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Better Worse For Better for Worse – The Role of Religion in Development Cooperation of Religion The Role – For Better for Worse For Better For Better for Worse The Role of Religion in Development Cooperation for Worse Can development cooperation be effective without a genuine understanding of religion and religious The Role of Religion in Development Cooperation actors? Considering that religion is an integral part of life for a majority of the world’s population and that sustainable change builds on peoples own resources, the obvious answer is no. Religion affects the way people think, act and understand the world they live in as well as permeating the cultures and the fabrics of our societies. Sometimes it is an asset, sometimes a problem. In both cases a thorough understanding and analysis of the world of religion is a necessity. This anthology has been written in order to offer the reader inspiration and knowledge about the role of religion in development cooperation; to introdu- ce the theme to those who might not be familiar with these perspectives and add to the knowledge of those who are already well versed within this field. Whether you are connected to a secular or faith-based organisation, dealing with development issues within politics or as a civil servant, if you are a student or simply have an interest in international development issues - this book is written with you in mind. The contributors are some of the most relevant academics and practitioners within their respective fields. As religion concerns most areas of life, the articles cover a wide variety of themes: from peace Odén Edited by Robert and conflict to climate change and the HIV epidemic, from the influence of growing religious movements such as the Pentecostal-charismatic movement to masculinity norms and women’s rights. Edited by Robert Odén For Better for Worse The Role of Religion in Development Cooperation Edited by Robert Odén Acknowledgements Putting together an anthology like this takes a lot of engaged and knowledgeable people. First and foremost a big thanks to all the au- thors, for writing and sharing their knowledge and experiences. A special thanks also to Eva Palm- qvist for being part of planning, reading and commenting, and to Zanne Domoney-Lyttle for doing an amazing job proofreading. ISBN 91-85141-25-9 @ Swedish Mission Council 2016 Editor: Robert Odén Layout: Ulrika L Forsberg/Press Art Print: PrintOne, Halmstad, Sweden. Cover photo: Orthodox procession, Jinka, Ethiopia. Photographer: Lars-Gunnar Svärd This book is produced with economic support from Sida. Sida is not responsible for any of the contents. Contents Preface The role of faith-based mediation Anders Malmstigen 7 in internal armed conflicts Isak Svensson 103 Introduction Robert Odén 9 Another way of thinking: Religion, values and climate change Religion as a resource in Henrik Grape 111 development cooperation Petter Jakobsson 19 Religious leaders’ response to HIV prevention in South Africa Religion and development Elisabet Eriksson 123 – the Norwegian story Jørn Lemvik 35 Recovering the biblical story of Tamar: Training for transform- Mission and development: Old ation, doing development stories or new possibilities? Gerald O. West 135 Tomas Sundnes Drønen 41 International development The need for contextual analysis engages with religion: How on the role of religion in the to achieve positive outcomes Swedish development coopera- for women tion Emma Tomalin 149 Josephine Sundqvist 51 Religious communities The United Nations, faith-based – a resource or a liability organisations and development for development? post-2015 Auli and Mika Vähäkangas 163 Azza Karam 61 Embeddedness – the paradox Faith-based organisations and of development through the their distinct assets grassroots of churches Kjell Nordstokke 75 Henni Alava 177 Pentecostal-charismatic Christi- Endnotes 189 anity and development: Views from Africa Bibliography 213 Päivi Hasu 91 Contributors 233 6 • For Better for Worse Preface The Swedish Mission Council (SMC) was founded in 1912 following the 1910 mission conference in Edinburgh, and has since then been working in the intersection between religion and development. Religious actors – whether Muslim, Christian, Hindu or any other confession – have always been, still are and will continue to be key to development. This is an insight made by the SMC during more than 100 years’ of practical experience with development cooperation among and together with religious actors. It is also a conclusion to be drawn from an increasing amount of research. Being able to relate to religion and religious actors is decisive to anyone who wants to make a difference in development cooperation. It is therefore encouraging to see that the interest in the role of religion in development is growing, internationally as well as in Sweden. It is not only an interest of religious actors and faith-based organisations, but a concern for religious and secular organisations alike. The SMC is working to raise the awareness of, and strengthen the capacity to relate to, religion and religious actors in development. In