Violence in the context of religion for the sake of salvation manifests as the forcible imposition of faith and order, where the idea of salvation transforms into a means of coercion rather than an act of free choice and inner transformation.

Salvation Through Coercion: The Paradox of Spiritual Violence

Violence in the context of religion for the sake of salvation manifests as the forcible imposition of faith and order, where the idea of salvation transforms into a means of coercion rather than an act of free choice and inner transformation. The essence of forced salvation is that the attempt to “save” through coercion perverts the original idea of spiritual liberation, stripping it of the essence of freedom. As noted in one of the sources, “The idea of forced salvation, so fateful in its consequences throughout history, is a false resemblance of the Kingdom of God to the kingdom of Caesar, a debasement of the spiritual world to the level of the natural world” (source: link txt). This stresses that salvation ought to be an act of freedom, and violence, based on coercion, cannot lead to genuine enlightenment.

Regarding the question of who is the initiator of such violence – God or man – the presented materials make it clear that the root cause lies within man. One of the texts directly asserts: “Evil indeed has no ontological foundation, because it is always a force that is not creative but destructive. God does not create evil. But the freedom granted to man presupposes that he may use it and divert his will from good” (source: link txt). This means that violence as a means of salvation does not stem from divine intention, but arises as a result of human choice and the distortion of freedom, when man deviates from true spiritual principles in his actions.

Additionally, it is noted that violence is seen as a paradox: people, in their pursuit of peace and unity, inadvertently resort to the very violence they create. As stated, “People do not worship violence as such: they do not practice a ‘cult of violence’…” (source: link txt). This demonstrates that violence is not an objective instrument of divine salvation, but rather a product of human aspirations and misconceptions.

Thus, violence in the religious context of salvation manifests in the form of coercion and distortion of the original spiritual values, with its initiator being none other than man, who, using the freedom granted to him, may misinterpret the path to salvation.

Supporting citation(s):
“The idea of forced salvation, so fateful in its consequences throughout history, is a false resemblance of the Kingdom of God to the kingdom of Caesar, a debasement of the spiritual world to the level of the natural world. In the natural world, in Caesar’s kingdom, violence and coercion prevail. The spiritual world, the Kingdom of God, is an order of freedom. Violence can save no one, because salvation presupposes an act of freedom; salvation is the enlightenment of freedom from within.” (source: link txt)

“Evil indeed has no ontological foundation, because it is always a force that is not creative but destructive. God does not create evil. But the freedom granted to man presupposes that he may use it and divert his will from good.” (source: link txt)