ningredients with narrow religious worldviews and the violent patterns
\nof behavior too often manifest in human history, and you have
\na highly volatile mix. And, we now know with certainty that there
\nare many potential weapons of mass destruction and that it doesn\u2019t
\ntake many people to wreak havoc on a global scale.
\nReligious ideologies and commitments are indisputably central
\nfactors in the escalation of violence and evil around the world. The
\nevidence is readily available in the headlines of our daily newspapers:
\n\u201cHindus and Muslims on the Brink of War in Kashmir\u201d; \u201cSerbian
\nChristians Stand Trial for Atrocities Against Bosnian
\nMuslims\u201d; \u201cPalestinians Killed by Jewish Settlers in the Occupied
\nTerritories\u201d; \u201cSuicide Bomber Kills Eighty in Attack on Shi\u2019ite
\nMosque in Iraq\u201d; \u201cDeath Toll Rises in Bombing at Jerusalem Pizza
\nParlor\u201d; \u201cMuslim Militant Kills Twenty with Suicide Bomb at
\nJerusalem Pizza Parlor\u201d; \u201cMurder Trial Begins for Fundamentalist
\nChristian Minister in Abortion Doctor Case.\u201d And the list goes on.
\nWhere does the problem reside? Some suggest that religion itself
\nis the problem, arguing that religious worldviews are anachronistic.
\nReligion, in this view, is irrelevant at best. It may be inherently divisive
\nand destructive. Don\u2019t conflicting truth claims inevitably lead
\nIntroduction 5
\nto conflict? Many people embrace this perspective in our age of
\ndisbelief. It has obvious implications not only for human selfunderstanding,
\nbut also for corporate life in the public square.
\nWhatever one\u2019s personal outlook, it is crucial that we recognize the
\ncentrality of religion and try to think clearly and discuss thoughtfully
\nthe various ways religious faith and commitments interact
\nwith our society and our world. To say that religion is the problem
\nmay capture part of the truth, but it is ultimately an unhelpful
\nresponse to a host of urgent and troublesome issues\u2014from
\nwrestling with ethical questions about the beginning or end of life,
\nstem cell research, and therapeutic cloning to finding appropriate
\nexpressions of religion at the often-difficult boundary between religion
\nand public life.
\nAt the other end of the spectrum, devout adherents of particular
\ntraditions offer unambiguous answers. They understand their particular
\nvision of Christianity or Islam or even Buddhism as the
\n\u201ctrue\u201d way; everything else, by definition, is false. Popular Christian
\nversions of this orientation are as close as your television remote
\ncontrol. Tune in religious broadcasting for an hour\u2014anytime, day
\nor night\u2014and you will get the point. Answers to all one\u2019s personal,
\nfinancial, and physical problems are neatly packaged and readily
\navailable. Viewers are encouraged to express their appreciation for
\nthe particular ministry on the air by sending in a \u201clove offering.\u201d It
\nis highly probable that a rigid theology of exclusivism will be woven
\ninto the rhetoric of whatever program you happen to tune in. Different
\nreligions and virtually every conceivable form of evil and suffering
\nwill be linked simplistically with satanic forces.
\nSurely, a more nuanced response is needed. A clearer understanding
\nof the nature and reality of human religiosity helps us
\nembrace the tasks ahead more cogently. Is religion itself the problem?
\nNo . . . and yes. Within the religious traditions that have stood
\nthe test of time, one finds the life-affirming faith that has sustained
\nand provided meaning for millions over the centuries. At the same
\ntime, we can identify the corrupting influences that lead toward evil
\n6 Introduction
\nand violence in all religious traditions. The first chapter of this book
\nexplores the nature and importance of religion in the ideal as well as
\na less-than-ideal lived reality.
\nMy approach includes scholarly, experiential, and personal
\ndimensions. On one level, my method is that of a comparative historian
\nof religion. A comparative approach has many benefits. It
\nhelps us see the structures, patterns, and tendencies that various
\nreligious traditions share. It helps us see what is attractive, what
\nprovides meaning and hope for people in different times and places.
