Religious Diversity and Tolerance

Professor Glenna Jackson

On February 29, the Department of Philosophy organized a lecture, entitled "Religious Diversity: A Recipe for Peace or Violence?" Presented by Glenna Jackson, the talk examined the reasons why violence is waged in the name of religion.

Jackson presented a number of quotes from holy books of the five major monotheistic and polytheistic religions, in which violence in the name of religion is encouraged. She observed this has been the case for centuries and is now more prevalent than ever before, referring to the United States' "war on terror" in the wake of the attacks of September 11, 2001. She pointed out, however, that previously people believed understanding other religious would pave the way for more tolerance among religions, but the effort failed, culminating in the current clash of cultures.

Jackson stressed that as people learn more about other religions, they become more attached to their own beliefs. She quoted television commentator Fareed Zakaria, who said diversity is a strength if properly managed; if not, it leads to a form of exclusivism or religious fundamentalism.

This fundamentalism would, in turn, lead to violence. "Reasons for that popular notion of religious fundamentalism," said Jackson, "may include ignorance, fear of the unknown, insecurity in one's own beliefs, hidden political and economic agendas, or the fundamentalist's view that 'I am right; you are wrong and, therefore, I am justified in getting rid of you.'"

She explained that fundamentalism is driven by the conviction that one's religion holds the "absolute truth" and that anything that differs from it is false. She added, "As a biblical scholar and as a person highly invested in the Christian tradition, my argument is that religious diversity would work best if we were willing to critique our own tradition and learn from others."

Glenna Jackson is a professor in the Department of Religion and Philosophy at Otterbein College, Ohio. She received her PhD in religious studies from Marquette University. Her research focuses mainly on early Christianity, especially women and Christianity, and on religion in Africa and the Middle East.