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The Ethics of War and Peace: Religious Traditions in Dialogue
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The Ethics of War and Peace: Religious Traditions in Dialogue

A special issue of Religions (ISSN 2077-1444). This special issue belongs to the section "Religions and Humanities/Philosophies".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2025) | Viewed by 12999

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Lóránd Ujházi

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Guest Editor
1. Institute of Canon Law, Faculty of Law and Political Sciences, Pázmány Péter Catholic University, 1088 Budapest, Hungary
2. Research Institute for Religion and Society, Eötvös József Research Centre, Ludovika University of Public Service, 1083 Budapest, Hungary
Interests: canon law; social teaching of the Catholic Church; religion and security; radicalism and religious extremism; religion and society
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Ádám Darabos

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Research Institute for Religion and Society, Eötvös József Research Centre, Ludovika University of Public Service, 1083 Budapest, Hungary
Interests: Christian realism; Christian political theory; religion and society

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Across centuries and cultures, religious traditions have developed complex and nuanced moral frameworks to address questions of war and peace. Whether in Christian, Jewish, Islamic, or other theological systems, doctrines concerning the legitimacy of armed conflict (jus ad bellum), conduct during war (jus in bello), and the conditions for just and lasting peace (jus post bellum) have played a significant role in shaping ethical reasoning and political decision-making.

In our time, when international relations are marked by protracted conflicts, rising geopolitical tensions, and the erosion of trust in traditional peacekeeping mechanisms, these theological reflections on war and peace are more relevant than ever. This Special Issue offers a unique and timely opportunity to examine the religious foundations of war ethics and peacebuilding strategies, both in historical contexts and in the light of present-day challenges.

We welcome contributions that investigate how religious teachings have justified, constrained, or transformed attitudes toward violence, justice, and reconciliation. We are particularly interested in interdisciplinary approaches that engage theology, religious ethics, history, law, and political science. Contributions may include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Comparative analyses of just war doctrines across religions;
  • Religious responses to modern warfare, including nuclear weapons, terrorism, and cyberwarfare;
  • Theological perspectives on peace processes and reconciliation;
  • Religious dimensions of nonviolence and pacifism;
  • Religious-based armed conflicts over natural resources;
  • Case studies of specific conflicts where religion played a decisive ethical or political role;
  • Reflections on jus post bellum in religious traditions;
  • Institutional responses of religious communities to security, war, and peace;
  • Interreligious dialogue and cooperation in peacebuilding;
  • Critical re-evaluations of classical texts in light of contemporary conflict.

We especially encourage contributions that bridge theoretical reflection with practical case studies and that offer global and intercultural perspectives.

We hope that this Special Issue will stimulate new research at the intersection of religion, ethics, and conflict studies by encouraging scholars to revisit foundational texts and doctrines in light of current global realities. By highlighting both shared concerns and distinct approaches among religious traditions, the issue aims to deepen our understanding of how moral and theological frameworks influence practical responses to war and peace. We also hope to foster dialogue across disciplines and confessional boundaries, contributing to a richer, more nuanced discourse on the ethical challenges of violence, justice, and reconciliation in today’s world. Ultimately, this Special Issue seeks to serve as a catalyst for further scholarly engagement, policy reflection, and interreligious cooperation in the pursuit of a more just and peaceful global order.

We request that, prior to submitting a manuscript, interested authors initially submit a proposed title and an abstract of 200-300 words summarizing their intended contribution by 30 September 2025. Please send it to a Guest Editor (Prof. Lorand Ujházi ujhazi.lorand@uni-nke.hu, Ádám Darabos (PhD) Darabos.Adam@uni-nke.hu) or to the Assistant Editor, Ms. Rudy Miao (Rudy.miao@mdpi.com), of Religions. Abstracts will be reviewed by the Guest Editors for the purposes of ensuring proper fit within the scope of the Special Issue. Full manuscripts will undergo double-blind peer review.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Lóránd Ujházi
Dr. Ádám Darabos
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Religions is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

 

Keywords

  • just war theory
  • ethical dimensions of war
  • religious ethics
  • religion and violence
  • peacebuilding
  • interreligious dialogue
  • reconciliation
  • nonviolence
  • theology and conflict
  • comparative theology
  • religion and international relations

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Published Papers (13 papers)

