The Role of Religious Text Interpretation and Passive Fundamentalism in Shaping Worldviews: Exploring the Connection to Religious Violence

 

The Role of Religious Text Interpretation in Shaping Worldviews: Exploring the Connection to Religious Violence

 

Adis Duderija

THIS ESSAY IS BASED ON AN ACADEMIC JOURNAL ARTICLE I PUBLISHED FEW YEARS AGO THAT CAN BE DOWNLOADED HERE-https://www.academia.edu/40255445/Mainstream_Sunnism_Islamic_Extremism_and_progressive_Islam

  

The recent Sydney church stabbing has again propelled nation-wide  discussions surrounding the relationship between religion/Islam and violence. The relationship between religion and violence has been extensively studied by scholars, who have examined how certain interpretations of sacred texts can lead to worldviews that justify religiously motivated violence. In this essay I want to explore  how the work of  scholars R.W. Hood Jr., P.C. Hill, and W.P. Williamson on psychology of religious fundamentalism  and that of  Douglas Pratt ,who  has developed a nuanced model of how passive fundamentalism can morph into violent extremism, can help us understand this relationship in a nuanced and insightful manner.  

 

The Fundamentalist Paradigm

According to R.W. Hood Jr., P.C. Hill, and W.P. Williamson[1], fundamentalism can be understood in terms of   “communities of interpretation” that form around specific approaches to interpreting sacred texts. These communities are characterised by a deep commitment to the belief that the sacred text /set of texts  alone holds the key to interpreting the world and providing meaning to life. In the context of the Islamic tradition ( that I have expertise in)  Hood, Hill, and Williamson’s model is particularly relevant to jihadist Salafism and other puritanical and fundamentalist approaches to Islam  where certain  interpretations of the Qur’an, hadith, and broader Islamic interpretive tradition plays a central role.

Hood, Hill, and Williamson underscore the fact that , “Fundamentalism is a system of meaning rooted in the exclusive reliance on a religious text/s to interpret the world and give meaning to life”. [2]This reliance on a canonised texts as the ultimate sources of authority create a sense of certainty and absolutism among fundamentalists. Moreover, they view their interpretation of the text as the only valid one, rejecting alternative viewpoints and largely dismissing the possibility of multiple interpretations.

Intratextuality: The Principle of Fundamentalist Thought

The fundamentalist paradigm is based on the principle of intratextuality. Hood, Hill, and Williamson explain that intratextuality refers to the process of interpreting a sacred text /set of texts exclusively through a textualist approach. According to this principle, the text is considered to alone determines its own meaning and should be the sole point of reference for all thoughts and actions. This principle emphasises the self-sufficiency of the sacred text and the exclusive reliance on it for understanding the world.

By engaging in intratextuality, fundamentalists believe they can directly access the absolute truths contained within the text and construct their worldview based on these truths. Fundamentalists perceive the absolute truths contained within the sacred text as the ultimate authority and the basis for discerning right from wrong, good from evil. These truths are seen as immutable and unchanging, providing a sense of stability and certainty in an uncertain world. These truths are derived through the dialogic process of intratextuality and are not subject to criticism from outside of this principle by for example means of contextualisation. Fundamentalists construct their worldview based on these absolute truths, viewing the outside world exclusively through the lens provided by what they consider to be the meaning of  the sacred text. Any beliefs or interpretations that fall outside the realm of what they consider to be absolute truths are viewed with a lot of suspicion and are to be disregarded.

Moreover, Hood, Hill, and Williamson highlight that  fundamentalists reject the view that the sacred text is subject to interpretation by “fallible” humans, preferring instead to search for the true meaning through intratextual analysis/. This rejection of fallible human interpretations reflects the fundamentalists’ belief in the inherent holiness , purity, clarity and coherence of the sacred text. They place a premium on preserving the purity of the text’s  that is viewed as having a special, untainted metaphysical origin and  meaning and resist any external influences that may challenge or modify their understanding of it.

