"Ordinary Theology" in the Rwandan Peace and Reconciliation Process

1994年，卢旺达遭受种族灭绝。在三个月期间，估计有80万至100万卢旺达人被杀害。卢旺达种族灭绝与非洲其他冲突相比是一个例外，因为主要的分歧是同一宗教的种族群体之间的分歧。基督教会在种族灭绝期间的行为是非常矛盾的：有些教会成员不顾其种族群体保护受害者，冒着自己的生命危险。另一方面，神职人员、僧侣、修女和俗人直接参与了杀戮行为，而教会作为机构的态度只能说是袖手旁观。自种族灭绝以来，卢旺达政府参与了一个系统的和平建设进程，其中民族团结与和解是主要方面。在这一进程中，教会是重要的伙伴，因为它们为和平与和解而努力，但它们也需要面对自己的过去和参与种族灭绝的事实。教会的和平与和解工作是针对种族灭绝的幸存者。这些人被迫住在附近，因此需要处理他们遭受极端暴力的经历（无论是作为受害者还是作为肇事者）。这个项目涉及的问题是，宗教资源，特别是受害者和肇事者的普通神学，是否是克服极端暴力经历的机会。杰夫·阿斯特利（Jeff Astley）定义的普通神学包括没有受过正规神学教育的人的神学信仰。普通神学领域的研究阐明了学术神学概念对人们的相关性和意义。因此，它有助于在一个不断变化的世界神学的相关性。由于卢旺达是非洲众多暴力冲突中的一个例外，分析教会对和平与和解进程的贡献也很重要。教会的贡献将系统地与受害者和肇事者的普通神学联系起来。因此，该项目将努力与神圣的矛盾心理的论文。根据R.斯科特·阿佩尔比，神圣的矛盾意味着宗教既有促进暴力的潜力，也有缔造和平的潜力。宗教对神圣的提及是否会导致暴力或建立和平取决于许多因素，如宗教精英的行为和宗教机构的自治程度。

In 1994 Rwanda was devastated by genocide. During three months an estimated 800,000 - 1,000,000 Rwandans were murdered. The Rwandan Genocide is exceptional in regard to other conflicts in Africa because the main cleavage was between ethnic groups of the same religion. The conduct of the Christian Churches during the genocide was highly ambivalent: There were Church members who protected the victims regardless of their ethnic group, risking their own lives. On the other hand clerics, monks, nuns and laypersons were directly involved in the acts of killing and the attitude of the Churches as institutions can only be described as standing on the sidelines. Ever since the genocide the Rwandan government is involved in a systematic process of peace building in which national unity and reconciliation are the main aspects. In this process, the Churches are important partners because they work for peace and reconciliation, but they also need to face their past and their involvement in the genocide. The churches' work for peace and reconciliation is aimed at the survivors of the genocide. Those persons are forced to live close by and therefore need to process their experiences of extreme violence (either as victim or as perpetrator). The problem that this project deals with is whether religious resources, especially the ordinary theology of victims and perpetrators, are a chance of overcoming experiences of extreme violence. Ordinary theology as Jeff Astley defines it includes the theological beliefs of people with no formal theological education. Research in the field of ordinary theology clarifies how academic theological concepts are relevant and meaningful for people. It contributes therefore to the relevance of theology in a constantly changing world. Because Rwanda is an exception among the wide range of violent conflicts in Africa, it is also important to analyze the contribution of the Churches to the peace and reconciliation process. The Churches' contribution will be systematically linked to the ordinary theology of victims and perpetrators. Hence the project will grapple with the thesis of the ambivalence of the sacred. According to R. Scott Appelby the ambivalence of the sacred means the fact that religion has both a potential for promoting violence or for peacemaking. Whether the religious reference to the sacred leads to violence or peacemaking depends on many factors such as the behavior of religious elites and the level of autonomy of religious institutions.