ABSTRACT
In the post-Cold-War era, a peace dividend appeared on the horizon. To the surprise of many, various religious communities moved into the new cultural and political space; they came out of relative obscurity to set cultural and even political agendas. Theorists of secularization, many of whom are European in origin, looked at the religious world through the blinkered lenses of the Cold War. The symbolic boundaries of religion provide a powerful engine for individual and group identity formation. Religion has functioned to shape individual and social identities and inspire group formation. Religions throughout history and across cultures have formed themselves around a power or force that is experienced as within, outside, and above the sources of 'normal' forms of moral authority in human societies. Rodney Stark's work on religious conflict portrays the rational choice makeup of religions. Religions make claims and create rewards that motivate individuals to do extraordinary things in light of the truth claims and promises of the religion.
