Is the Supreme Authority Violent?

By Dr Aslam Abdullah
CA

The concept of God in the scriptures of world religions often includes instances where He is depicted as commanding or engaging in acts of violence. These narratives serve various purposes, such as establishing justice, maintaining order, or demonstrating divine authority. Below is an overview of how different religions portray divine violence in their sacred texts:

Judaism

• The Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) contains numerous accounts of divine violence, often as a form of judgment or punishment.
• Examples:
• The Flood (Genesis 6-9): God destroys all living beings except Noah and his family to purge the world of wickedness.
• The Plagues of Egypt (Exodus 7-12): God unleashes ten plagues upon Egypt to compel Pharaoh to release the Israelites.
• The Conquest of Canaan (Deuteronomy 20:16-18): God commands the Israelites to destroy certain nations entirely while conquering the Promised Land.
• Rabbinic texts explore divine violence, often seeking to reconcile it with God's mercy.
• The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah is necessary to eliminate extreme corruption (Genesis 19).
•  

Christianity

• The New Testament emphasizes themes of destruction
• Revelation: The Book of Revelation uses apocalyptic imagery to describe God's final judgment, including catastrophic events and the defeat of evil.
• Jesus' Teachings: While Christ emphasizes peace, he also states, "I did not come to bring peace, but a sword" (Matthew 10:34),  

Islam

• The Qur'an depicts God (Allah) as both merciful and just, with instances of divine violence upholding justice and guiding humanity.
• Examples:
• Battles of the Prophet Muhammad: Divine support is described for the Prophet and his followers in conflicts (e.g., Battle of Badr, Qur'an 8:17).
• Punishment of Past Nations: Stories of destroyed civilizations, such as the people of Aad and Thamud, serve as warnings (Qur'an 89:6-14).

Hinduism

• Violence in Hindu texts often arises in the context of cosmic balance (Dharma) and the battle between good and evil.
• Examples:
• The Mahabharata: The Bhagavad Gita, part of this epic, features Lord Krishna encouraging Arjuna to fight in the Kurukshetra War as a duty to restore dharma.
• Destruction by Shiva: Shiva, as the destroyer, embodies the necessary destruction for renewal and balance in the universe.
• Buddhism
• While Buddhism generally advocates non-violence (Ahimsa), some texts include metaphors of destruction to highlight spiritual truths.
• Examples:
• Wrathful Deities: In Vajrayana Buddhism, wrathful deities like Mahakala symbolize the destruction of ignorance and obstacles to enlightenment.

Sikhism

• Sikh scriptures emphasize justice and moral courage, with violence as a last resort.
• Guru Gobind Singh: Advocated for using arms to defend against oppression, viewing violence as justified in protecting righteousness.

Taoism

• The Taoist tradition emphasizes harmony and natural order, with minimal focus on divine violence.
• Example: The Tao Te Ching discusses the balance of forces (Yin and Yang), where destruction is part of the cyclical nature of life.

• (Dr Aslam Abdullah is a resident scholar at Islamicity.org and editor-in-chief of the Muslim Observer newspaper. He is also the Indian Islamic Heritage Project director of the American Federation of Muslims of Indian origin and the interim President of the World Council of Muslims for Interfaith Relations, WCMIR.)