ABSTRACT
In the great Indian religions, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, a reverence for all forms of life is fostered through the doctrine of ahimsa. The reasons were clear; the eschatologies of the revealed religions presume peace as the ultimate destiny of humanity, and a major theme or preoccupation of these religions is that one should seek peace whenever one can. Certainly, religion does have an essential violence-reducing element, but it also has a violence-producing dimension, one that is equally essential. There are many reasons to believe that links between violence and religion exist, reasons which pertain to the character of the contemporary world, the nature of religion and that of violence. The belief that religion has a special capacity to generate emotions is incorporated into our vernacular. Religion may provide a good, and in some cases the only, way to communicate effectively with great portions of the population on intense emotional levels.