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Research

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33 pages, 515 KB  
Article
From Nonviolence to Reconciliation: The Prophetic Political Ethics of War and Peace
by Harris Sadik Kirazli
Religions 2026, 17(4), 449; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17040449 - 4 Apr 2026
Viewed by 520
Abstract
This article re-examines Islamic ethics of war and peace by returning to the formative Meccan–Medinan trajectory of the Prophet Muḥammad’s life, where early Islamic moral reasoning developed amid persecution, migration, diplomacy, and armed conflict. Contemporary debates frequently portray Islam either as a tradition [...] Read more.
This article re-examines Islamic ethics of war and peace by returning to the formative Meccan–Medinan trajectory of the Prophet Muḥammad’s life, where early Islamic moral reasoning developed amid persecution, migration, diplomacy, and armed conflict. Contemporary debates frequently portray Islam either as a tradition that sacralizes violence through jihad or as one that reduces peace to purely inward spirituality. Both perspectives obscure the historically grounded ethical discourse that emerged within the early Muslim community. This study argues that the Qurʾān—understood within the Islamic tradition as the authoritative source of ethical guidance—together with prophetic practice articulated a coherent moral framework governing the use of force, the pursuit of peace, and the restoration of social order after conflict. Drawing on Qurʾānic discourse, canonical ḥadīth, classical tafsīr and sīrah literature, and modern scholarship in Islamic studies, religious ethics, and conflict resolution theory, the article reconstructs how early Islamic sources represent the ethical regulation of violence. The analysis identifies a threefold trajectory in prophetic practice: a Meccan phase characterized by nonviolent endurance and moral witness under persecution; a Medinan phase marked by constitutional governance, plural coexistence, and tightly regulated defensive warfare; and a culminating ethic of negotiated peace and post-conflict reconciliation exemplified in the Treaty of Ḥudaybiyyah and the Conquest of Mecca. Taken together, these stages reveal an integrated moral vision in which force is neither celebrated nor treated as a default instrument of political expansion, but permitted only under strict ethical constraints shaped by justice (ʿadl), mercy (raḥma), proportionality, and the protection of communal life. By reconstructing this early prophetic framework, the article demonstrates that Islamic sources contain significant internal resources for limiting violence, regulating warfare, and prioritizing reconciliation. In doing so, it contributes to contemporary scholarship on Islamic ethics and situates the prophetic model within broader global debates on the moral regulation of war, peacebuilding, and post-conflict justice. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Ethics of War and Peace: Religious Traditions in Dialogue)
25 pages, 3191 KB  
Article
Just Peace or Just War? Theological, Ethical and Technological Reflections on Armed Conflict
by Nándor Birher, Avraham Weber, Nándor Péter Birher, Noga Sebők and Márk Joszipovics Fodor
Religions 2026, 17(3), 374; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17030374 - 17 Mar 2026
Viewed by 780
Abstract
Armed conflict management increasingly demands new normative and strategic frameworks that preserve human life while maintaining effective deterrence capabilities. This study develops a multidisciplinary framework for rethinking armed conflict through the concept of just peace, integrating theology, ethics, law, technology, and empirical communication [...] Read more.
Armed conflict management increasingly demands new normative and strategic frameworks that preserve human life while maintaining effective deterrence capabilities. This study develops a multidisciplinary framework for rethinking armed conflict through the concept of just peace, integrating theology, ethics, law, technology, and empirical communication analysis. The research analyzes 7957 YouTube videos from NATO, the United Nations, and the Vatican, published over two years, employing semantic network analysis, modularity-based community detection, and sentiment analysis to identify emerging discourse patterns around peace, technology, and regulatory complexity. The findings suggest that contemporary socio-technological conditions are increasingly framed in ways that open a discursive space for rethinking conflict management beyond exclusive reliance on large-scale lethal force. Positive messaging correlates with higher audience engagement, while concepts such as law, ethics, religion, and technical standards emerge as interconnected regulatory domains. The study concludes that just peace is not naïve pacifism but a strategic, normatively grounded reorientation in contemporary deterrence thinking. Effective implementation requires integrated regulatory frameworks combining legal norms, ethical principles, religious values, and technical standards. The evolving technological landscape may allow deterrence systems to move beyond exclusive reliance on lethal force toward more humane and efficient conflict-management mechanisms. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Ethics of War and Peace: Religious Traditions in Dialogue)
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17 pages, 349 KB  
Article
Islamic Pacifism: Contexts, Principles, and Dilemmas
by Abdessamad Belhaj
Religions 2026, 17(3), 327; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17030327 - 5 Mar 2026
Viewed by 1120
Abstract
Despite increased interest in Islamic pacifism, there are still significant gaps in academic research on this topic, especially regarding the contexts of its emergence, its shared principles and ethical dilemmas. The goal of this article is to chart the rise and evolution of [...] Read more.
