Inquisitive Minds Podcast

Inquisitive Minds Podcast


Religion, Violence and Responsible Scholarship

October 13, 2014

We continue our discussion of Hector Avalos’ book, Fighting Words. The Origins of Religious Violence. Scholars have a social responsibility to denounce false reasoning when it comes to religion and violence; expose lies which contribute to the detriment of humanity. For example, several biblical scholars and most Bible believers maintain the relevance of their sacred text through “hermeneutical gymnasticsâ€, by offering “new†interpretations of ethically questionable biblical texts despite the fact of misrepresenting their content. It is also often thought that scholars should not be critical when it comes to certain religious / theological beliefs and practices; but such a stance in the context of the university would be unique, since all scholarly fields should normally adopt a critical perspective in research. According to Avalos, biblical and religion scholars are responsible to “analyze how religion may contribute to the detriment or well-being of humanity based on verifiable facts and reason.â€


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