 

Passive Fundamentalism and Violent Extremism

Most forms of fundamentalism or those who adhere to them ,however, do not evolve into violence extremism but some do. Douglas  Pratt’s work on religious fundamentalism in Abrahamic religions delves into the concept of  “passive fundamentalisms” and its potential to contribute to violent extremism. Passive fundamentalism refers to non-violent forms of fundamentalist thought that exhibit rigid adherence to absolute truths but do not directly engage in violent acts. Pratt argues that this extreme belief system can create a breeding ground for violence, as it forms the foundation for more radical and extremist ideologies.

In this respect Pratt states, “What began with ‘normative’ absolutism, that form of religious believing and concept that holds rigidly to a set of assumptions, presuppositions and ideas as absolute truth, then may evolve or emerge through a process of hardening assertion to becoming, in extremis, an impositional form of religious ideology that is expressed in terms of terrorizing behaviours and acts of violence. Many examples across different religions, both historically and contemporaneously, could be adduced to make the point.”[3]

Through numerous case studies across different religions, Pratt demonstrates the  link between religious fundamentalism and violent behaviours becomes. Pratt’s  research ,therefore, shows that passive fundamentalism can act as a stepping stone towards violent extremism, as it provides a framework for radicalisation. The rigid belief system inherent in passive fundamentalism can, as such, contribute to the acceptance of violence as a justifiable means to achieve religious goals.

Pratt’s findings highlight the importance of recognizing the potential dangers of non-violent fundamentalism. While not directly engaging in violent acts, passive fundamentalists contribute to the broader ecosystem that supports and justifies violence. As Mark Juergensmeyer , a leading scholar of the relationship between violence and religion, aptly stated, “Religion often provides the mores and symbols that make possible bloodshed – even catastrophic acts of terrorism.”[4]  Understanding the mechanisms that drive individuals to move from passive fundamentalism to violent extremism is crucial for effective prevention and intervention strategies.

 

Conclusion

The relationship between religious text interpretation and the formation of worldviews is a critical factor to consider when studying religiously motivated violence. Hood, Hill, and Williamson's concept of communities of interpretation sheds light on the structure and processes that underlie fundamentalist thought. The principle of intratextuality, as explained by Hood, Hill, and Williamson, guides fundamentalists in deriving meaning nearly exclusively from the sacred text itself, shaping their worldview and providing a sense of certainty and absolutism.

Fundamentalists perceive the sacred text as a repository of absolute truths, which they believe should be the foundation for understanding and interpreting reality. This belief in objective truths and the rejection of alternative interpretations can lead to the construction of rigid belief systems that may justify or support violence. Pratt’s research on passive fundamentalism highlights the potential dangers of non-violent extremism, as it can provide a fertile ground for the acceptance of more radical and violent ideologies.

 

Understanding the complex dynamics between religious text interpretation, the construction of worldviews, and the justification of violence is crucial for addressing and mitigating religiously motivated violence. By delving into the nuances of religious text interpretation and its impact on belief systems, we can gain valuable insights into the factors that contribute to the manifestation of violence in the name of religion and hopefully used these insights to prevent the incidents like the Sydney church stabbing from occurring again.

---

[1] R.W. Hood ( jr.) ,P.C. Hill and  W.P.Williamson. The Psychology of Religious Fundamentalism, New York, Guilford Press, 2005. The books has received excellent reviews e.g. Sara B. Savage (2006)

REVIEW: "The Psychology of Religious Fundamentalism", The International Journal for the Psychology of

Religion, 16:3, 243-244.

[2] System of meaning is defined as “a group of beliefs or theories about reality that includes both a world theory

(beliefs about others and situations) and a self-theory (beliefs about the self), with connecting propositions

between the two sets of beliefs that are important in terms of overall functioning”, Wood, Hill and Williamson,

The Psychology of Religious Fundamentalism, p. 14

[3] D.Pratt, Religion and Extremism: Rejecting Diversity, London: Bloomsbury, 2017, p.47.

[4] Mark Juergensmeyer, Terror in the Mind of God: The Global Rise of Religious Violence, 3rd  edition (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2003), xi.