Abusing Cultural Freedom: coercion in the name of God

Emanuel de Kadt

Journal of Human Development and Capabilities, 2005, vol. 6, issue 1, 55-76

Abstract: Using violence to promote one's beliefs grabs the headlines. Nevertheless, today the main threat does not come from the violent few, who do get some attention in this paper, but from the growing numbers who wish coercively to impose their views on others. Most world cultures encompass such coercive variants, and the factors that contribute to their rise are discussed. The main focus is on coercive religion and fundamentalism, but some attention is paid to factors common to all coercive ideologies, notably the rejection of multiple identities. The threat from coercive ideologies may be reduced by multiculturalism, by distinguishing desirable from misguided appeals to 'freedom of religion', and by supporting open-mindedness and religious reform movements.

Keywords: Christianity; Coercive use of religion; Culture; Fundamentalism; Identity; Islam; Jihad; Judaism; Multicultural societies; Religious extremism (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2005
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DOI: 10.1080/146498805200034248

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