Religion, Power and Violence

Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction." Blaise Pascal

 Religion has the potential both as a soothing balm and as an explosive fuel in situations of conflict.

The 6th Willem Visser t'Hooft Consultation, held at the Ecumenical Institute in Bossey, gathered some 30 people from various religious traditions, soliciting their spiritual resources to create a common experience of an interfaith community.

The consultation's objectives were to articulate responsible ways of exercising power in order to overcome violence and to identify inter-religious models, resources and networks for peace building.

Client: World Council of Churches, Switzerland

Camera: Peter Williams

Director: Bettina Gray

Editor: Peter Williams

Producer: Peter Williams

Duration: 13'30''

Prod. year: 2004

Participants ponder the issues around religion and violence, and ask what it really means to be truly human and to recognize the other - even on the adversaries' side - as truly human.

"Mohamed and Yehuda will talk politics as Mohamed and Yehuda, not as representatives of the Arabs or of the Israelis... this is very different." Dr Mohamed Mosaad.
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