We must now reassess role of religion in society

The terrorist attacks in France last week, as well as related attacks elsewhere, force us to engage in an often difficult conversation.

Almost all of these attacks are being conducted by people who are totally convinced about their divine mission, based on some religious teachings.

While today the religion that is in the spot is Islam, a review of conflicts globally reveals that people are fighting for all sorts of religious reasons.

In my view, we cannot reduce this large scale conflict by insisting that all religions are peaceful by definition every time an attack happens.

It is probably clear to religious leaders and enlightened practitioners of religion that whatever they teach is meant to build people and communities rather than destroy them.

They find inspiration in religious books that reinforce the message of growth and peaceful coexistence of all people, and dissociate themselves from any use of religious teachings to justify or provoke conflict.

AVERAGE RELIGIOUS PEOPLE LACK DISCERNMENT

Unfortunately, the average consumer of religious messages is not as discerning as the leaders or scholars.

He will read the holy book as an inerrant source of unadulterated guidance.

Where the holy book condemns a group or another religion, the average religious person will take it as gospel truth, and even act on it whenever the opportunity presents itself.

The assumption that the average religious person is able to discern what teachings to follow and which to ignore in their holy book has led to most of the ruling terrorist ideologies today.

This assumption flies in the face of the current realities, where even preachers and ministers of religion espouse some of the more violent ideologies in their holy books.

The leaders of “mainstream” sects and religions are often quick to disown these preachers whenever terrorist attacks happen, but they are shy to interrogate the underlying teachings responsible for these “extremist” beliefs and behaviours.

NOT ALL RELIGIONS ARE PEACEFULL

So, the assertion that all religions are intrinsically peaceful is patently incorrect.

Only certain religious leaders and adherents hold this view in most of the popular religions.

Religions that originated in the Middle East have holy books with common references to violence and exclusion of those that reject their teachings.

A plain reading of these books would leave one in a very labile frame of mind.

The supreme being referenced in these books is vengeful, and is said to hold grudges for several generations.

The average follower would feel obliged to implement the wishes of this being, and might have no qualms attacking “non-believers” either in words or in deed.

While vile and completely backward, these terrorist attacks ought to help us initiate this very important conversation about the role religious beliefs play in our society.

INTERPRETATIONS

Is there a “correct” interpretation of holy books? If there is, what does it have to say about violence and the position of “non-believers”?

How is the average adherent supposed to decide what to follow and what to ignore in the holy book?

Waiting for terrorist acts to disown the perpetrators as “not true believers” does not help us at all, and is in fact counterproductive.

We must be proactive, and involve religious leaders in identifying “mainstream” teachings which would then help security agencies in early detection of potential terror masterminds based on the teachings they espouse.

We ignore this approach at our own peril.

Atwoli is associate professor of psychiatry and dean, school of medicine, Moi University.