**5. Conclusions**

To sum up, with the role of religion in peacemaking and peacebuilding attracting increasing attention in academia, policy making and practitioning, the above discussion analyzed di fferent dimensions of the often nebulous "religious factor" in both conflict and peace. Structured along formal and material aspects, the contributions of religion to peace processes came into clearer focus. Awareness of the anatomy of the love–hate relationship between religion and peace and of the di fferent dimensions of religion in conflict and in peace facilitates conflict analysis and can help to find openings for the constructive engagemen<sup>t</sup> of religious actors on the pathway to sustainable peace and reconciliation. It became clear, however, that just as religion itself, each of its dimensions are ambiguous and can serve either conflictive or peaceful means. Nevertheless, it also became clear that religion matters in both conflict and peace. Rather than ignoring its impact, the di fferent roles of religion need to be clearly analyzed and, where possible, religion's help enlisted in the joint engagemen<sup>t</sup> for a more peaceful world. In this vein, CARSA's Cows for Peace Project in post-genocide Rwanda provided a constructive example of religious peacebuilding.

**Funding:** This research received no external funding.

**Conflicts of Interest:** The author declares no conflict of interest.
