Conference Program
Thematic Description
Due to its inner structure and nature, each religion claims
that it has the absolute and universal vocation, which
sometimes causes and legitimizes conflicts. In historical
terms, some disputes between religious and secular powers
turned into war, for instance, the Thirty Years War
(1618-1648) which ended with the Peace of Westphalia in
Germany. Indeed, the relation of religion to war remains
ambiguous but has shaped the destiny of many peoples and
nations across the world. In late modernity, the causes of
war were often political, economic, colonial, territorial
etc., while religion was only an ideological ingredient of
various conflicts. Although religious authorities preached
peace, conflictual parties aimed to win at the risk of any
human cost. Representatives of various religions claim that
religion is often instrumentalized. Yet, common interests
and mutual agreements of assistance and legitimation between
political and religious powers still persist.
Over centuries religion has been a factor of division
between peoples and nations. This does not imply that all
other reasons, political, territorial, economic, etc., for
conflicts are excluded. For many, religion as an ideal
incentive is worth fighting and dying for. In fact, this
understanding of religion is not seen as faith in God, but
as religious belonging. As a nominalist function, such
religion is rather a marker of identity. This can be
observed in many conflicts between Christians and Muslims,
between Sunni and Shia, or between the two Orthodox nations
of Russia and Ukraine.
Despite many current efforts to equate peace and religion,
it seems that the two notions are incompatible and form an
oxymoron. Peace has many sides: political, legal, ethical,
and religious. Peace is possible only if all these elements
converge. Only when religion comes to peace, there could be
a lasting peace. That is why a distinction between the two
has to be made in order to understand what kind of role(s)
religion plays in a given war. The key question here is how
anyone feels entitled to kill in the name of God. Paul
Ricoeur thinks that the danger of violence is inseparable
from any strong convictions, of which religious belief is
one. If this is the case, violence itself must be addressed
and overcome. Hans Küng suggests embracing a world ethic
based upon the principle that every human being is and
should be treated as a human being before everything else in
a humane manner.
In 1989, in Central and Eastern Europe, in South Africa or
in the Philippines, major political and social changes took
place without bloodshed. This was possible because political
leaders among others opposed violence in the name of
religion. In this sense, religion is considered to have an
inner calling to non-violence. For instance, Christianity is
the religion of forgiveness and love of enemies; other
religions see themselves as religions of peace and goodwill
among human beings. However, why then peace is not
emphasized in the public speech of religion? Why many
religious spokespersons tend to encourage fundamentalism and
violent behavior? Why religious leaders are not open to
inter-religious dialogue?
This conference calls for a common reflection on issues
related to the issues of religion and peace in the framework
of an interdisciplinary, interconfessional and
interreligious dialogue. Together, it might be possible to
find some answers to the above questions and perhaps raise
new questions, walking side by side, as academics and as
persons, religious or nonreligious, on the path to peace.
The conference will be conducted in English and to be held
at the Faculty of Roman Catholic Theology, the University of
Bucharest.
Abstract
Please send an abstract (300 to 500 words) and a brief CV to
Adina Bălan [sradinacj@gmail.com] and [cua-rvp@cua.edu] by
March 30, 2023. Full paper will be due on May 20, 2023.
Well-developed papers will be published by the Council for
Research in Values and Philosophy in its publication series
“Cultural Heritage and Contemporary Change.”
Logistics
Conference participants will cover the costs of their own
travel, the conference organizer will provide coffee/tea,
meals during the conference, as well as information of
less expensive hotels near the conference location.
Contact
Adina Bălan
The Faculty of Roman Catholic Theology
University of Bucharest
Bucharest, România
Email: sradinacj@gmail.com
