Christianity and violence
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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The relationship between Christianity and violence is a subject of controversy because some have used or interpreted its teachings to justify violence, while others maintain that it promotes only peace, love, and compassion. Despite the example of Jesus, some institutions and individuals have acted violently and attempted to justify themselves through Christian writings.
Ira Chernus holds that the concept of nonviolence in the United States is rooted deeply in Christianity. Adding that "Christianity has continued to be the foundation of most nonviolent individuals and organizations" all through the 20th Century.
Heitman and Hagan identify the Inquisition, Crusades, Wars of Religion and antisemitism as being "among the most notorious examples of Christian violence". To this list, Mennonite theologian J. Denny Weaver adds, "warrior popes, support for capital punishment, corporal punishment under the guise of 'spare the rod and spoil the child,' justifications of slavery, world-wide colonialism in the name of conversion to Christianity, the systemic violence of women subjected to men." Charles Kimball, a professor and the author of When Religion Becomes Evil has stated that a strong case can be made that the history of Christianity contains considerably more violence and destruction than that of most other major religions. Diarmaid MacCulloch has also noted that for most of its existence, "Christianity has been the most intolerant of world faiths, doing its best to eliminate all qualified competitors, with Judaism being a qualified exception".
Miroslav Volf says that Christianity is intrinsically nonviolent, but has suffered from a "confusion of loyalties". He proposes that "rather than the character of the Christian faith itself, a better explanation of why Christian churches are either impotent in the face of violent conflicts or actively participate in them derives from the proclivities of its adherents which are at odds with the character of the Christian faith." He states that "(although) explicitly giving ultimate allegiance to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, many Christians in fact seem to have an overriding commitment to their respective cultures and ethnic groups."
See also
- Christianity and capital punishment
- Christians in the military
- Christofascism
- God's Army (revolutionary group)
- Iron Guard
- Islam and violence
- Islamic terrorism
- Jewish terrorism
- Lord's Resistance Army
- Moral absolutism
- Medieval inquisition
- Mormonism and violence
- National-Christian Defense League
- Religious hate groups
- Religious intolerance
- Religious terrorism
- Not peace, but a sword
