Not in the Name of the Lord

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks (1948-2020), a British rabbi, writer, politician, and philosopher, addresses the phenomenon of violence committed in the name of God, viewing it from the perspective of a spiritual leader. If the problem lies in religion, then the solution,... Rabbi Sacks argues, must also be sought within it. The conviction in the exclusive truth of one's own faith often leads to what Rabbi Sacks calls altruistic evil: violence in the name of good. Its source, according to the rabbi, lies in the misinterpretation of biblical texts that form the foundation of the three Abrahamic religions. He proposes to re-read the biblical stories of rivalry: Cain and Abel, Joseph and his brothers, Rachel and Leah, and others.
This is an eloquent appeal to believers, regardless of their faith, as well as to non-religious people, to unite in order to collectively counter extremism.