ABSTRACT

After watching the former Yugoslavia endure a series of painful splits along religious lines, most recently in Kosovo, one might conclude that religion in that area of the world is nothing more than a divisive force, an instrument good for nothing except the justification of exclusion and ethnic cleansing. Even if one recognizes that the recent wars were not primarily religious in nature, there is still little that can be said about the role of the religious communities that is flattering. Nevertheless, it would be wrong to conclude that there is no potential for good in these faith communities, just as it would be wrong to conclude that the people of the former Yugoslavia are somehow genetically predestined to be forever at war. In examining the ways religion has helped cause violent conflict in Kosovo, it is hoped that this chapter will also illuminate some ways that religion has contributed, and can contribute in the future, to the resolution of conflict instead.