Despite increased interest in Islamic pacifism, there are still significant gaps in academic research on this topic, especially regarding the contexts of its emergence, its shared principles and ethical dilemmas. The goal of this article is to chart the rise and evolution of Islamic pacifism throughout various Muslim contexts since the middle of the 20th century. I will also discuss some of the main ethical principles of Islamic pacifism as they relate to modern Muslim ethics and politics, particularly the peaceful settlement of disputes and the recent work on covenants in Islam and peacebuilding. Additionally, I will address some of the dilemmas that Islamic pacifists confront in relation to absolute pacifism, the efficacy of nonviolence, conflict and just peace. This article makes the case that pacifism could be a viable alternative to Islamist politics in the current Middle East conflicts. However, Islamic pacifists also face major skepticism amidst unjust policies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Ethics of War and Peace: Religious Traditions in Dialogue)
12 pages, 245 KB  
Article
Religious Factors in the Disintegration of Socialist Yugoslavia
by Tímea Zsivity and Zsolt Lázár
Religions 2026, 17(3), 283; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17030283 - 25 Feb 2026
Viewed by 801
Abstract
With the collapse of the post-Cold War bipolar world order, religious institutions regained their public role in the socialist and people’s republic states of Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe. Religion not only regained its social influence, but also once again became a decisive [...] Read more.
With the collapse of the post-Cold War bipolar world order, religious institutions regained their public role in the socialist and people’s republic states of Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe. Religion not only regained its social influence, but also once again became a decisive factor in shaping national identity. During the disintegration of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, religion did not merely attempt to fill the ideological void left by the crisis of the socialist value system; it also actively contributed to the reconfiguration of national values, culture, identity and political discourse. This study examines the religious factors that contributed to the sacralisation of national identity; the consolidation of the ‘Us’, ‘Them’, and ‘Us versus Them’ narratives; and the justification of wartime violence during the disintegration of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY). In this context, ‘Us’ refers to the dominant religious/ethnic community of a given member republic, while ‘Them’ denotes the ethnic majority and their confessional affiliations living in other member republics. This mainly refers to the three largest religious/ethnic communities, Orthodox Serbs, Catholic Croats, and Bosnia and Herzegovina Muslims. The ‘Us versus Them’ confrontation escalated tensions and ultimately played a central role in the disintegration of the SFR of Yugoslavia. The study concludes that religion played a dual role: on the one hand, it supported the preservation of community identity and social cohesion; on the other hand, it fostered exclusion, the ethnicisation of loyalty, the political instrumentalisation of religion, and the legitimisation of war discourses on the other. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Ethics of War and Peace: Religious Traditions in Dialogue)
10 pages, 251 KB  
Article
Reconstructing the Great Caliphate [Kanem-Bornu Empire]: Religious War or Mere Scramble for Resources? The Appropriate Response of Religious Institutions, Civil Societies, and States
by Jean Olivier Nke Ongono
Religions 2026, 17(3), 281; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17030281 - 25 Feb 2026
Viewed by 917
Abstract
The Boko Haram insurgency, which began in the early 2000s with the openly declared intention of rebuilding the historically renowned Muslim Kanem-Bornu kingdom, which covered northern Nigeria, northern Cameroon, parts of Niger, Chad, and Libya for centuries, has caused widespread death and suffering. [...] Read more.
The Boko Haram insurgency, which began in the early 2000s with the openly declared intention of rebuilding the historically renowned Muslim Kanem-Bornu kingdom, which covered northern Nigeria, northern Cameroon, parts of Niger, Chad, and Libya for centuries, has caused widespread death and suffering. This paper questions the authenticity and feasibility of such a project in the context of the region’s current religious landscape and discusses how religious institutions, civil societies, and states should respond. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Ethics of War and Peace: Religious Traditions in Dialogue)
15 pages, 251 KB  
Article
Forgiveness and Reconciliation Through Mimetic Theory: A Girardian Perspective from Post-War Croatia
by Zoran Turza, Antun Pavešković, Amabilis Kata Jurić, Miriam Mary Brgles, Bruno Matos, Ivan Karlić, Stjepan Radić and Marinko Tomić
Religions 2026, 17(2), 257; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17020257 - 19 Feb 2026
Viewed by 691
Abstract
Forgiveness and reconciliation pose significant challenges in post-conflict societies, especially for those directly affected by violence. While legal frameworks of transitional justice are often discussed, the personal and religious dimensions of forgiveness receive less attention. This article seeks to address this gap using [...] Read more.
Forgiveness and reconciliation pose significant challenges in post-conflict societies, especially for those directly affected by violence. While legal frameworks of transitional justice are often discussed, the personal and religious dimensions of forgiveness receive less attention. This article seeks to address this gap using René Girard’s mimetic theory to analyze the relationship between religious motivation and the processes of forgiveness and reconciliation. The study’s empirical findings stem from qualitative interviews with 22 individuals who were victims during the Homeland War (1991–1995) in Croatia. Girard’s theory posits that humans imitate not just behavior, but the desires of others, leading to mimetic rivalry that can escalate into violence—a concept known as “negative mimesis.” However, concept of “positive mimesis” is also achievable when individuals emulate Jesus Christ’s model of self-giving love, facilitating a pathway towards reconciliation. The primary research question guiding this inquiry asks how individuals affected by violence navigate forgiveness and reconciliation, especially the role of religion in this process. In this context, forgiveness is conceptualized as a