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  • Essay / Religion and Violence - 1089

    Conflict and violence surround us all over the world and the media has had a huge impact on what we think about violence and the relationship with religion, especially during the last two years. Furthermore, violence has been considered to be part of human nature and arises from our biological structure of aggression. It is a way for us to reduce stress levels and some believe it can be a means of revenge and a positive mechanism for human survival. For example, it is a system of survival of the fittest and reproduction. Another way to look at things from a different perspective is how religious beliefs use non-violent mechanisms that attempt to lessen the impacts of aggressive behaviors. When we think of religion and violence, we don't think of placing them together. Indeed, “theologically, we can certainly conclude that all religions have peace as their objective.” People outside a religious tradition can make many generalizations. In this essay, we will explain why some religious traditions in Southeast Asia oppose violence. Additionally, the rejection of violence has shaped and changed religious practices within Jainism, Hinduism, and Buddhism. There have also been many generalizations made about the above traditions. I will also try to explain why non-violence became mainstream and how it impacted India as a whole. “The trauma of the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington, DC, which were quickly interpreted as religious as well as political phenomena, have prompted yet another body of study. On the other hand, general studies on the relationship between religion and violence are rare, and they often appear somewhat one-sided...... middle of paper ......often members of the warrior caste (kṣatriya) whose Moral obligation (dharma) includes leadership in combat. Another similar religion that includes the belief in non-violence is called Buddhism, which originated in India and has spread throughout Asia. This is much appreciated by outside generalizations that it is a non-violent and peaceful religion. However, scholarly work shows that medieval Buddhism included elements of violent acts and justification for those acts. In Japanese Buddhism there are aspects of violent acts. Buddhist monks trained warriors in martial arts for war. Buddhism is often considered an inherently and immutably pacifist religion, and it is certainly true that the first precept of Buddhism prohibits killing. But Buddhists, like followers of most other religions, have actually killed throughout their history. .