Other
Political religions and new peacemaking
Željko Mardešić
Abstract
Nowdays, on the area of almost ali premodern societies, bloody
wars are fought between the conflicted powers. These powers often
wear religious masks, though entirely secular interestš come into
play. Such religions may be called political religions as they have ali
characteristics of ideological mechanisms, which, in a deceiving way,
derive considerable secular predominance. It is enough to remember
the situation in Algeria, Israel, Afganistan, India, and recently
Chechenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Religion has been
manipulated with the aim of stronger integration and better
homogeneity of peoples, since then they are most efficient, no matter whether they attack or defend themselves. They rather derive interest from religion than submit to it.
However contradictory it might seem, this western peacemaking,
which tries to mediate in these premodern countries, has not
completely avoided political manipulation. On the contrary, it only
impotently tags after the successes, sometimes just superficial
successes, of world diplomacy, borrowing its method of recon-
ciliation: agreements and compromises. Therefore, we can say that
christian ecumenism and religious dialogue have achived less success in peacemaking than the pressures of secular diplomacy, which actually does not surprise, since secularity has weakened religiosity, and then it resorts to secular means. It imitates politics, but then it is punished achieving less than politics.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
51397
URI
Publication date:
21.12.1998.
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