Comparative Framework for Understanding Jewish and Christian Violent Fundamentalism
Although most scholars agree that in the last couple of decades, religious fundamentalism has become the dominant ideological feature in the landscape of modern terrorism, many prefer to ignore the fact that this is not a development which is restricted to the Islamic world, and that other religious...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2015-08-01
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| Series: | Religions |
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| Online Access: | http://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/6/3/1033 |
| _version_ | 1819067392203948032 |
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| author | Arie Perliger |
| author_facet | Arie Perliger |
| author_sort | Arie Perliger |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Although most scholars agree that in the last couple of decades, religious fundamentalism has become the dominant ideological feature in the landscape of modern terrorism, many prefer to ignore the fact that this is not a development which is restricted to the Islamic world, and that other religious traditions have also experienced growth in groups which prefer to use violent strategies to promote their sacred visions. The current chapter strives to fill this gap by analyzing the emergence of violent religious groups in two distinct, non-Islamic, religious traditions. At first glance, the Christian Identity and the Religious-Zionist movements have very little in common. However, both movements served as a breeding ground for the emergence of violent fundamentalist groups aspiring to facilitate an apocalyptic/redemption scenario by engaging in illegal violent campaigns. Moreover, in both cases, the role of spiritual leaders was crucial in shaping the radicalization of the groups and their target selection, and the violence had a clear symbolic narrative. In other words, for the members of these violent groups, the violence served a clear role in the mobilization of potential supporters, and the branding and dissemination of the movement's ideology. Finally, while in general, terrorism is perceived as the weapon of the weak, in these two cases it was perpetrated by individuals/groups affiliated to communities belonging to the dominant religious framework in their respective polities (i.e., the Religious-Zionist and Christian Identity movements are perceived by their members as branches of Judaism and Christianity). Hence, by utilizing a comparative framework, the article will not just analyze the violent manifestations that emerged from these two movements, but also try to identify the unique factors that characterize and facilitate the emergence of religious groups within religious communities belonging to the dominant religious tradition in their societies. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-21T16:17:31Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-4323ac7c1f804d148a70abe0b929e756 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2077-1444 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-21T16:17:31Z |
| publishDate | 2015-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Religions |
| spelling | doaj.art-4323ac7c1f804d148a70abe0b929e7562022-12-21T18:57:39ZengMDPI AGReligions2077-14442015-08-01631033104710.3390/rel6031033rel6031033Comparative Framework for Understanding Jewish and Christian Violent FundamentalismArie Perliger0Department of Social Sciences, United States Military Academy, 607 Cullum Road, Lincoln Hall, Rm. 120. West Point, NY 10996, USAAlthough most scholars agree that in the last couple of decades, religious fundamentalism has become the dominant ideological feature in the landscape of modern terrorism, many prefer to ignore the fact that this is not a development which is restricted to the Islamic world, and that other religious traditions have also experienced growth in groups which prefer to use violent strategies to promote their sacred visions. The current chapter strives to fill this gap by analyzing the emergence of violent religious groups in two distinct, non-Islamic, religious traditions. At first glance, the Christian Identity and the Religious-Zionist movements have very little in common. However, both movements served as a breeding ground for the emergence of violent fundamentalist groups aspiring to facilitate an apocalyptic/redemption scenario by engaging in illegal violent campaigns. Moreover, in both cases, the role of spiritual leaders was crucial in shaping the radicalization of the groups and their target selection, and the violence had a clear symbolic narrative. In other words, for the members of these violent groups, the violence served a clear role in the mobilization of potential supporters, and the branding and dissemination of the movement's ideology. Finally, while in general, terrorism is perceived as the weapon of the weak, in these two cases it was perpetrated by individuals/groups affiliated to communities belonging to the dominant religious framework in their respective polities (i.e., the Religious-Zionist and Christian Identity movements are perceived by their members as branches of Judaism and Christianity). Hence, by utilizing a comparative framework, the article will not just analyze the violent manifestations that emerged from these two movements, but also try to identify the unique factors that characterize and facilitate the emergence of religious groups within religious communities belonging to the dominant religious tradition in their societies.http://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/6/3/1033terrorismChristian IdentityReligious-ZionismIsraelreligious movements |
| spellingShingle | Arie Perliger Comparative Framework for Understanding Jewish and Christian Violent Fundamentalism Religions terrorism Christian Identity Religious-Zionism Israel religious movements |
| title | Comparative Framework for Understanding Jewish and Christian Violent Fundamentalism |
| title_full | Comparative Framework for Understanding Jewish and Christian Violent Fundamentalism |
| title_fullStr | Comparative Framework for Understanding Jewish and Christian Violent Fundamentalism |
| title_full_unstemmed | Comparative Framework for Understanding Jewish and Christian Violent Fundamentalism |
| title_short | Comparative Framework for Understanding Jewish and Christian Violent Fundamentalism |
| title_sort | comparative framework for understanding jewish and christian violent fundamentalism |
| topic | terrorism Christian Identity Religious-Zionism Israel religious movements |
| url | http://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/6/3/1033 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT arieperliger comparativeframeworkforunderstandingjewishandchristianviolentfundamentalism |