Religion and Violence

3 Credits · Level: Graduate

Religious traditions have a long and conflicted history of endorsing or opposing the use of violence. This course will explore various ways in which issues relating to violence challenge religious traditions, with particular attention to the North American context. The course will begin with Vine Deloria’s critique of Christian treatment of American Indians and his retrieval of Native religious values in response. It will continue with M. Shawn Copeland’s womanist reflection on African American experiences of racism and enslavement in relation to Christian faith. It will study Jonathan A.C. Brown’s reflections on the history of Islamic thought and practice regarding slavery and Anantanand Rambachan’s views of the Indian caste system in relation to Advaita values. The course will conclude with David Loy’s reflections on the current ecological crisis and his retrieval of Buddhist wisdom as “Ecodharma.”