宗教を原因とする対立は古代ギリシア・ローマの戦神や『マハーバーラタ』にまで遡ることができます。十字軍や近年まで続いたスリランカ内戦、バルカン半島地域の紛争にも見られるように、人類の歴史で幾度も繰り返されてきました。同時にそうした問題の解決に取り組んできた平和主義者には献身的な宗教者の存在もあります。読者が戦争と宗教の関係性に関する思い込みを捨て、知的な目で問題の本質を理解できるように分析の必要な理論や枠組みを解説します。
  

• Provides a concise historical overview and analysis of the relation between religion and war
• Offers a wide range of examples from all over the world, exploring how religion can motivate peoples toward war, mitigate the harmful effects of war, and even act to prevent war
• Combines concrete examples from ancient times to the present day with theoretical analysis of the relation between religion and war

  
Is religion a force for war, or a force for peace? Some of the most terrible wars in history have been caused and motivated by religion. Much of the violence that fills our screens today springs from the same source. Yet some of the bravest pacifists have also been deeply religious people, and many of the laws and institutions that work to soften or prevent war have deep religious roots.
  
This Very Short Introduction provides an overview of the history of religion and war, and a framework for analysing it. Ranging from the warrior gods of Ancient Greece and Rome, and the ethical drama of the Mahabharata, through the Islamic wars of conquest and the Crusades, to present day conflicts in Sri Lanka and the Balkans, it considers the entanglement of war and religion. Yet from Just War theory and the restraints on war-making imposed by Islamic jurisprudence, through the Pax Christi of the middle ages, to the non-violence of Gandhi and Bacha Khan; there is also a story to be told of peace and religion as well. Jolyon Mitchell and Joshua Rey consider both sides of the age long drama of war and religion, challenging assumptions at the most fundamental level. Throughout, they encourage a more sophisticated and well-grounded view on these issues that have had such weight in the past, and continue to shape our present and future.