Terror in the mind of god mark juergensmeyer haftad. His ear is not tuned to listen for such theological talk, which renders his title very problematic. Juergensmeyer is a powerful, skillful writer whose deeply empathic interviewing techniques allow readers to enter the minds of some of the late 20th centurys most feared religious terrorists. Defining and distinguishing secular and religious terrorism. He is distinguished professor of sociology and global studies at the university of california santa barbara. Publicly prayed to god to terminate the jews abdul aziz rantisi opposed compromise with israel and called for the creation of a palestinian state including the whole of the state of israel through military action against the jewish state. Terror in the mind of god, fourth edition by mark juergensmeyer.
Pubuniversity of californiaan unsettling book, but also a courageous one. Terror in the mind of god by mark juergensmeyer overdrive. Reviews this dark, enthralling book not only documents the global rise of religious terrorism but seeks to understand the odd attraction of religion and violence. Request an exam or desk copy recommend to your library pdf. Mark juergensmeyer is a professor of sociology and global studies, affiliate professor of religious studies, and the kundan kaur kapany professor of global and sikh studies at the university of california, santa barbara. Indias hindus linked to assaults on muslims in the state of gujarat and sikhs identified with. Juergensmeyer received a ba in philosophy from the university of illinois. Terror in the mind of god download ebook pdf, epub.
Religion in the new global war mark juergensmeyer when mohammed atta boarded the airline on september 11, 2001 that soon thereafter slammed into the world trade center towers, he left behind a manual of instruction. In this wideranging and erudite book, mark juergensmeyer asks one of the most important and perplexing questions of our age. Mark juergensmeyer suggests that religiously motivated terrorism came to the foreground in the 1980s and is marked by extreme. Likewise, terrorism and counterterrorism both employ similar god language to justify horrendous acts of violence. The word of god cannot be broken, or else god would be a liar. In this revised and expanded edition, michael barkun delves deeper into americas conspiracy subculture, exploring the rise of 911 conspiracy theories, the birther controversy surrounding barack obamas american citizenship, and how the conspiracy landscape has changed with the rise of the. He is the winner of the prestigious grawemeyer award for 2003 in the religion category and the author of the new cold war.
The author considers terrorist acts to be mostly symbolic and not political or strategic in that. Professor mark juergensmeyer, whose scholarship focuses on the sociology of religion, religious nationalism, terrorism, and moral community, discussed his. According to mark juergensmeyers book, terror in the mind. Juergensmeyer has achieved what very few scholars can do with much success, providing an insightful analysis of the function of religion in national and international life while moving in broad sweeps from culture to culture and continent to continent. Israeli jews who support the persecution of palestinians.
Have a postmillenial view of history which means that theyre obligated to. These are the questions that have arisen frequently in the postcold war world. Terror in the mind of god terms flashcards quizlet. An intriguing comparative work on religious terrorists christian, islamic, jewish, sikh, and buddhist with an unusual virtue. According to mark juergensmeyers book, terror in the mind of. Mark juergensmeyer is professor of sociology and director of global and international studies at the university of california, santa barbara. But in fact they have created new forms of religiosity.
The years since the end of the cold war have shown a noticeable shift in patterns of religious extremism, accentuating the uncomfortable, complex, and oftmisunderstood relationship between religion and violence. As a comparative cultural study of religious terrorism, mark juergensmeyer attempts to explain how and why religion and violence are linked. Activists such as abouhalimaand osama bin ladenimagine themselves defenders of ancient faiths. When mohammed atta boarded the airline on september 11, 2001 that soon thereafter slammed into the world trade center towers, he left behind a manual of instruction. This is true not only of rogue states but also of western leaders who use religious language on the eve of battle. Seeing as juergensmeyer is an influential and wellregarded scholar, an. Core, misapplications and misunderstandings religion is a bad thing that necessarily fosters violent actions it is grave mistake to condemn any religion because of its misapplications by misguided adhetents it is important to separate religious traditionsreligions from eachother. American society has changed dramatically since a culture of conspiracy was first published in 2001. There clearly is a phenomenon, as mark juergensmeyer terms it, that can be accurately labelled as religious terrorism. It was also recently translated into norwegian, after which it has attracted some criticism in the norwegian blog circuit.
Why do religious people commit violent acts in the name of their god, taking the lives of innocent victims and terrorizing entire populations. The result is a rise in religious movements, proving false the enlight. In order to navigate out of this carousel please use your heading shortcut key to navigate to the next or previous heading. Auto suggestions are available once you type at least 3 letters. Other readers will always be interested in your opinion of the books youve read. Mark juergensmeyer author of terror in the mind of god. Religious nationalism confronts the secular state california, 1993, and gandhis way. Want to create a christian theocratic state, theyre at the extreme right wing of dominion theology. Mark juergensmeyer is a professor of sociology and global studies, affiliate professor of religious studies, and the kundan kaur kapany professor of global. Henderson is a presbyterian minister and executive director of. If you have access to a journal via a society or association membership, please browse to your society journal, select an article to view, and follow the instructions in this box. The second part of the book tries to determine the logic of religious violence, which is seen as a theater of terror in the seventh chapter and as a cosmic war in the eight. Have a postmillenial view of history which means that theyre obligated to provide conditions that make christs return possible.
