Religion, Torture and the Liberation of God

Mario I Aguilar

Apr 2015 · Routledge

About this ebook

If God can be used by the powerful to justify violence in the name of order, he can also be used by the weak to illuminate the position of the victims of political conflict. Religion, Torture and the Liberation of God explores the theological possibilities of a God who is a prisoner and a victim of torture. The book relocates God to the horrors of the military abuse of human rights in Chile and the systematic rape of women in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Aguilar argues that this theological exercise offers us new ways of understanding the abuse of power, whether it be the clerical abuse of children, violence against women, or homophobia. This examination of torture and rape becomes, through a theology of praxis and compliance, an examination of solidarity, love and affection. The book concludes with an exploration of the possibilities of a tortured God who liberates.

About the author

Mario I. Aguilar is a theologian from Chile who occupies a personal chair in Divinity (Religion and Politics) and is the director of the Centre for the Study of Religion and Politics (CSRP) at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. His latest books include Pope Francis: His Life and Thought (2014) and Church, Liberation and World Religions (2012).