Constructive Discourse and Social Formation: Alcohol and Pork as Enemies of Religion

Abstract

This academic article aims to explore the role of religious discourse in constructing moral authority and delineating behavioral boundaries within society through ideologically driven language. The phrase “alcohol and pork as enemies of religion,” commonly found in both Buddhist and Islamic preaching, is not merely a doctrinal or ritual prohibition, but rather a discursive mechanism that produces shared moral meanings. It frames certain behaviors as religious transgressions and identifies these acts with symbolic enemies of the faith. This discursive process functions as a tool of moral governance, shaping ethical consciousness at both individual and structural levels of society. Employing Michel Foucault’s theory of discourse and power alongside Norman Fairclough’s critical discourse analysis, this study argues that such discourse is not incidental, but the result of deeply rooted socio-religious reproduction, embedded in scriptures, customs, and the authority of religious leadership. These elements collectively reinforce moral perceptions that associate religious virtue with specific, culturally constructed behaviors. The article contends that, when applied with critical awareness, such discourse can serve as a strategic mechanism for fostering moral consciousness and ethical values within communities. In the context of a pluralistic society, however, an uncritical use of religious discourse risks marginalization and moral absolutism. Therefore, a reflexive interpretation of religious language - one that embraces the complexity of diverse belief systems - is crucial for promoting moral coexistence, peace, and interfaith understanding in contemporary multicultural societies. The findings of this study reveal that 1) this discourse does not exist solely in the form of moral rhetoric, but is the product of a discursive reproduction process that systematically establishes religious authority in the contemporary Thai social structure, 2) it demonstrates the moral hierarchy through the creation of binary oppositions such as religion and evil, purity and impurity, and 3) although this discourse plays a role in sustaining the moral system, it risks creating social divisions if not interpreted flexibly and taking into account the dynamics of a multicultural society.