The Myth of Religious Violence

In this Prishtina Talks presentation, Emir Ademaj takes up “The Myth of Religious Violence” — a reading of the book of that name by the Catholic theologian William T. Cavanaugh. Ademaj examines the secular construct under which religion is presented as a special source of violence, and shows that the claim is itself the product of a secular worldview with concrete political functions.

The presentation unpacks three terms — myth, violence and religion — through the lens of social constructivism, ties secular ideology to the birth of nationalism and the nation-state, and shows how the thesis “religion is violent” serves to legitimise secular state violence, from the Western wars to the construction of Israel.

Some of the points covered: 📌 Unpacking three terms: myth, violence and religion 📌 Secular ideology as secularism, and nationalism 📌 The structural similarities between religion and nationalism 📌 Did the nation-state really put religious violence behind us? 📌 Why the claim that “religion is violent” serves secular ends 📌 The construction of Israel, and secular violence

📍 Prishtina Talks