Religion and Evil from the Perspective of Mimetic Theory
in Coping with Evil in Religion and CultureSearch for other papers by André Lascaris in
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This paper is based on a specific anthropology, the mimetic theory, developed by the French literary scholar René Girard for dealing with human violence; evil as a cultural phenomenon. Here violence is viewed as the primary form of evil. Earthquakes, tornadoes, and the morbid growth of cells in the body are called evil in an analogous way. It is rather the human response that determines whether something is evil and evokes the question: How does one cope with violence? Unmasking the scapegoat mechanism and refusing to apply it helps prevent violence. The enemy, the potential scapegoat, is humanized through love and the distinction between "us" and "him" is rejected. In many cases, doing the unexpected and using paradoxical interventions may stop or prevent violence. The vicious circle of violence is broken by asking for forgiveness and by granting it. Forgiveness is not to be understood as an emotion but first of all as an act of acceptance. The mimetic theory relates directly to the question of the relationship between religion and evil. In this theory the world in which we live is a place of desire, conflict and violence; religion is a way of containing violence so that human beings can live together in peace.