States sacralize political claims with religious certainty, increasingly overriding public attention on non-state actors

Evidence

Our analysis seeks to examine how, through hegemonic nationalism, states invoke religious claims as being foundational for political and national claims in domestic and international politics, thus sacralizing the political. This sacralization bestows the certainty of religious sanctification even when invoked by nonreligious and secular actors. The emphasis on state policies in this regard is important because, as we show in this volume, states’ reliance, often explicitly, on religious claims or texts for justifying and legitimizing contentious policies is on the rise, although it is rather the non-state actors that have occupied political attention and academic research. — Nadim N. Rouhana and Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian, When Politics Are Sacralized, 81

Categorization

• QUESTION: The book’s central premise — that sacredness confers certainty that makes policies non-negotiable — connects directly to the reader’s interest in whether sacralization makes correction backfire.
• XREF: Extends the reader’s sacred-values mechanism into state/nationalist framing — the reader’s stated reading purpose for making political conflicts resistance to compromise. — connects to: Sacralizing religion extends state power across identity, law, and violence — Nadim N. Rouhana and Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian, When Politics Are Sacralized:…, 67; Secular political movements can weaponize religious claims they do not believe. — Nadim N. Rouhana and Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian, When Politics Are Sacralized:…, 495; Religious claims serve different functions depending on political position — Nadim N. Rouhana and Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian, When Politics Are Sacralized:…, 207 (+6 more)

Broader Connections

• Politics fused with sacred religious claims follow distinctive conflict dynamics #corroborates (0.82) — Nadim N. Rouhana and Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian, When Politics Are Sacralized, 66
• Secular political movements can weaponize religious claims they do not believe. #expands (0.80) — Nadim N. Rouhana and Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian, When Politics Are Sacralized, 495
• Religion as political legitimation functions regardless of actors’ actual religiosity #corroborates (0.80) — Nadim N. Rouhana and Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian, When Politics Are Sacralized, 103
• Religion can override political rights and material gains when believers hold it inviolable #qualifies (0.78)
• Religious claims serve different functions depending on political position #expands (0.75) — Nadim N. Rouhana and Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian, When Politics Are Sacralized, 207
• Theologians’ claims overstated religion-politics fusion to protect their standing #contradicts (0.75)
• Religion fuses with nationalism only when it legitimizes actual state governance #qualifies (0.75) — Nadim N. Rouhana and Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian, When Politics Are Sacralized, 75
• States continuously recraft mythologies to legitimize their power #expands (0.72)