Most people would probably assume that peace is preferable to warfare. Most people surely believe this; unfortunately, there are people who disagree. Being in a state of war is, for them, empowering because it helps them understand who they are, where they are going, and why they exist.

In Terror in the Mind of God: The Global Rise of Religious Violence, Mark Juergensmeyer writes:

One of the reasons a state of war is preferable to peace is that it gives moral justification to acts of violence. Violence, in turn, offers the illusion of power. ... The idea of warfare implies more than an attitude; ultimately it is a world view and an assertion of power. To live in a state of war is to live in world in which individuals know who they are, why they have suffered, by whose hand they have been humiliated, and at what expense the have persevered.

The concept of war provides cosmology, history, and eschatology and offers the reins of political control. Perhaps most important, it holds out the hope of victory and the means to achieve it. In the images of cosmic war this victorious triumph is a grand moment of social and personal transformation, transcending all worldly limitations. One does not easily abandon such expectations. To be without such images of war is almost to be without hope itself.

Violence as an illusion of power, especially when that violence is committed in the name of cosmic justice, will be especially attractive to those who see themselves as lacking power when it comes to culture or politics. Violence will make a person believe that their grievances are being heard, that they are influencing the course of events, and participating in society in a vital manner.

All of this, I think, probably plays an important role in the attraction of terrorism. When people are marginalized, ignored, and irrelevant, lashing out violently may seem like a reasonable reaction. They may not have missiles, armies, or huge resources, but through a few well-planned acts of grotesque violence, they can become as important as any nation and as influential as any world leader.

Warfare also gives people direction — this is true not only for more literal wars, but also metaphorical wars like the “Culture War” being waged by the Christian Right in America. When there is a war, and especially one fought on behalf of God, then everything is imbued with transcendent meaning. There are no mundane or random events. No one’s life need be led in quiet, meaningless isolation. If one suffers, it’s for a grand reason. If one is lost, there is a way out. War is thus attractive on a number of levels.

 

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