Hendrik Hoet 0102
Question: Religions are sometimes hijacked as a means to commit violence and terrorism. Do the three of you feel that you have teamed up to combat this phenomenon?
Hoet: Yes, all three of us feel that way, and we feel connected in our fight against this abuse of religion. And I call it abuse, while others might not. But it is an abuse of religion. I do not speak for the other religions, but for Christianity this is very clear. Jesus himself never resorted to violence, and disapproved of and condemned all use of violence. His message was that it is preferable to submit to violence than to perpetrate it, and that in so doing we overcome it. By loving the other you win life. So if we want to conquer violence, then we have to refrain from committing it; we must want nothing to do with it.
Question: And this is the message of every religion?
Hoet: No. As far as I know, only Christianity is that radical. And of course also other movements, such as the Eastern religions, but if we are talking about the monotheistic traditions, then Jesus really is an exception, because even many of his followers have justified - and then resorted to - violence. We cannot say of the founder of Islam – I’m not sure whether this is the right word – the great prophet Mohammed, that he always refrained from violence, nor did he command his followers to do so. Nevertheless, they do try to limit violence by means of a system of law, this is clear. They did want peace.
This is also clear for the Jews. There has to be a system of law in which people cannot personally take revenge. It is clear that the law should be a way of containing violence.
Question: This would also be true for Christianity. We can have a shining example in Christianity, but a similar kind of law would still be necessary for all its followers…
Hoet: Yes, of course, Christianity is also in favour of law, but will say that in the end a system of law will only function if that law is internalised, or integrated, and if each individual actually does love the Other. In other words: if one wants life for others – and in principle this means everyone – as much as one wants it for oneself. And in this sense, you could say that Christianity is beyond law and legal systems because it demands an attitude that makes laws and its enforcement unnecessary. Because there would be no need for it if everybody wanted what was best for the other.
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