Thinking about Religion and Violence

Description

We live in a world where religious violence seems more prevalent than ever. But while news stories make this seem like a relatively modern phenomenon, the truth is that religion and violence have been intertwined since the dawn of the world’s great faiths. Religious violence isn’t a contemporary phenomenon:(—it’s an enduring aspect of the human experience. Biography......Page 3 Table of Contents......Page 5 Scope......Page 9 1 — Religion and Violence: A Strange Nexus......Page 11 2 — Defining Religion and Violence......Page 18 3 — Violence in Sacred Texts......Page 25 4 — Martyrdom, Sacrifice, and Self-Harm......Page 34 5 — Scapegoating and Demonology......Page 44 6 — Understanding Witch Trials......Page 54 7 — The Apocalyptic Outlook......Page 63 8 — Racial Violence and Religion......Page 72 9 — Religion and Violence against Women......Page 82 10 — Sexuality, Morality, and Punishment......Page 93 11 — Heresies and Their Suppression......Page 101 12 — Religion and Just War Theory......Page 109 13 — Peace as a Religious Ideal......Page 119 14 — War Gods and Holy War......Page 126 15 — Religious Violence in Israel......Page 134 16 — Religious Violence in India......Page 144 17 — Religion’s Relationship with Slavery......Page 155 18 — Native Americans and Religious Violence......Page 164 19 — Violence and “Cults”......Page 173 20 — Anti-Catholicism in Europe and America......Page 181 21 — The Persistence of Anti-Semitism......Page 190 22 — Islam, Violence, and Islamophobia......Page 199 23 — Religion and Terrorism......Page 209 24 — What We Can Do about Religious Violence......Page 219 Bibliography......Page 228 Image Credits......Page 240