\nIt also exposes shared tendencies and common pitfalls. In daily discourse,
\nmost people tend to think and talk about their own religion
\nin terms of its ideals. At the same time, often unconsciously, they
\noften characterize other religious systems in terms of poorly understood
\nteachings and the visibly flawed behavior of adherents. A
\ncomparative approach exposes such disjunctures and enables us to
\nsee religion as a broader, human, phenomenon.
\nIn the central portion of this book I examine five major warning
\nsigns of human corruption of religion. When one finds one or more
\nof these dynamics at work, history suggests that serious trouble
\nlurks just ahead. The inclination toward these corruptions is strong
\nin the major religions. At the same time, I suggest that helpful correctives
\nare found within the religious traditions themselves.
\nThe focus for this study centers on Christianity and Islam for two
\ndistinct reasons. First, these are the two largest religious communities
\nin the world, with some 1.8 billion and 1.3 billion adherents,
\nrespectively.4 Together, Christians and Muslims make up almost onehalf
\nof the world\u2019s population. Both religious traditions are global in
\nscope. And both engage with political structures more readily than
\ndo other major religions. Contemporary developments in Israel also
\nfigure prominently into this volatile mix. Thus, the interactions
\nbetween and among the various descendants of Abraham represent
\nmany of the most dangerous flashpoints on the planet.
\nSecond, a strong missionary impulse is central for both Christianity
\nand Islam. Basing their position on a solid foundation of
\nIntroduction 7
\nmonotheism, Muslims and Christians frequently have advocated a
\nnarrow exclusivism. Ironically, these central tenets often feed attitudes
\nand actions that are diametrically opposed to the heart of the
\nreligion being espoused. Christians and Muslims are certainly not
\nalone in this regard. Similar dynamics among Jews, Hindus, Buddhists,
\nand others will be highlighted also.
\nThe examples included in the book are selective, not exhaustive.
\nAt various points, I offer explanatory notes and bibliographical references
\nfor those who wish to go further or deeper. Although it
\nshould be clear, it is worth stating emphatically at the outset what I
\nam not saying. I am not calling the different movements, groups,
\nand individuals discussed here evil. Instead, I am pointing to warning
\nsigns that alert us to the potential for evil behavior. When one or
\nmore of the warning signs discussed here are in place, it is all too
\neasy for sincere people and well-intentioned religious groups to
\nharbor destructive attitudes and justify deplorable actions based on
\nwhat is deemed essential to their life of faith. Being sincere doesn\u2019t
\nexempt people or groups from critical scrutiny.
\nSome examples illustrating the warning signs are unambiguous
\nand straightforward; some are rooted in more subtle attitudes and
\nactions that, when examined, have far-reaching ramifications. Getting
\nat the dangerous dynamics requires critical analysis of issues
\nthat lie at the very heart of religion, such as the nature of religious
\ntruth, the authority of sacred texts, and the pursuit of the missionary
\nimpulse. There is room for considerable disagreement and
\ndebate on these and other matters discussed throughout the book.
\nAlthough many of us have been taught it is not polite to discuss religion
\nand politics in public, we must quickly unlearn that lesson.
\nOur collective failure to challenge presuppositions, think anew, and
\nopenly debate central religious concerns affecting society is a recipe
\nfor disaster. We\u2019d better take a few steps back and consider how we
\ngot where we are before simply pushing forward. As a wise friend
\nonce put it, \u201cWhen you are standing on the edge of a cliff, progress
\nis not defined as one step forward!\u201d
\n8 Introduction
\nUnderstanding the factors that can and do lead people of faith
\nand goodwill\u2014wittingly or unwittingly\u2014into destructive and evil
\npatterns of behavior must be a high priority on the world\u2019s agenda.
\nDistinguishing between corrupt forms of religious expression and
\nauthentic, life-affirming forms is essential if we hope to reduce the
\nglobal threat. At one level, the concern here is pragmatic. We simply
\nmust find better ways to share the planet with people whose
\nworldviews and ultimate commitments differ from ours. The challenge
\npertains across the lines of the religious traditions, but it
\nrelates also to the great diversity within the traditions themselves.
\nThe urgency here cannot be overstated. Several recent influential
\nbooks have helped to focus discussion on the powerful and dangerous
\ndynamics of globalism in a world in which local communal and
\nsectarian roots remain very deep. These include Thomas Friedman\u2019s
\naward-winning books, The Lexus and the Olive Tree and The World
\nIs Flat; Benjamin Barber\u2019s important book, Jihad vs. McWorld: How
\nGlobalism and Tribalism Are Reshaping the World; and the provocative
\nbook by Samuel Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations and the
\nRemaking of World Order.
