Description: Explore and discuss Just Vision's Visionaries' ideas about how religion relates to the conflict, as well as participants' own.

Goal: To consider the ways in which religion can play a divisive or a conciliatory role in this conflict.  Participants will also explore their own life experience with this issue.

Supplies: Just Vision’s quotes on Religion, tape, paper, markers.

Estimated Time: 60-90 minutes.

Suggested Group Size: 10-15

PDF: Download Just Vision's set of printable Religion quotes:

Procedure:

1. Print out the attached PDF and post on walls around the room.
2. Ask participants to spend 5 minutes writing 1-2 sentences on their own experience of religion as a divisive or conciliatory force (before looking at the Visionaries' quotes on the walls) on a piece of paper using the markers provided.
3. Have participants tape their definitions to the wall alongside the Visionaries' quotes.
4. Ask participants to spend 20 minutes reading all the quotes on the walls.
5. Participants are asked to return to their seats and sit in a circle.  For larger groups with limited time, create small discussion groups of three or four.  Pose the questions below.

Discussion Questions:

• Did you find any of the quotes surprising? Why?
• How do you explain the differing thoughts on whether religion has a positive or negative role in the conflict?
• In your own experience, does religion contribute to or help to lessen divisions between people?
• What role to you think religion plays in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict?
• How do you think religion could be a force for positive change?