Religion: A Missing Component of Professional Military Education PKSOI Paper | Page 21

tary Education (PME). Most often the topic is simply
absent in PME.
Peacebuilding Counterpart
In a post-secular world, the metaphor that communicates a wall of separation between church and state
may no longer be useful. More meaningful may be the
metaphor that suggests the twin tolerations. 30
Religion and state “depend on a constructive coexistence”31 in order to address peacebuilding challenges. State and religion share a common concern, an
emphasis on the good. Since Plato’s Republic, Western
scholars have searched for the most appropriate way
to govern ourselves. Secular and sacred focus on the
same question using different language, “What is the
good?” Religious literacy enables peacebuilding actors operating from a secular context be able to comprehend religious language in this common search.32
Religion and Violence
Religion is easily and often connected to violence.
Viewing religion as one- dimensional can lead to shallow thinking and poor analysis. If a thesis is wrong,
the answer will be wrong. My experience teaching
conflict analysis and resolution in undergraduate and
graduate studies programs leads me to suggest that
students readily throw religion forward as the cause
of many conflicts. Critical thinking is absent. They
quickly follow with a recommendation that religion
should be eliminated in order to eliminate conflict; an
unlikely proposition.

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