Week 4 Discussion: Please Respond To The Following
Week 4 Discussionplease Respond To The Following Discussion Topic
Please respond to the following discussion topic. Your initial post should be 75-150 words in length. Then, make at least two thoughtful responses to your fellow students’ posts. To religious extremists, it is “God’s law”—that has been revealed to—and properly interpreted by—the extremist movement. At what point does the character of faith-motivated activism become extremist and terrorist?
Paper For Above instruction
Religious activism motivated by faith can often be a source of inspiration and moral guidance for many individuals, encouraging positive social change and community support. However, when such activism shifts from advocating peacefully to endorsing violence or harm, it crosses into extremism and terrorism. The boundary between faith-driven activism and extremism is often marked by the willingness to use violence to achieve religious or ideological objectives. When religious interpretation justifies acts of violence against innocents as divine punishment or a sacred duty, it signifies a descent into extremism. This transformation is influenced by distortions of religious teachings, socio-political factors, and extremist rhetoric that frames violence as a religious obligation rather than a moral failing or misinterpretation. The characterization of faith as a justification for violence ultimately betrays the core tenets of most religions, which advocate love, compassion, and peace. Therefore, faith-motivated activism becomes extremist and terrorist when it employs violence as a means to enforce religious will, disregarding the inherent values of human dignity and peaceful coexistence. Recognizing this shift requires careful analysis of the motives, methods, and underlying interpretations of religious teachings, emphasizing the importance of promoting religious literacy and peaceful dialogue to prevent the slide into extremism and terrorism.
References
1. Juergensmeyer, M. (2003). Terror in the Mind of God: The Global Rise of Religious Violence. University of California Press.
2. Pedahzur, A., & Perliger, A. (2013). The Israeli Response to Suicide Bombing. Routledge.
3. Juergensmeyer, M. (2017). The New Cold War?: Religious Nationalism Confronts the Secular State. University of California Press.
4. Smith, D. (2014). Religion and Violence: The Bible, the Quran, and the New Testament. Cambridge University Press.
5. Berkowitz, L. (2019). Religious Extremism and Violence: From the Perspective of Contemporary Islamic Movements. Routledge.
6. O'Neill, S. (2011). Understanding Religious Violence: Roots, Challenges, and Strategies. Routledge.
7. Appleby, R. S. (2000). The Ambivalence of the Sacred:Religion, Violence, and Reconciliation. Rowman & Littlefield.
8. Wiktorowicz, Q. (2005). Islamic Activism: A Social Movement Theory Approach. Indiana University Press.
9. McCauley, C., & Moskalenko, S. (2008). Understanding Terrorism: Psychosocial Roots and Interventions. Springer.
10. Roy, O. (2017). The Failure of Political Islam. Harvard University Press.