This is Ethiopian Review Policy Research Center’s series on From Dictatorship to Democracy extracted/quoted from books and articles published by Albert Einstein Institution and similar sources.
In the last decade there has been heightened awareness of the relationship between violence, religions and reconciliation and much attention has been paid to the role of religions for the contribution of reconciliation processes
In the popular imagination, this idea is linked with prominent figures such as Desmond Tutu, the Dalai Lama and John Paul II. Anthropologists have stressed the importance of religious actors in mediating grassroots conflict, contributing to healing after conflict and to the integration of society.
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Religions as Agents of Reconciliation
9 thoughts on “Religions as Agents of Reconciliation”
Thank you, I was able to follow your chart and see where I was heading. It helped me see things in a better perspective.
ወያኔ የጥፋት ተልእኮዉን ካሰማራባቸዉ ተቋማት አንዱ የሃይማኖት ተቋማት ናቸዉ። በኢትዮጵያ ህዝብ ዉስጥ አንድነት በመፍጠር ትልቅ ሚና ሊጫወቱ ይችል ነበር። እስልምናንም ሆነ ክርስትናን ብንወስድ፤ እኚህ ሃይማኖቶች ብዙ ብሄረሰቦችን አቅፈዉ የያዙ ናቸዉ። ስለዚህ የጋራ ማንነት በመፍጠር በብሄሮች መሃከል የጋራ ድልድይ ሊሆኑ ይችላሉ። አማራዉም፤ ኦሮሞዉም፤ ትግሬዉም፤ወዘተ ሙስሊም በመሆኑ አንድ መስጊድ ዉስጥ ይሰግዳል። ክርስትያን በመሆኑ አንድ ቤተ ክርስትያን ዉስጥ ይጸልያል። ይህ ትልቅ የጋራ ድልድይ ነዉ። ያዉ እንግዲህ ቆቁ መለስ ይህን አዉቆ በግዜ እነኚህን ተቋማት አዳከመ። ቢያንስ ዲያስፖራዉ መበርታት አለበት።
Nice but lack some detail information about which religion. If it says only some of the religions but not other it is a question of ‘othering’. The concept of ‘othering’means we are right while others are always wrong. We live in post-modern era where ‘truth’ is subjective and class oriented. Whose ‘truth’ are right a question that I leave for the reader of this poster to ponder over. Once the great theorist Karl Marx said, ‘Religion is an opium working class’. Religion favour hierarchy. Submissiveness to the world order that was socially constructed. everything is predetermined. You are born to be a slave or master. This make the working class or the poor to accept the status quo. Most religions in the world make one to accept the status quo. For example, should we accept quoting Elias Kifle ‘the ‘chat addicted-dictator hegemony’ simply not to change the status quo. I believe in religion but I do not accept a religion which empower a few part the society and destitute the majority. Thanks.
Religious leaders can only serve as reconcilation agents when they have the trust of their followers. How can a woyane cadre/DIABLOS will serve as a reconcilation agent when he is clearly siding the killers and looters.The damage made by woyane is enermous to list but the destruction in the culture, belief of the Ethiopian people is very difficult to repair.
Thanks for noticing the impossible policy of denial and the popular routine old propaganda of blaming the victims instead focusing on healing the core and main issues of reconciliation based honest giving and forgiving each other, cleaning the table and go forwards together to build a new Ethiopia of peace, true unity within diversity, democracy, sustainable development and justice for all both in theory and practice. Then we can really can see victory, equality, peace and strong common vibrant Ethiopia in the very near future. And it costs nothing in principle except communal and personal attitude modification. But the methods and techniques still need brushing and fine touching to satisfy stakeholders, especially the long victimized and bruised.
“When the sun rises, it rises for everyone.” ~ Oriental proverb
For the first time I start seeing the light at the end of the tunnel both at the country and the horn level. An all inclusive reconciliation and broad based new peace deal and and new alliance is the way to the vibrant working positive highway.
We are in the same boat! That boat needs to be wisely and jointly guided across the 21st century sick and sickening turbulence and stormy high seas if we have to come to the beautiful and relaxing sunny coastal areas to enjoy bright warm sun and intoxicating green tropical vegetation filled with highly colorful tropical animals.
“From the equality of rights springs identity of our highest interests; you cannot subvert your neighbor’s rights without striking a dangerous blow at your own.” ~Carl Schurz
i never read like this pattick articel!
dalai lama is agent? what abut tibet peopel?
you meet them one tibetian one time in you life?
dalai lama is not aba gebremedhen!
dalai lama wont free his peopel only!
you are wrong today!
“Religions as ONE OF THE AGENTS of reconciliation” the title better stated. Religion may only act as one of the agents of reconciliation but NOT as a single and exclusive agent of reconciliation. There are multiple other relevant agents of reconciliation too.
You have to also take notice that religion has been fueling conflicts and itself has contributed to warfare and intolerance. Religion has also helped to make us better human beings and charitable individuals. Historically, during the period of the Civil Rights Movement Martin Luther King Junior had used the pulpit of the church to bring change in Selma and in the deep south. Most of his historical speeches were based on the the teaching of the bible. In some countries “facism comes with a cross wrapped in a flag”, as the saying goes.We have also witnessed the the extremism of few Muslims in fueling terrorism globally. Religion has been a force for good with our ethical growth in the last part of the 20th century. Today many faiths are active in social justice, the environment, sustainable economic growth and in erradicating poverty. Religious elders can play a big role using their bully-pulpit in promoting forgiveness, in charting a better way for reconcilliation and conflict resolution. However, they are humans and can fall into the temptation of political divisions and wedge issues. In my opinion one has to reconcile himself with justice through protracted reflection and evolving ethics. He / she has to appreciate the personhood of conscience, “To put ones shoes, and to sit in his/ her sit before rendering judgement. When we are better, our neigbors will be better and the best qualities in us are contagious. In our specific history, although there were conflicts in the past, our painful existence has been magnified by hatred, ethnic conflict, cycle of vengeance, liberation wars, fratricidal poltical elimination and ideological rigidity. We cshall overcome that through faith, determination and forgiveness. Religeous elders do have a special place in becoming agents of love and unity. We, inorder to promote forgiveness must be enablers of peace in supporting our elders. The pathology of hate is infectious, active and destructive. Its cycle has to be stopped by killing and vengeance, but by tolerance. Such tolerance is powerful enough to cause the violator to redress his tresspassing and the advocate to receive him with grace and understanding. The psychology of political conflict can stress us all, it will make us hurt our friends and families, it can separate us from our teachers and students, it can make us detroy our common humanity, it enables us to transmit discomfort and pain to the coming generation. One time wives and husbands were arguing politics in their respected beds. We can stop it if there is a WILL. First we have to elevate the best in us without any selfish interest for money, power or fame. We shall overcome!
Correction where appropriate in my comment above: Typos are natural when you write fast. let the following be a coorection where applicable. “The cycle of vengeance and killin must stop by tolerance”. No one can advance peace and reconcilliation if there is a threat of vengeance and violence.