Preface

The world’s religions have always addressed the social dimension of faith, and social and political customs have always been affected by religious beliefs. Indeed, a primary meaning of the word "religion" is an institutionalized system of beliefs and practices, and some scholars argue that it is the social aspects of religion—its concern with ritual, morality, and community—that distinguishes it from the more solitary discipline of philosophy. (Others point to the rationalist character of philosophy, in contrast to religion, which often appeals to the emotions.)

While it is common to draw a distinction between the "sacred" and the "secular" in discussing the social impact of religion, such categories may not be universally valid. To an extent, they derive from the Christian heritage of the West: Christ’s injunction to "render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s"; Christianity’s early status as a minority religion persecuted by the Roman state; and, in the Middle Ages, the endless power struggles between kings and popes. Ever since the European Enlightenment of the 18th century, the distinction between sacred and secular has found expression as the principle of the separation of church and state, yet in much of the world, neither the distinction nor the principle is recognized.

Nevertheless, because of the great extent to which Europe and its former colonies have influenced world events during the last 500 years, the distinction between society and politics on the one hand, and religion on the other, is a valuable prism through which to consider current world affairs. The articles collected in this volume explore a few of the many ways in which religion informs, reinforces, and collides with social and political practices around the world. While no book of this size could hope to treat the subject exhaustively, Religion in Politics and Society does seek to provide a starting point for further research.

The book’s first section examines a few of the roles religion plays in modern culture. We begin with Paul Marshall’s commentary on the West’s need to more seriously consider the importance of religion in international affairs. Next, Mark Clayton looks at a growing movement in the social sciences to reexamine the role of religion in society. In another article, William Breakey suggests that psychiatrists should open themselves to some of the methods of religious and spiritual advisors when counseling their patients. The section then moves to discussions of more specific religions, beginning with an article about the importance of Jerusalem to Jews, Christians, and Muslims. Then, Scott Appleby looks at the impact of Pope John Paul II on both the world at large and the Roman Catholic Church in particular. Michael Bordeaux next examines religious worship in present-day Russia, while David R. Sands outlines the various branches of Islam today.

If religion can be a force for compassion and social justice, it can also encourage political strife and violence—a fact that was underscored by the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States. The second section explores the connection between religion and political violence in some detail, with several articles placing the attacks in a broad historical and philosophical context. First, Avishai Margalit and Ian Buruma address the notion of "Occidentalism," the standpoint from which many Islamic extremists view the West, while Harvey Cox comments on the new American war on terror. R. Scott Appleby and Martin E. Marty next discuss fundamentalism as it applies to both Christianity and Islam. The final two articles look at the battle between India and Pakistan over Kashmir and the war in the Balkans, two conflicts very much tied to religious factions in those regions of the world.

Because most religious traditions bolster their authority by pointing to the antiquity of their origins, we tend to think of the religious landscape as static and unchanging. But as Toby Lester argues in his article "Oh, Gods!" this is not necessarily the case. New religions are constantly emerging or dying off; and every now and then, a new religion gains respectability. The book’s third section looks at several of these new religions, including Falun Gong and Mormonism. Articles on these religions are then followed by reflections on missionary work in two different parts of the world—Guatemala and Africa— where new and old religions compete for the souls of the native peoples.

Section four is devoted to an issue that has caught the attention of several religious traditions and which, in the view of many commentators, will assume greater importance in the coming decades: the confluence of religion and environmentalism. Faith-based environmentalism is of interest not only because it addresses such topical concerns as global warming and loss of biodiversity, but also because it represents a rare common ground for religion and science. The first article in this section, by Linda Ashton, provides an overview of religious groups taking a serious interest in environmental issues, while the next, by Michael J. Strada, compares the attitudes of monotheistic and polytheistic religions toward the environment. George Rupp then discusses the ways in which religious beliefs have influenced environmental attitudes.

The book’s fifth and final section examines the intersection of gender and religion, including articles that focus on the changing roles of women in Theravada Buddhism, Islam as practiced in the United States, and in Orthodox Judaism, and on the situation of gays and lesbians in black Protestant churches.

Many people assisted in the production of this book. We would especially like to thank Jennifer Peloso, Sandra Watson, Gray Young, Norris Smith, Rich Stein, and Cliff Thompson.

Michael Kelly

Lynn M. Messina

June 2002