deeply personal and spiritual journey, whereas reconciliation is defined as the restoration of interpersonal relationships within a societal framework that requires forgiveness. Consequently, this research prioritizes exploring individual narratives and personal accounts from participants rather than addressing broader societal implications. Insights from interviews reveal participants’ understanding of both negative and positive mimesis, indicating that mimetic mechanisms can foster tendencies towards violence as well as forgiveness. In this framework, Jesus Christ serves as a vital external mediator, providing a transformative route away from cycles of violence. Most participants indicated that their faith, prayer practices, and the example set by Christ significantly influenced their forgiveness decisions. This paper contributes original insights into the theological and anthropological aspects of forgiveness, demonstrating that Girard’s mimetic theory effectively illuminates the complexities of reconciliation in post-conflict settings. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Ethics of War and Peace: Religious Traditions in Dialogue)
20 pages, 348 KB  
Article
The Role of Catholic and Ecclesiastical Universities in Promoting Peace and Social Justice
by Loránd Ujházi
Religions 2026, 17(2), 227; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17020227 - 12 Feb 2026
Viewed by 735
Abstract
The Catholic Church is committed to promoting peace and social justice. Beyond its theological and religious nature, the Church operates as a hierarchically organized institution. Its entities function within defined legal frameworks. Throughout history, the theoretical substantiation of peace—and war—has played a pivotal [...] Read more.
The Catholic Church is committed to promoting peace and social justice. Beyond its theological and religious nature, the Church operates as a hierarchically organized institution. Its entities function within defined legal frameworks. Throughout history, the theoretical substantiation of peace—and war—has played a pivotal role in Catholic thought. This tradition has been primarily upheld by Catholic and ecclesiastical universities. The Second Vatican Council transformed the Church and positioned these universities to actively promote social justice. However, detailed regulatory frameworks for this mission were developed later, outside the immediate scope of conciliar documents. This study examines the legal and historical evolution of Catholic academic research on peace and war. The analysis focuses on methodological issues, identifying historical and current deficiencies in the investigation of security questions. It argues that Catholic and ecclesiastical universities have yet to fully develop transdisciplinary methods, despite such an approach being most effective for supporting the Church’s mission of universal peace. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Ethics of War and Peace: Religious Traditions in Dialogue)
13 pages, 290 KB  
Article
Pope and Politician in Parallel: The Notion of War and Peace at the Formation of Italian Christian Democracy
by Ádám Darabos and András Jancsó
Religions 2026, 17(2), 195; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17020195 - 5 Feb 2026
Viewed by 1291
Abstract
This article examines the conceptual convergence between papal teaching and early Christian democratic political thought on the question of war and peace, focusing on Pope Benedict XV and Luigi Sturzo. While Christian democracy is commonly analyzed through the lens of Catholic social doctrine [...] Read more.
This article examines the conceptual convergence between papal teaching and early Christian democratic political thought on the question of war and peace, focusing on Pope Benedict XV and Luigi Sturzo. While Christian democracy is commonly analyzed through the lens of Catholic social doctrine in areas such as social policy and political organization, its underlying assumptions concerning war, peace and international order remain underexplored. The study reconstructs Benedict XV’s wartime and postwar peace teaching, highlighting his moral critique of war, his emphasis on prevention, and his advocacy of juridical and institutional mechanisms such as arbitration, disarmament, and international cooperation. These positions are then compared with Sturzo’s political and theoretical reflections, which stress the subordination of politics to moral norms, skepticism toward nationalism and statism, and support for supranational institutions as safeguards of peace. The article situates this convergence within the broader historical transformation of the papacy’s relationship to democratic politics, particularly the dismantling of the non expedit principle and the emergence of Italian Christian democracy. It argues that both figures integrate ethical normativity with realism, offering an alternative to power-centered approaches in international relations and anticipating later “just peace” paradigms in Catholic social thought. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Ethics of War and Peace: Religious Traditions in Dialogue)
14 pages, 312 KB  
Article
The Concepts of War and Peace in Christian Philosophy
by Géza Kuminetz
Religions 2026, 17(2), 186; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17020186 - 3 Feb 2026
Viewed by 901
Abstract
This article examines the concepts of war and peace through the lens of Christian philosophy, integrating anthropological, ethical, and socio-political perspectives. It argues that while conflict is rooted in human biology and social organization, war is not a biological necessity but a culturally [...] Read more.
This article examines the concepts of war and peace through the lens of Christian philosophy, integrating anthropological, ethical, and socio-political perspectives. It argues that while conflict is rooted in human biology and social organization, war is not a biological necessity but a culturally constructed phenomenon shaped by ideology, power structures, and moral judgment. Drawing on insights from ethology, political theory, and Christian moral theology, the study analyzes the causes of war in modern mass societies, including nationalism, global capitalism, media influence, and environmental degradation. Central attention is given to the Christian tradition’s balanced approach to war and peace, particularly its articulation of just war theory as a middle path between pacifism and militarism. The article contends that war is inherently irrational, though occasionally morally permissible as a penultimate resort aimed at restoring just peace. Ultimately, it presents Christian ethical messianism as a coherent normative framework for evaluating armed conflict, assigning responsibility, and fostering a durable peace grounded in human dignity, justice, and the moral order. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Ethics of War and Peace: Religious Traditions in Dialogue)
