The Ambivalent Impact of Religion on Human Security

Abstract

As human beings we have a passionate relationship with our religious traditions. This is what precludes a satisfactory assessment of religion by us. We are not free enough to realize how ambivalent religion is. Often we only see the good side of religion and its usefulness to humanity. But we choose to ignore its weak side; we refuse to accept that religion can be a source of insecurity, conflict and violence. In fact, this denial lies in our quick and wrong identification of religion with God and God’s revealed wisdom (sacred texts). This paper wants to draw attention on the ambivalence of religion from which both its positive and negative influence on human security spring.