He convincingly shows that while, in many cases, religion supplies not only the ideology but also the motivation and organizational structure for the perpetrators of violent acts, it also carries with it the possibilities for peace. Access to society journal content varies across our titles. An annotated bibliography of studies of religious violence. On the other hand, we might enjoy when you have any information about this, and are wanting to supply this. This shopping feature will continue to load items when the enter key is pressed. Juergensmeyers narrative is engaging, incisive, and sweeping in scope. Burned huts, killed animals, destroyed the village. The global rise of religious violence preface and acknowledgments introduction 1. Mark juergensmeyer born 1940 in carlinville, illinois is an american scholar in sociology, global studies and religious studies and a writer best known for his studies of religious violence and global religion. Religious terrorism, particularly islamic terrorism, appears to be on the rise.
The author contends that clausewitzs famous maxim about violence requiring a political purpose may not apply in this case. No one who truly cares about matters of faith can afford to ignore the dangers that lurk within religious extremism. Since september 11, 2001, we all need tools to help us understand what motivates religious terrorism. Terror in the mind of god, now in its fourth edition, answers these questions and more. Religion seems to be connected with violence everywherefrom the world trade center bombings to suicide attacks in israel and the palestinian authority. Apart from this there is no attempt at a comparison between religious and secular terrorism, something which might have made the common features of religious terrorism clearer. Juergensmeyer also does not ask his interviewees probing questions about how they understand the nature of god, and how they connect god with the authorization of violence. Embree, former cultural attache, united states embassy, new delhi half of the. Muslims in the middle east associated with the rise of isis, al qaeda, and hamas. Or has religion been taken hostage by a politics of aggression. The global rise of religious violence mark juergensmeyer on.
American christians who support abortion clinic bombings and militia actions. The cambridge companion to religion and terrorism ed. Images of death have never been far from the heart of religions power to stir the imagination. Indeed, religious terrorists can act on a variety of apolitical motives. In response to todays culture of terror, griffith points the way to a theology of peace. Whether youve loved the book or not, if you give your honest and detailed thoughts then people will find new books that are right for them. However, some rank and file were joining the movement with the desire. Although mark end page 118 juergensmeyers terror in the mind of god 4th ed. Site of the my lai massacre, where company c, lead by lt. Juergensmeyers analysis, which was published in the huffington post and in an extended version at religion dispatches, has received much attention online, in official media channels and on blogs.
He rightfully includes in this category groups such as the u. Mark juergensmeyer is a professor of sociology and religious studies at the university of california, santa barbara. In christopher candland, compiler, the spirit of violence. The global rise of religious violence, 3rd edition comparative studies in religion and society, vol. Juergensmeyer explores the 1993 world trade center explosion, hamas suicide bombings, the tokyo subway nerve gas attack, and the killing of abortion clinic doctors in the united states. Mark juergensmeyer sadly, presently we dont have details about the particular artist mark juergensmeyer. Juergensmeyer analyzes recent incidents of global religious terrorism in order to illumine overarching patterns that heighten the risk of religious violence. When we attempt to create this kind of union with others before first creating it. Journal content search all authors title abstract index terms full text. Juergensmeyer comments in passing that only in terrorist groups motivated by secular political ideologies have women taken an active part. Juergensmeyer s narrative is engaging, incisive, and sweeping in scope. No one who truly cares about matters of faith can afford to ignore the dangers that lurk within religious extremism, and juergensmeyer ultimately serves the highest aspirations of organized religion when he insists on shedding light on the darker corners of human belief and human conduct.
Kop terror in the mind of god, fourth edition av mark juergensmeyer pa. If you want to talk with someone in person, please feel free to call 2128645436 the rev. There are only bornagain christians and unbelievers. Whilst juergensmeyers definitions of religion and use of these to argue for a motivation towards violence are not unproblematic the case studies looking at cultures of violence within christianity, judaism, islam, sikhism and buddhism draw together some excellent research. According to mark, the religious extremists give justifications to commit violence. Core, misapplications and misunderstandings religion is a bad thing that necessarily fosters violent actions it is grave mistake to condemn any religion because of its misapplications by misguided adhetents it is important to separate religious traditionsreligions from. The global rise of religious violence comparative studies in religion and society mark juergensmeyer on. Beneath the histories of religious traditionsfrom biblical wars to crusading ventures and great acts of martyrdomviolence has lurked as a shadowy presence. He also serves as director of the global and international studies program and chair of the global peace and security program. Aug 07, 2011 juergensmeyers analysis, which was published in the huffington post and in an extended version at religion dispatches, has received much attention online, in official media channels and on blogs. There is no universal fatherhood of god, nor is there a universal brotherhood of mankind.