Page 18 - The International Journal of the Royal Society of Thailand Vol.XIII-2021

The International Journal of the Royal Society of Thailand
Volume XIII – 2021

There is no magic wand – but hope

When the Federal President of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, addressed
the above mentioned World Assembly “Religions for Peace” in Lindau in 2019, he
acknowledged the challenges to the notion that religions play a positive role in
peace building by quoting John Lennon’s “Imagine”: “Imagine there’s no heaven /
above us only sky / … Nothing to kill or die for / and no religion too.” John Lennon

is by far not the only one to think along those lines. As stated above, religious
arguments are part and parcel of so many violent conflicts in the world.

Stephen Pinker in his seminal work “Enlightment Now” analyses this very
clearly: “Invisible gods can command people to slay heretics, infidels and apostates.

And an immaterial soul is unmoved by the earthly incentives that impel us to get
along. Contestants over a material resource are usually better off if they spilt it
than fight over it, particularly if they value their own lives on earth. But contestants
over a sacred value (like holy land or affirmation of a belief) may not compromise,

and if they think their souls are immortal, the loss of their body is no big deal –
indeed, it may be a small price to pay for an eternal reward in paradise.” There are
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many statistics about the length and loss of life stemming from religious conflicts.
Should that lead to the conclusion that it is futile to incorporate religious

leaders in the search for conflict resolution? To go one step further, would that not
be like letting the fox guard the henhouse? I would argue the other way round:
Since religious beliefs play such an important role in many conflicts the search for
solutions will remain elusive unless this dimension is addressed as well. Like it or
not, religious beliefs are a reality of life and strong driver in human behavior. Is

there a better alternative than to accept this and try the utmost to appeal to the
peaceful elements?

Therefore, diplomats should continue to engage with religious leaders in a
respectful way without forgetting to remind them of their responsibilities for

peace. This requires steady efforts, just as the faithful are regularly called to their
places of worship.

Responsibility of Religious Communities for Peace – A Role for Diplomacy? (Friedensverantwortung von
8 Religionsgemeinschaften - eine Rolle für die Diplomatie?)