Christian terrorism

Christian terrorism, a form of religious terrorism, refers to terrorist acts which are committed by groups or individuals who profess Christian motivations or goals.[1] Christian terrorists justify their violent tactics through their interpretation of the Bible and Christianity, in accordance with their own objectives and worldview.[2][3][4]

Christian terrorism can be committed against members of other Christian denominations, adherents of other religions, secular governments, groups, individuals or society as a whole.[2] Christianity can also be cynically used as a rhetorical device to achieve political or military goals by terrorists.[5]

Christian terrorist groups include paramilitary organizations, cults, and loose groups of people that might come together in order to attempt to terrorize other groups. Some groups also encourage unaffiliated individuals to commit terrorist acts.[6] The paramilitary groups are typically tied to ethnic and political goals as well as religious goals[7][8] and many of these groups have religious beliefs which are at odds with the religious beliefs of conventional Christianity.[9]

  1. ^ Bruce Hoffman (1998). Inside terrorism. Internet Archive. Columbia University Press. pp. 105–120. ISBN 978-0-231-11468-4.
  2. ^ a b Al-Khattar, Aref M. (2003). Religion and Terrorism: An Interfaith Perspective. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 29. ISBN 9780275969233.
  3. ^ Hoffman, Bruce (January 1995). "'Holy terror': The implications of terrorism motivated by a religious imperative". Studies in Conflict & Terrorism. 18 (4): 271–284. doi:10.1080/10576109508435985.
  4. ^ Pratt, Douglas (15 June 2010). "Religion and Terrorism: Christian Fundamentalism and Extremism". Terrorism and Political Violence. 22 (3): 438–456. doi:10.1080/09546551003689399. S2CID 143804453.
  5. ^ "What is the Lord's Resistance Army?". Christian Science Monitor. 8 November 2011. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
  6. ^ Hoffman, Bruce (1998). Inside Terrorism. Columbia University Press. ISBN 978-0-231-11468-4.
  7. ^ Flynn, Daniel (29 July 2014). "Insight – Gold, diamonds feed Central African religious violence". Reuters. Archived from the original on 7 January 2016. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  8. ^ Mark Juergensmeyer (1 September 2003). Terror in the Mind of God: The Global Rise of Religious Violence. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-93061-2.
  9. ^ Barkun, Michael (1996). "preface". Religion and the Racist Right: The Origins of the Christian Identity Movement. University of North Carolina Press. pp. x. ISBN 978-0-8078-4638-4.

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