Religious Studies of Peace:Where Peace Studies and Religion Meet

ABSTRACT

Johan Galtung defines the condition where physical violence, such as a war, is absent as the “negative peace” whereas he classifies the condition where all of physical, structural, and cultural violence are absent as the “positive peace.” Both the “negative peace” and the “positive peace” share the similar idea with Negative Safety[小康] and Great Unity[大同], which are two terms deriving from Confucianism; ‘Negative Safety’ is when people are well-abided by law, leaving the people with no problems whereas ‘Great Unity’, the condition where the “world has become fair”(天下爲公), is when the people have proper attitudes to see others and themselves equally. The two terms share the similar understanding with the Christian term “Kingdom of God.” The “Kingdom of God” has a future-oriented connotation that has “not happened yet” but also includes an eschatological structure where for those who seek the ideals, the ideals are “already actualized” in their reality. As it is implied in Galtung’s book title-Peace by Peaceful Means-, peace is made through peaceful means and it is the purpose of Peace Studies that makes procedural peace important. Therefore, the basic concept of Peace Studies happens to be in correlation with the religious or theological structures. Considering how the terms are interrelated, Peace Studies can be defined as a product made in this secularized era where religious and theological languages well-manage to adapt to. Peace Studies can therefore be explained as a “theology of the secularized era”, or as the “secularized transformation of the religious view of the world”. Peace is actually also similar to the idea of Gaebyeok[開闢], or also known as Great Transformation, often suggested by modernly-appearing Korean religions. The “Kingdom of God” and Gaebyeok can be understood as examples of religious languages or translations for the “positive peace.” In other words, the detail contents of Gaebyeok can be recognized as the “positive peace.” In this sense, Religious Studies fundamentally shares the similar concept with Peace Studies and is connected with the religious ideals remarked in the topic of Peace in Peace Studies. Peace is the essence and the ideal from of religion. The true meaning of religion can be found where peace is actualized. Talking religion without peace cannot happen. Peace Studies and religion do have the same purpose and Religious Studies and Peace Studies are the same language since religion is based upon peace. In this sense, Peace Studies and religion, both together, form the Religious Studies of Peace. This paper will focus primarily on the idea of peace from which can be found Peace Studies and religious ideals and ultimately reveal how Peace Studies and religion share a peace-oriented components. Furthermore, this paper will examine the definition of peace, peace education, and explain religious basis that is associated with peace in order to strengthen the idea of religious understanding of peace in Peace Studies and how academic curricula fathom Peace Studies using religious languages.