21 pages, 2069 KB  
Article
Who Is the Woman Who Desires Life? Israeli Female Religious Leaders Craft Liturgy for Jewish–Arab Peace in Wartime
by Elazar Ben-Lulu
Religions 2026, 17(2), 182; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17020182 - 2 Feb 2026
Viewed by 812
Abstract
The Israel–Hamas War, which erupted with the horrifying events of 7 October 2023, stands as one of the pivotal breaking points in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict since its inception. Both sides have been left battered, pained, and devoid of any trust or hope for [...] Read more.
The Israel–Hamas War, which erupted with the horrifying events of 7 October 2023, stands as one of the pivotal breaking points in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict since its inception. Both sides have been left battered, pained, and devoid of any trust or hope for peace. Among the local immediate social grassroots responses to repairing the fractured relationship was the production of a special prayer booklet focused on coexistence and shared life liturgy produced by the Reform Movement in Israel, a non-Orthodox Jewish community. In this article, I analyze four prayers for peace included in this booklet, written by Israeli female religious leaders. I examine how these women crafted prayers to promote a message of peace. The texts establish a maternal dialogue to foster a space of trust and security, aiming to replace the exclusive focus on the God of Israel with a deity encompassing all nations. Through these liturgical creations, the authors challenge both the Israeli Orthodox establishment, which excludes non-Orthodox identities and expressions, and the hegemonic national order, which suppresses discussions of coexistence during times of conflict and marginalizes women’s political involvement. Therefore, I conclude that the creators of these prayers emerge as significant gendered political actors in an era marked by distrust, anger, hostility, and fear. They demonstrate that a message of coexistence can resonate within the religious sphere. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Ethics of War and Peace: Religious Traditions in Dialogue)
12 pages, 238 KB  
Article
The Fact of War and the Cry for Peace in the Way of Thinking of Andrea Riccardi
by László Gájer
Religions 2026, 17(2), 175; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17020175 - 1 Feb 2026
Viewed by 683
Abstract
Andrea Riccardi is an Italian Catholic historian, university professor, activist, and the founder of the Community of Sant’Egidio. His writings mainly deal with contemporary historical topics, with a particular focus on the history of the papacy today. However, his books do not neglect [...] Read more.
Andrea Riccardi is an Italian Catholic historian, university professor, activist, and the founder of the Community of Sant’Egidio. His writings mainly deal with contemporary historical topics, with a particular focus on the history of the papacy today. However, his books do not neglect moral positions. He shapes his views in practice just as he does in his theoretical work. His community, the Community of Sant’Egidio carries out a significant peace mission, the moral foundations of which were laid by Riccardi. In this study, I wanted to collect primarily those moral principles and theoretical statements from Riccardi’s writings that came from his heart and define the Community’s peace mission. Pope Francis described this Catholic lay association as the community of the “three P’s’: preghiera (prayer), poveri (the poor), and pace (peace). The mission of peace and standing up for peace are therefore essential in the life of this Community. In Catholic social teaching, the importance of the message of peace has become increasingly valued in recent decades. Riccardi explains his own moral principles in this context. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Ethics of War and Peace: Religious Traditions in Dialogue)
21 pages, 393 KB  
Article
A Midrashic and Patristic Journey: Towards an Ethic of Peace Beyond Just War
by David Meyer and Krisztián Fenyves
Religions 2026, 17(2), 146; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17020146 - 28 Jan 2026
Viewed by 684
Abstract
This paper seeks to foster an interpretative dialogue between Judaism and Christianity on an audacious theological dynamic: the shift from an ethics of war to an ethics of peace. Beginning with a hermeneutical examination of a brief midrashic text from the Tanhuma collection, [...] Read more.
This paper seeks to foster an interpretative dialogue between Judaism and Christianity on an audacious theological dynamic: the shift from an ethics of war to an ethics of peace. Beginning with a hermeneutical examination of a brief midrashic text from the Tanhuma collection, the article argues that the dynamic momentum initiated by the midrash, suggesting a path of transformation from war to peace, finds a powerful echo and development in a contemporary Catholic theological movement rooted in Augustine’s notion of “bellum iustum,” as reoriented by the Magisterial teaching’s emphasis on “just peace” from Pope Benedict XV onward. The authors suggest that the early midrashic dynamic, and the theological audacity it expresses—which will be further explicated—is enriched and given new dimensions when brought into conversation with the Church’s current effort to move beyond the traditional framework of “just war” toward a renewed insistence on peace as the primary ethical horizon. This case study highlights the potential for mutual theological enrichment when the inner movements of both traditions are brought into dialogue. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Ethics of War and Peace: Religious Traditions in Dialogue)

