JORAS - Nigerian Journal of Religion and Society

The role played by religious leaders in any society cannot be underestimated if peace building process is to be sustained. Religion impacts significantly on the lives of people and remains a contentious phenomenon especially in our modern pluralistic society. There is a multiplicity of religious beliefs; however, religion does not act on its own. The function of religion in any given community depends on the leaders of such a religion. Using descriptive and analytical methods, this article reflects on what it means to be a religious leader in a contemporary world, highlighting the responsibilities of a religious leader. It articulates why religion can be a source of conflict and peace, and examines the role of religious leaders as interpreters, preachers and teachers of faith traditions with emphasis on the need for religious leaders to be knowledgeable within their own faith tradition and that of the 'other.' As such, this article recommends that religious or faith leaders have a unique responsibility in and through dialogue to create, promote, build, and sustain peace and harmony in and between diverse religious communities. And it concludes that they are catalysts for peace and harmony in a religious and socially diverse contemporary society.

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