Why the "Sacred" Is a Better Resource Than "Religion" for Understanding Terrorism

Dados Bibliográficos

ID4086789
AutoresMatthew D M Francis, Matthew Francis (0000-0002-9052-3109, Lancaster University, autor correspondente)
Ano2016
Volume28
Fascículo5
Páginas912-927
Data de publicação2016-10-19
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoTerrorism and Political Violence (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 0954-6553 • E-ISSN: 1556-1836
EditoraInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/09546553.2014.976625
OpenAlexW2043242994
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas14
Referências citadas21

The popular media and many in academia often overstate the role that religion, and its supposedly unique qualities, has played in recent acts of terror. In this article, I argue that the notion of religious violence is unhelpful and that there is a more useful concept that we can utilize to draw out the values and ideas that play a role in the move to violence in both religious and secular groups. From a series of case studies on religious and non-religious groups, I have drawn out an alternative framework for investigating and learning from the role that beliefs play in motivations and justifications for terrorism. This framework uses the concept of non-negotiable (or “sacred”) beliefs. It is as applicable to secular as it is to religious groups, and can show us much more about how such beliefs can contribute to violence

Criminology · Epistemology · Political science · Politics · Religious belief · Religious violence · Sociology · Terrorism · Computer Science · Law · Philosophy · Psychology · Religion and Society Interactions · Religion, Society, and Development · Social Psychology · Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and Political Violence