Review

Jump to: Research

21 pages, 333 KB  
Review
The Role of Religion in Military Socialisation: Toward an Integrative Model
by Boglárka Barna
Religions 2026, 17(3), 305; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17030305 - 2 Mar 2026
Viewed by 1482
Abstract
This study examines religion as a potent pre-socialisation factor in modern military socialisation, exploring how sacred roots and transcendent anchors influence the formation of military identity. By synthesising Ecological Systems Theory, the Religion–Military Model, and an Integrative Model, the analysis frames religiosity as [...] Read more.
This study examines religion as a potent pre-socialisation factor in modern military socialisation, exploring how sacred roots and transcendent anchors influence the formation of military identity. By synthesising Ecological Systems Theory, the Religion–Military Model, and an Integrative Model, the analysis frames religiosity as a multidimensional construct that shapes integration across macro (societal), meso (organisational), and micro (individual) levels. The research reveals the dualistic nature of religious influence. On the one hand, religious pre-socialisation instils a habitus defined by normative commitment, sacrificial ethics, and ritual familiarity. These elements facilitate Person–Organisation fit and act as catalysts for identity fusion, where personal agency is united with the group’s strength. On the other hand, the study identifies a critical theological and psychological vulnerability: moral injury. When absolute religious commandments—such as the sanctity of life—collide with the lethal demands of combat, an irresolvable normative conflict arises, mirroring historical tensions between the Christian conscience and the sacramentum. By identifying strategic intervention points for chaplaincy and leadership, the study demonstrates that integrating the religious dimension is not only an ethical duty but a prerequisite for maintaining triadic equilibrium, resilience, and institutional stability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Ethics of War and Peace: Religious Traditions in Dialogue)
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