Of religion in conflict

particularly the ways in which they have traditionally and historically 
approached issues of war and peace and the complex, variability of 
interpretations within each of the religions. Gopin cautions that the use 
of religious values and strategies of conflict resolution will be heavily 
dependent on context, potentially different each time enemies interact. 
He emphasises, therefore, the need to work with those involved in the 

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British Academy // 
The Role of Religion in Conflict and Peacebuilding
33
conflict rather than imposing a particular, albeit religiously educated, 
view from above (Gopin 2000).
Gopin’s work examines the issue of how religions approach ‘Others’ 
outside their faith, and both the difficulties and opportunities this 
presents for conflict resolution. For him, the concept of universal values 
and homogeneity are not part of the religious traditions, which draw 
important distinctions between believers and non-believers. He argues 
that this is not a negative or necessarily conflictual aspect of religion, 
but a natural part of human identity. Gopin maintains, however, that 
what is significant is how the boundaries are negotiated and the extent 
to which ‘prosocial interpersonal values of religious tradition exists’, 
as opposed to antisocial values (2000, 80). He also notes that in all 
religions there is rarely a call to kill on a massive scale, although the 
existence of proselytisers, those who have a theological issue with 
the Other, is a problem for his argument that religions promote conflict 
resolution. He suggests that there is a need to find a balanced world 
view that does not necessitate the destruction of the Other, and also 
a need for significantly more consideration and recommendations on 
how such religious groups can be approached.
In his conclusion, Gopin provides a broad list of recommendations 
for religious figures and for policymakers, both globally and regionally.