Violence-legitimizing verses in religious scriptures increase support for lethal violence

(WZB Berlin Social Science Center) Extremist perpetrators of violence often quote verses from their religion's holy scriptures that authorize, or even prescribe, attacks on enemies of the faith. However, whether the religious motivation that extremist perpetrators of violence emphasize is causally related to their actions is often doubted. Now, WZB researchers Ruud Koopmans and Eylem Kanol can prove for the first time that verses in religious scriptures that legitimize violence can increase support for killing enemies of the faith.
Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news