order to be successful, this must be done as a joint venture, between everyone working towards a sustainable world where people can live their lives in dignity. As a source of knowledge and inspiration, the SMC is now happy to present the anthology “For Better for Worse: The Role of Religion in Development Cooperation”. Anders Malmstigen Secretary General, Swedish Mission Council The Role of Religion in Development Cooperation 7 8 • For Better for Worse Introduction Robert Odén ”Given that religion is an integral part of the lives of billions of people, it can be considered a human resource of significant importance. Since it is widely accepted in policy circles that development, if it is to be effective and lasting, should build on people’s own resources, it makes sense to include their religious or spiritual resources and not material and intellectual ones only.” Gerrie ter Haar in Religion and Development – ways of transforming the world1 Few things are as natural to humankind as religion. Religion and spirituality has been around since time immemorial and, opposed to what has long been a popular theory, religion still is and will also remain a major factor in the future, for societies and people alike. Religion affects the way people think, act and understand the world they live in as well as permeating the cultures and the fabrics of our societies. Sometimes, the role of religion is an asset for people and societies, sometimes it is a problem. For those having the ambition to contribute to a positive and sustainable change in societies and in people’s lives, understanding religion becomes nothing less than a necessity. In development cooperation this has always been a well-known fact for some, and is now an insight being made by an increasing number of people working with development in different ways and capacities; for example in research, government agencies and in secular as well as religious NGOs. And the change has been remarkable; twenty years ago, this was in many ways a non-issue, but today it is more and more an issue to be reckoned with, an issue to be found on many an agenda. There are and have recently been quite a few ongoing processes relating to religion and development at different levels: at intergovernmental and international levels, for instance within the UN-system or the newly established Partnership on Religion and Sustainable Development (PaRD); at governmental levels in for example Norway and Germany; and at various organisational levels in many different countries. Nevertheless, there is work to be done when it comes to the analysis of religion as a factor in development, which when compared to, for example, gender issues, is still very far behind. There are of course many reasons to understand and relate to religion and work for an increased knowledge about the role of religion in development cooperation. Among the major reasons are questions linking to sustainability and the effectiveness of development cooperation, as well as to questions concerning respect for people’s identities and cultural 1 Haar, Gerrie ter (ed.), Religion and development: ways of transforming the world, Hurst & Co: London, 2011. The Role of Religion in Development Cooperation 9 expressions. The first aspects are related to in the above quote by the Dutch professor of sociology, Gerrie ter Haar. “Given that religion is an integral part of the lives of billions of people”, she writes, “it can be considered a human resource of significant importance”. This should then be seen in relation to the firmly established idea that sustainability in development can only be built on the foundations of people’s own resources. It has to be grounded in people’s own ideas and realities. The aspect of respect for identities and cultural expressions is partly about a different thing. This underlines that religion is not primarily a tool for development cooperation strategies and methods. Religion is about people, about faith and hope, about longing, and the meaning of life itself. It is not to be instrumentalised for development purposes in every situation. Nevertheless, for any of these reasons it is essential that we have a proper understanding of religion and what it means to people and societies in the different contexts that we relate to. This anthology has been written in order to offer the reader inspiration and knowledge, to introduce religion and development to people who might not be very familiar with these perspectives and at the same time contribute to the discussion with the profound knowledge of some of the most relevant academics and practitioners within their respective fields; knowledge that will also be of great interest to those of us who have been working with these questions for a long time. If you are working in the international development sector, if you are connected to a secular or a faith-based organisation, if you are dealing with development issues as a decision-maker within politics or as a civil servant, if you are a student or simply have an interest in international development issues, then this book is written with you in mind.
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