\nThe issues are local as well as global. Our society increasingly mirrors
\nthe larger world community. For almost two decades, religion
\nscholar Diana Eck has been studying and documenting the changing
\nreligious landscape in the United States. Working with some eighty
\ngraduate students at Harvard University in \u201cThe Pluralism Project,\u201d
\nEck has arrived at stunning results. At the beginning of the new millennium,
\nthe United States is the most religiously diverse nation in
\nthe world. There is simply no doubt: Main Street has changed. Islam
\nis now or soon will pass Judaism as the second largest religion in the
\nUnited States. There are more Muslims in America than there are
\nPresbyterians and Episcopalians combined. Los Angeles is the most
\ncomplex Buddhist city in the world.5
\nI hope this book can help us coexist at a pragmatic level. But I
\nbelieve something more is needed. If we are to live long into the new
\nmillennium, our diverse, interdependent society and world demand
\nIntroduction 9
\nnew paradigms, new ways of understanding particularity and pluralism.
\nMany traditional ways of viewing the world and relating to
\nothers are, at the very least, inadequate. They are becoming increasingly
\ndangerous. I am convinced that it is possible to be a person of
\nfaith with integrity\u2014a Christian, a Hindu, a Jew, a Muslim, a Buddhist\u2014
\nand at the same time recognize that one\u2019s own experience of
\nGod does not exhaust all the possibilities. A constructive outlook of
\nreligious pluralism can take us beyond simple tolerance of others; it
\ncan provide a framework for celebrating diversity and embracing it
\nas a source of strength. Rather than being necessarily divisive, religious
\ntraditions can provide models for tolerance and cooperation.
\nThe last portion of this book discusses these issues directly, inviting
\nus to explore new ways of thinking about ourselves and of engaging
\nwith others as we move forward into an uncertain future.
\nIn the pages that follow, readers will observe that I wear more
\nthan one hat. I am a scholar and a religious professional. My doctorate
\nis in the history of religion (comparative religion) with specialization
\nin Islam, the Middle East, and Jewish-Christian-Muslim
\nrelations. I am also an ordained Baptist minister. Much of my study
\nand work during the past twenty-five years has taken place at the
\nintersection of religion and politics. Far from being impartial or
\ndispassionate, I am deeply and personally connected with the subject
\nmatter presented in the pages that follow. A brief overview outlining
\nmy background will help both to clarify my orientation and
\nto set the context for this book.
\nMy paternal grandfather was one of nine children in a Jewish
\nfamily that emigrated from the Poland-Russia border in the 1880s.
\nIt is a long and colorful story. Like many Jewish immigrants,
\nthrough hard work and education many family members improved
\ntheir status over a generation. My grandfather and one of his brothers
\nwere instrumental in this process. Beginning on the street corners
\nof Boston, they turned their song, dance, and comedy routine
\ninto a highly successful career in vaudeville. The brothers shared
\ntheir economic success generously with the extended family. At the
\n10 Introduction
\nheight of his career, Grandpa met and married a Presbyterian chorus
\ngirl in the vaudeville show. He remained Jewish; she remained
\nPresbyterian. Their four children\u2014my father and his three brothers\u2014
\nall became Christians.
\nMy grandfather was the most wonderful person I knew. My
\nbrother, sisters, and I were raised with a very positive understanding
\nof Judaism. We were imbued with the notion that it was good to be
\nJewish. Growing up in Oklahoma, I discovered at an early age that
\nmany people did not share this view of Judaism. Although the Jewish
\npopulation in Tulsa was relatively small, I vividly recall hearing
\nand reacting strongly to derogatory comments uttered casually
\nabout Jews. As in most American communities in the 1950s, Protestants
\nand Roman Catholics were clearly divided. Protestants commonly
\nvoiced exclusive claims to truth. Many of my Baptist or
\nChurch of Christ friends, for instance, were convinced that the
\nMethodists, Presbyterians, and Episcopalians were in grave danger
\nof missing the true gospel of Christ. Catholics were not even on the
\nmap in their view. They spoke about \u201cChristians\u201d and \u201cCatholics\u201d
\nas though these were entirely different categories. I was ten years old
\nwhen these issues played out on the national scene as the Catholicism
\nof John F. Kennedy raised serious concern among Protestants
\nduring the 1960 presidential campaign.
