Rudaw
Washington, D.C. - In answering this question, people divide into three groups.
The first one argues that religion has always been a primary motivator for people to resort to violence. They say just look at history and you will find for yourself how most of the wars and conflicts-from the crusades to today’s Shia-Sunni strife- have either been about religion or blessed by it. For this group, a society without religion is a society with much less violence.
The second group offers an entirely different perspective. It argues religion has nothing to do why humans often resort to violence. That is part of the human nature, they say. People are greedy and selfish. Even if there were no religion, they would seek justification for their violent actions elsewhere. Hitler, Stalin and Saddam Hussein, who are known as the most destructive people of the modern era, were not religious fanatics- they were rather secular dictators.
The third group dismisses the question entirely arguing that there can never be a society without religion. Religion is as old as human community and any attempt at creating an entirely atheistic society is futile.
But with this as background, we are holding a debate today on whether the world will be more peaceful without religion.
The debaters are two highly respected experts on the subject: Nihad Awad Executive Director and Founder of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).
Jamila Bey is an African-American journalist and public speaker. She was host of a weekly radio program The Sex, Politics And Religion Hour. She ale writes for the Washington Post.
Namo Abdulla
The first one argues that religion has always been a primary motivator for people to resort to violence. They say just look at history and you will find for yourself how most of the wars and conflicts-from the crusades to today’s Shia-Sunni strife- have either been about religion or blessed by it. For this group, a society without religion is a society with much less violence.
The second group offers an entirely different perspective. It argues religion has nothing to do why humans often resort to violence. That is part of the human nature, they say. People are greedy and selfish. Even if there were no religion, they would seek justification for their violent actions elsewhere. Hitler, Stalin and Saddam Hussein, who are known as the most destructive people of the modern era, were not religious fanatics- they were rather secular dictators.
The third group dismisses the question entirely arguing that there can never be a society without religion. Religion is as old as human community and any attempt at creating an entirely atheistic society is futile.
But with this as background, we are holding a debate today on whether the world will be more peaceful without religion.
The debaters are two highly respected experts on the subject: Nihad Awad Executive Director and Founder of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).
Jamila Bey is an African-American journalist and public speaker. She was host of a weekly radio program The Sex, Politics And Religion Hour. She ale writes for the Washington Post.
Namo Abdulla
Comments
Rudaw moderates all comments submitted on our website. We welcome comments which are relevant to the article and encourage further discussion about the issues that matter to you. We also welcome constructive criticism about Rudaw.
To be approved for publication, however, your comments must meet our community guidelines.
We will not tolerate the following: profanity, threats, personal attacks, vulgarity, abuse (such as sexism, racism, homophobia or xenophobia), or commercial or personal promotion.
Comments that do not meet our guidelines will be rejected. Comments are not edited – they are either approved or rejected.
Post a comment