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Category - rene girard

  • 2 May 2011
    Rejoice? Bin Laden and the cycle of violence

    This morning I woke to an orgy of media-fed delight about a violent death. According to Irenaeus, the second century Bishop of Lugdunum, “the glory of God is a human being fully alive.” According to at least one politician I listened to on the radio, what pleases God most is an enemy brutally murdered.

  • 3 Apr 2009
    Resisting the urge to scapegoat

    The targeting and scapegoating of vulnerable groups can undermine the very values which are supposedly being defended, says Savi Hensman. She also sets out the strong Christian case against such practices.

  • 6 Jan 2009
    Repaying violence with violence

    Taking the ancient religious law of proportionate response ("an eye for an eye") as an injunction for modern revenge and preemptive attack is a recipe for disaster, says Martin Marty.

  • 22 Mar 2008
    Putting an end to scapegoating

    Easter is not about some nasty death cult where a blood sacrifice must be paid to appease an angry God, says Giles Fraser. The crucifixion reveals human death-dealing at its worst and the resurrection offers a new start, refusing the logic of scapegoating.

  • 13 Dec 2007
    Advent and redeeming religion

    My prize discovery of the Advent season is a website offering seasonal reflections on the lectionary derived from the insights of René Girard.