\nWhile debates between and among Christians of different
\ndenominational backgrounds never struck me as of ultimate consequence,
\nI was troubled deeply by people who made disparaging
\ncomments about Jews. As a child, I interpreted these as direct
\nridicule of my grandfather and the extended family. It was clear that
\nsuch comments were rooted in ignorance and prejudice (I didn\u2019t
\nknow the term anti-Semitism at the time), for they contradicted my
\nexperience of and relationships within my family.
\nDuring high school and college, I became deeply involved in
\nchurch and church-related organizations. At the same time, I
\nbegan an academic study of religion through an undergraduate
\nminor at Oklahoma State. I was both puzzled and intrigued by the
\nIntroduction 11
\nrelationship between Christian truth claims and the truth claims
\nof others. Three years at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
\nin Louisville, Kentucky, provided rich opportunities to pursue
\nthe study of world religions and the theological questions
\nrelated to Christian faith in a religiously plural world. I was fortunate
\nto have excellent faculty mentors throughout college and
\nseminary. At each step along the journey, people challenged,
\nencouraged, and nurtured the focus of my study and theological
\nreflection.
\nIn 1975 I began doctoral study at Harvard. In addition to enjoying
\nthe vast resources of the university, doctoral students in comparative
\nreligion at that time had the unique opportunity to live in
\nthe Center for the Study of World Religions. This setting fostered
\ndaily interactions with other doctoral students of various religious
\nbackgrounds, Harvard faculty, and visiting scholars from all over
\nthe world. It was a stimulating and congenial context in which to
\nexplore issues of particularity and pluralism. As a part of my studies,
\nmy wife, Nancy, and I spent the 1977\u201378 academic year studying
\nin Cairo and traveling in Egypt, Jordan, Syria, and Israel\/
\nPalestine. It was a fascinating time to be in the Middle East. We were
\nliving in Cairo when Anwar Sadat stunned the world with his surprise
\ntrip to Jerusalem in October 1977. We learned a great deal living
\nand traveling in the Middle East, as reactions to Sadat\u2019s initiative
\nreverberated throughout the region and the U.S.-brokered peace
\nprocess between Egypt and Israel began in earnest.
\nTwo years later another dramatic international event captured
\nthe attention of the world media: student militants seized the U.S.
\nembassy compound in Tehran and held fifty-three Americans
\nhostage. From the outset of what would become a 444-day ordeal,
\nthe Iranian government indicated its willingness to meet with representatives
\nof the religious community rather than U.S. government
\nofficials. Through an unusual series of events, I was one of
\nseven people invited to Iran in December 1979. Since I was one of
\ntwo clergy in the group who had studied the Qur\u2019an and the Islamic
\n12 Introduction
\nreligious tradition, Iranian religious and political leaders received
\nme warmly.
\nOn two other occasions (in 1980 and 1981), my colleague, John
\nWalsh, and I were invited back to Iran to help facilitate communication
\nwhere little was taking place. These efforts attracted considerable
\nattention in the international media since we were among the
\nonly Americans involved in personal meetings with Ayatollah
\nKhomeini and other leading ayatollahs, then-President Bani Sadr,
\nAli Akbar Hashemi ar-Rafsanjani, the speaker of the parliament, the
\nforeign minister, and many other political and religious leaders. On
\neach trip we spent several hours meeting with the student militants
\noccupying the U.S. embassy compound. Between December 1979
\nand the middle of 1981, I took a leave of absence from dissertation
\nwork in order to concentrate on issues surrounding the hostage
\nconflict. In addition to the intense experiences during two of those
\neighteen months, I wrote a number of background and op-ed articles
\nfor major publications, appeared frequently on national and
\nlocal television and radio programs, and traveled throughout the
\ncountry lecturing in colleges, universities, seminaries, conferences,
\nchurches, and synagogues.
