Izvorni znanstveni članak
The role of Faith in forming a stance toward others and toward those who are different: between religious ideals and reality in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Aid Smajić
; Univerzitet u Sarajevu - Fakultet islamskih nauka, Sarajevo, Bosna i Hercegovina
Sažetak
In the context of the conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the early 1990s,
and the revitalization of religious praxis and its more vivid presence in social life, this
article asks what is the role of the individual’s faith, in terms of religious awareness
and personal experience of holiness, in the context of developing peaceful coexistence
with the members of different ethno-religious communities in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The purpose of this enquiry is to determine how much and in what way religious orthodoxy,
as a personal reinforcement of basic religious beliefs and as an aspect of religious
awareness, determines the attitudes of young people toward those who can be characterized
in an ethno-confessional sense as “other”, and how this affects, to a greater or
lesser degree the individual’s willingness to accept coexistence. The issue is examined
from the perspective of contemporary psycho-social theory and in accordance with
the scientific methodology of empirical research into religious awareness. Depending on how the evidence is analyzed, orthodoxy may have no implications whatsoever for
this kind of inter-ethnic attitude, or it may have a minor influence on young people,
discouraging them from moving closer to people from other ethnic communities in
Bosnia and Herzegovina. The data may suggest that the cause of this unwillingness to
move closer to other groups may be a lack of ideological consistency and also a feeling
that the individual’s ethnic group is under threat – characteristics that are found
among a small proportion of religious believers. The article identifies ways in which
religious communities must intensify their efforts if they want to help develop peaceful
coexistence among the different ethno-religious communities living in Bosnia and
Herzegovina.
Ključne riječi
religious orthodoxy; acceptance of coexistence; feeling of ethnic threat
Hrčak ID:
266491
URI
Datum izdavanja:
31.1.2013.
Posjeta: 518 *