Religion plays a part in many conflicts in the world. But what role? Is conflict usually economic and/or ethnic at root, with religion becoming a part of it only secondarily? Or does the very formation of a religious community itself lead to isolation, exclusion and conflict? Reconciliation often has religious roots: through religion people often come to understand that they are part of a greater whole and to realize that they must work at restoring good relationships with others in situations of deep conflict, and especially after direct conflict has ended. Religion, Conflict and Reconciliation: Multifaith Ideals and Realities, the authors of which represent five religious traditions, provides the reader with broad perspectives on the role of religion in conflict and reconciliation, with regard to both the actual processes involved and the central insights of the major religious traditions of the world.