\nIn 1982 I began work as the director of interfaith programs for
\nthe Fellowship of Reconciliation, an international organization
\ncommitted to nonviolent conflict resolution. Two years later I
\nassumed responsibilities as director for the Middle East office at the
\nNational Council of Churches (NCC). I served in that position for
\nseven years. My work with and on behalf of the major denominations
\n(Methodists, Presbyterians, Lutherans, Episcopalians, Disciples,
\nvarious Baptist and Orthodox churches) required extensive
\ninternational and domestic travel. It involved working in war zones
\nand refugee camps as well as meeting with heads of state, diplomats,
\nreligious leaders, activists, academics, and journalists on a regular
\nbasis. The churches\u2019 work in the Middle East included mission and
\nservice programs (carried out cooperatively with the indigenous
\npopulations) as well as education and public policy initiatives in the
\nIntroduction 13
\nUnited States. During the past twenty-five years I have traveled to
\nvarious parts of the Middle East more than thirty-five times.
\nFrom 1990 to the present I have been working in a university setting.
\nMy research, teaching, and writing continue to focus on the
\nstudy of world religions and their interactions. I understand my
\nwork in the university, with churches and other religious groups,
\nand in the wider community as part of a larger vocation. My ideas
\nand activities have been challenged and refined by personal, academic,
\nand experiential factors during the past three decades. Like
\neveryone else, I am subjective. I try always to understand and be
\nresponsive to the various ways I am subjective as a person of faith, a
\nstudent of religion, and one who is committed to fostering understanding
\nand cooperation among people who share this fragile
\nplanet.
\nIn 1959 Wilfred Cantwell Smith, a monumental figure in Islamic
\nstudies and the comparative study of religion, summarized the
\ntrends in scholarly circles and looked forward to the next phases:
\nThe traditional form of Western scholarship in the study of
\nother [religious traditions] was that of an impersonal presentation
\nof an \u201cit.\u201d The first great innovation in recent times has
\nbeen the personalization of the faiths observed, so that one
\nfinds a discussion of a \u201cthey.\u201d Presently the observer becomes
\npersonally involved, to that the situation is one of a \u201cwe\u201d talking
\nabout a \u201cthey.\u201d The next step is a dialogue where \u201cwe\u201d talk
\nto \u201cyou.\u201d If there is listening and mutuality, this may become
\nthat \u201cwe\u201d talk with \u201cyou.\u201d The culmination of the process is
\nwhen \u201cwe all\u201d are talking with each other about \u201cus.\u201d6
\nWe live in a dangerous world in which many people talk of a
\n\u201cwe\u201d and a \u201cthey.\u201d Religion is at the heart of what matters most to
\nthe vast majority who inhabit this planet. It is my hope that this
\nbook will stimulate discussion and facilitate the processes whereby
\nwe are all talking more constructively with each other about \u201cus.\u201d
\nOne
\nIS RELIGION THE PROBLEM?
\nReligion is a central feature of human life. We all see many indications
\nof it every day, and we all know it when we see it. But
\nreligion is surprisingly difficult to define adequately. To illustrate
\nthe complex, multidimensional nature of religion, I sometimes present
\nstudents in my Introduction to Religion course with the following
\nassignment on the first day of class: \u201cTake the next few
\nminutes and write a brief definition for religion.\u201d What happens
\nnext is predictable. After excitedly removing paper from a backpack
\nor notebook and placing pen in hand, the confident facial expressions
\nbegin to give way to awkward puzzlement. Some smile nervously;
\nmany avoid eye contact. Clearly, these bright students know
\nwhat religion is. Many seem to be embarrassed by their inability to
\narticulate a cogent definition.
\nThe Problem of Definitions and the Limits
\nof Our Perspectives
\nThe problem of defining religion is a good point of departure for
\nthis book as well. The word religion evokes a wide variety of images,
\nideas, practices, beliefs, and experiences\u2014some positive and some
\nnegative. Putting these disparate elements into a coherent frame of
\n16 when religion becomes evil
\nreference is no small task. It takes some effort. It forces us to step
\nback and reflect on our presuppositions. Most people, for instance,
\nassume that religion involves human thinking about or engagement
\nwith God, gods, or some less personal understanding of ultimate
\nreality. They might well envision individual or communal responses
\nto the transcendent, such as prayer, worship services, rituals, moral
\ncodes, and so on. Some people naturally think immediately of the
\nlife and teachings of Jesus or the Buddha when they think of religion;
\nothers might picture the pope or Billy Graham or Mother
\nTeresa in their mind\u2019s eye. To complicate the picture further, personal
\nexperiences factor in as well. An individual may think of her
\nconfirmation or his bar mitzvah. If she or he has had some negative
\npersonal history with \u201corganized\u201d religion, then that, too, will
\nsurely figure prominently into the presuppositions.
