Peace on Our Terms

“Whenever a religion speaks of peace, it means ‘peace on our terms’. Whatever the language in which it is couched, the argument tends to take this form: ‘Our faith speaks of peace; our holy texts praise peace; therefore, if only the world shared out faith and our texts there would be peace.’ Tragically, this path does not and cannot lead to peace because it is predicated on the conversion of the world – to our religion or ideology conceived as a global truth or universal salvation. Peace thus conceived is part of the problem, not part of the solution.”

To Heal a Fractured World, p. 100