Was the Bosnian War (1992–1995) a Full-fledged Religious War?

Abstract

Pursuing from the definition of religious as one “commanded by a deity,” the author analyzes the Bosnian 1992–1995 War fares. In the case of two of the three religious parties involved—the Islamic Community and the Serbian Orthodox Church—it is discernible that, for both the religious authorities and the flock, this was considered a religious struggle; however, the Roman Catholic Church never committed itself explicitly in words. Deeds on the part of Catholic officials indicate that it also understood the War and the participation of its members as part of a religious endeavor, amounting to more than a benediction of the War effort. The War was articulately comprehended as religious in nature by combatants from all sides. Moreover, there are major consequences of the War pointing to its religious nature. Thus, the War can be considered as religious by most indicators, and issues of moral accountability do arise.KeywordsReligious CommunityReligious IdentityReligious AuthorityReligious StruggleIslamic CommunityThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.