\nThe word religion also conjures up images of destructive or even
\ncruel behavior. Assumptions about religion now include violent
\nactions rooted in intolerance or abuse of power. During the year
\nfollowing the attacks on New York and the Pentagon, Americans
\nwere inundated with media images of Islamic suicide bombers,
\nHindu fanatics attacking Muslims (and vice versa) in Northern
\nIndia, and Christian clergy being arrested and escorted to jail on
\ncharges of criminal sexual misconduct.
\nMany of our current associations with religion are changing, in
\npart because our vantage point is significantly different from that of
\nthe generations before us. Although the world has always been religiously
\ndiverse, we have a much more conscious awareness of religious
\npluralism today. Unlike a nineteenth-century Christian living
\nin Europe or the United States, who may only have heard or read
\nabout people called Jews, Muslims, and Buddhists, a twenty-firstcentury
\nWestern Christian experiences their presence through
\nsocial interaction and television images that pour in daily. Put
\nanother way, Rudyard Kipling\u2019s famous line \u201cEast is East and West is
\nWest and never the twain shall meet\u201d may have made sense in the
\nnineteenth century but not today. North and South have joined East
\nIs Religion the Problem? 17
\nand West in a system of globalization Kipling could not have imagined.
\nWhether or not we have wrestled consciously with issues of particularity
\nand pluralism, at some level we are aware that religion is a
\ncomplex component of human life. We know that religion encompasses
\nmuch more than our own particular tradition or personal
\nexperience. Like the students in Religion 101, most of us have many
\nideas and images about religion. Some come from experience; some
\ncome from personal observation or media images; some ideas have
\nbeen passed on culturally in subtle and not-so-subtle ways. Putting
\nthe diverse elements into a broader framework for understanding,
\nhowever, turns out to be more challenging than most people expect.
\nMany of us don\u2019t make a concerted effort until we feel the need to
\ndo so. Frequently, we operate instead with a kind of \u201cdetailed ignorance\u201d
\nabout religion.
\nThe field of economics provides a good analogy for our understanding
\nof religion and its role in the world. Many of us know a fair
\nbit about economic realities. We invest enough time and energy,
\nhopefully, to avoid making poor economic decisions about homes,
\ninvestments, and retirement plans. Few of us have PhDs in economics,
\nhowever. Few of us are able to make sense of the daily
\nonslaught of economic numbers and at the same time place those in
\na larger, global, economic context. When something destabilizing
\noccurs, it may force us to look again at how we have allocated our
\nretirement funds or whether it is wise to buy a new house or car in a
\nvolatile market. Uncertainty exposes the gaps in our understanding,
\nand so we tend to pay more attention, to ask more questions, to
\nthink more broadly about the economic realm and how it affects us
\npersonally. We may not become experts, but many of us will certainly
\nmake a concerted effort to learn enough about the details and
\nthe bigger picture so we don\u2019t make costly decisions unwittingly.
\nWorld events at the outset of the new millennium provide an
\nimpetus to take a step back and think more broadly about religion
\nand the turbulent forces connected with religion in our world.
\n18 when religion becomes evil
\nRegardless of one\u2019s personal views about religion, the comparative
\nstudy of religion offers an effective way to tackle the problem of
\ndetailed ignorance.
\nHelp from the Comparative Study
\nof Religion
\nA common method for understanding world religions involves a
\nfair-minded, descriptive approach. Gathering data and organizing
\nthe fact<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
PREFACE TO THE REVISED EDITION Multiple events have shaped the global landscape since the publication of When Religion Becomes Evil in 2002. It would not be an overstatement to say that we have been bombarded with numerous, interconnected, and often conflicting images on issues at the heart of this book. The role of many groups … <\/p>\n