An article in the Summer 2011 issue of Conflict Resolution Quarterly investigates the long-held tenet that mediators should not bring religion into the conflict resolution process, and concludes that it’s time to change our stance on this topic. In “God in the Process: Is There a Place for Religion in Conflict Resolution?”, authors Rachel Goldberg and Brian Blancke consider the standard objections to acknowledging religion, countering that, because faith dimensions are critical to both understanding and engaging the conflict, “ignoring religion is no longer an option.” For example, religion introduces values into the process, but values are not negotiable, so it is traditionally been held that, “if it’s not clearly negotiable, it’s not in the realm of conflict resolution.” But the authors note that conflict resolution processes can still help parties understand one another’s different values, not to negotiate an agreement but to recognize that “we can deeply disagree with one another without violence.”
They also challenge the traditional notion that religion undermines the mediator’s neutrality and risks the parties’ right to self-determination. Concern about a mediator imposing her values on the process is valid, but it’s a leap to conclude that mediators therefore should never bring up religion. As most mediators readily acknowledge, the idea that the mediator is value-lessly neutral is an illusion, so mediators’ moral values already shape the process — and that may be a good thing. And, while religion has been used to destroy and divide, it can also be used to build and unite.
The article observes that the disciplines of psychology and law have already done a lot of work on this topic of how to include religion to unify rather than divide, and the field of conflict resolution would do well to borrow from them. For example, psychology recognizes that therapists’ spiritual beliefs may affect their practice, and recommends self-disclosure as the means to protect and guide the client.
The authors’ concern about introducing religion in mediation seems to be limited to cases where the parties are of different religions, and/or the mediator is of a different religion than a party. Only in passing do they mention the numerous conflict resolution programs available to people within a religious group, who wish to incorporate their shared spiritual beliefs into resolution of their dispute. While noting some little-known programs, they overlook Peacemaker Ministries, the largest Christian dispute resolution organization. (Instead, they mention something called “the Christian Mediation Network,” an organization I’ve never heard of, although I’ve been in this field for decades; a google search comes up empty, so I have no idea to what they are referring.)
Still, it’s heartening to hear mediation practitioners recognize what Christian mediators long have known: we humans are spiritual beings. Our spiritual beliefs may have gotten us into conflict, and they may help us get out, so mediators who recognize this truth, and incorporate it into their practice, are more likely to help parties reach full and lasting resolution of their conflicts.