The Idea of Peace and Prosperity in Religions: Theological Foundations and Cultural Practices
Introduction: Shalom, Irene, Salam, Ahimsa
Concepts of peace and prosperity occupy a central place in religious systems, serving simultaneously as an eschatological ideal, an ethical imperative, and a social utopia. However, their semantics and pathways to achievement differ radically depending on the basic anthropology, cosmology, and soteriology of each religion. Scientific analysis allows us to identify not only declarative positions but also structural mechanisms through which religions offer to overcome violence and ensure well-being. These concepts exist in a dialectic between the internal state of the individual and the harmony of society, between spiritual and material well-being.
Abraamic Religions: Covenant, Justice, and the Kingdom of God
In Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, peace and prosperity are closely linked to the idea of a covenant (contract) between God and humanity, fulfillment of which brings blessings.
Judaism: The key concept is "shalom" (שלום). It is not just the absence of war, but wholeness, completeness, well-being, and harmony in relationships between people and God. Prosperity (material blessings) is understood as a consequence of righteousness and adherence to the Torah. Prophets (Isaiah, Micah) proclaimed the messianic era of universal peace ("...and they shall beat their swords into plowshares..." Isaiah 2:4), where social justice is its necessary condition. Shabbat and the Year of Jubilee are institutional mechanisms for restoring social and economic balance.
Christianity: Peace ("irene" - εἰρήνη) is a gift brought by Christ ("Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you" John 14:27). It is primarily the reconciliation of man with God and through him with others. Inner peace of the heart precedes external peace. The Christian concept of prosperity is ambivalent: on the one hand, the eschatological "Kingdom of God" as a state of absolute h ...
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