ABSTRACT
Religious diversity and its societal effects are often thought to be at the root of the problem of religiously motivated violence. This analysis can support political pressure to make religion as socially invisible as possible on the grounds that, if religious differences cannot be overcome, religion in all its forms should be pushed into the background of civic life. However, as a solution to the problem of religiously motivated violence, this strategy is unlikely to succeed. This chapter recommends an alternative strategy that regards religious diversity not as a problem, but as a civic resource that can obstruct the pathway from religious extremism to violence. The chapter reviews those features of religious extremism that facilitate the transition from belief to violence, before arguing that religiously motivated violence is typically neither random nor irrational when seen in the context of the appropriate theological worldview. The chapter concludes that religiously motivated violence is a problem requiring a theological solution and so the diverse theological and religious beliefs that flourish in any healthy society with a tradition of public discussion are a valuable resource providing a counter-weight to interpretations of religious ideas that have violent acts as their conclusion.
