The Oxford Handbook of Religion and Violence attempts to explore questions that have long perplexed social scientists in the realm of religious studies. A series of forty articles aim to discover the link between religion and violence and how thorough that link is. The bulk of this book examines only the major religions of the world. Such religions go through historical analysis and related to the present day traditions in which violence is understood. The terms religion and violence are both quite ambiguous and sometimes often difficult to define and identify. This book lacks to distinguish collective definitions of the two terms but does so in an effective manner to exemplify their bond. Social, political, and literary themes are used in this multi-dimensional analysis of religious violence. These dimensions include …show more content…
Though these religions have distinct histories which set them apart culturally, it is also important to conclude the ways in which they are similar. I found that Christian, Buddhist, and Islamic traditions were established by unified essential beliefs and ideological outlines while Judaism was rooted in a certain place which are interconnected to specific populations and social systems. Also to be noted is the difference in participant numbers of Judaism compared to the other major religions listed above. These similarities and differences are important characteristics when reviewing religious traditions within political and social aspects. None the less, the sacred texts of these religions all portray forms of violence. In the Christianity section, the author argues that this religion is rather too complex as a whole for a uniform perspective on the issue of violence. Christians have engaged in violence and opposed it in the name of their faith. Violence is also manifested in internal conflicts with in the religion. Religious symbols were another major theme in part I. Though I believe the symbols to