What is the relationship between violence and religion?
Frankfurter: I’m interested in rituals of violence—what people do to neutralize something they see as dangerous. A ritual might be monks in Egypt chipping away hieroglyphs and images on walls that they viewed as demonic. Another example would be burning of images or blowing them up—what the Taliban did to the Bamiyan Buddhas. Generally, religious violence involves the perception of some people or objects as obstructions to Christ’s return or purity or true religion. Rituals are deeply embedded. Is it possible to sever the relationship between violence and religion? No. Religion by its nature helps a group organize what’s sacred and nonsacred, establishes a moral system. It’s always wrestling with how intolerant to be. Youth, when they engage in religiosity, seek moral certainty, but moral certainty involves shunning things that are morally uncertain or polluting. I’m interested in the way in which it works; I have to leave it to liberal pastors and rabbis and imams to figure out the so
