John Morreall, Tamara Sonn

50 Great Myths about Religions

• Broschiertes Buch

Produktbeschreibung

As with all areas of human life, religion is a realm where questionable ideas often become widely held beliefs. Some are innocuous, but others have proved deadly. Written by respected religion scholars, John Morreall and Tamara Sonn, this intriguing, informative, and often humorous introduction explores fifty myths centered on religious belief, covering Judaism, Christianity and Islam, as well as atheism and agnosticism. Introducing the origins, spread, and ongoing influence of these myths on different beliefs, and underpinned by authoritative research, it is an accessible introduction to some of the ideas that pervade our views on religion, and one that will be sure to get its readers thinking.

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50 Great Myths about Religions is an intriguing, informative, and often humorous introduction to some of the long standing myths that surround religious belief. This engaging book will get its readers thinking about how and why certain myths have arisen, and their continuing influence on our personal and collective view of religion.

Offers a lively, informative, and thought-provoking introduction to some of the common misbeliefs surrounding religions
Discusses myths about religious belief in general, as well as specific ideas that surround Judaism, Christianity, Islam, atheism, and agnosticism
Covers a wide range of myths, from ancient legends such as the Bible forbidding pork being eaten because it causes illness, to modern urban fables, such as Barack Obama being a Muslim
Unpacks each myth in turn, explaining why it arose, how it spread, and why the beliefs that stem from it are questionable
Includes a fascinating discussion about human nature, and the main characteristics that predispose us to create and circulate myths to begin with
Underpinned by a wide knowledge of academic research, it is written by two respected religion scholars and experienced authors

Produktdetails

• Verlag: Wiley & Sons
• 1. Auflage
• Seitenzahl: 256
• Erscheinungstermin: 3. Juni 2014
• Englisch
• Abmessung: 229mm x 150mm x 15mm
• Gewicht: 295g
• ISBN-13: 9780470673508
• ISBN-10: 0470673508
• Artikelnr.: 40029912

Autorenporträt

John Morreall is Professor of Religious Studies at the College of William & Mary, Virginia. His publications include Comedy, Tragedy, and Religion (1999, winner of the Choice Outstanding Academic Book in 2000), Comic Relief: A Comprehensive Philosophy of Humor (Wiley-Blackwell, 2009), and The Religion Toolkit: A Complete Guide to Studying Religion (with Tamara Sonn, Wiley-Blackwell, 2011). Tamara Sonn is the William R. Kenan Distinguished Professor of Humanities in the Department of Religious Studies at the College of William and Mary. Her books include Interpreting Islam: Bandali Jawzi's Islamic Intellectual History(1996), Islam: A Brief History (2nd edition, Wiley-Blackwell, 2009), and The Religion Toolkit: A Complete Guide to Studying Religion (with John Morreall, Wiley-Blackwell, 2011). She is currently an editor of Oxford Islamic Studies Online and co-editor-in-chief of Wiley-Blackwell's Religion Compass.

Inhaltsangabe

1 Introduction: Myths and Misbelieving 1 2 Myths About Religions in General
9 Introduction 9 1. All Societies Have Religions 12 2. Religion Is about
the Spiritual 18 3. Religion Is about the Supernatural 21 4. Religion Is
about Faith or Belief 23 5. Worship Is an Essential Part of Religion 28 6.
Religion Is a Personal Matter 31 7. Science Will Eventually Replace
Religion 34 8. Religion Causes Violence 39 3 Myths About Judaism, Jews, and
Jewish Scripture 45 Introduction 45 1. The Ancient Israelites Believed in
One God 46 2. Moses Wrote the First Five Books of the Bible 50 3. The Book
of Genesis Is Incompatible with the Theory of Evolution 53 4. Jews Believe
They Were Chosen by God to Receive Special Privileges 60 5. The Jews Killed
Jesus 63 6. Blood Libel: Jews Use Christian Blood in Their Rituals 68 7.
Benjamin Franklin Advised the US Government to Expel Jews 70 8. The
Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion: Jewish Leaders Plot Global
Takeover 73 9. Hanukkah Is for Jews What Christmas Is for Christians 77 4
Myths About Christianity, Christians, and Christian Scripture 80
Introduction 80 1. The Four Gospels Are Eyewitnesses' Accounts of the Life
of Jesus 81 2. The Bible Says that When We Die, Our Souls Go to Heaven or
Hell 86 3. Jesus Was Born on December 25 in a Stable in Bethlehem 89 4.
Jesus Was a Christian 93 5. Jesus Preached Family Values 97 6. The Image of
the Crucified Jesus Has Always Been Sacred to Christians 101 7. The Church
Suppressed Science in the Middle Ages 105 8. Catholics Are Not Christians
110 9. The United States Was Founded as a Christian Country 115 5 Myths
About Islam, Muslims, and the Qur'an 123 Introduction 123 1. Most Muslims
Are Arabs and All Arabs Are Muslim 124 2. Muslims Worship a Different God
126 3. The Qur'an Condemns Judaism and Christianity 129 4. "Jihad" Means
Holy War 135 5. The Qur'an Encourages Violence 138 6. The Qur'an Condones
Mistreatment of Women 142 7. The Qur'an Promises Suicide Bombers 72
Heavenly Virgins 147 8. Muslims Reject Democracy 150 9. Muslims Fail to
Speak Out against Terrorism 153 10. American Muslims Want to Impose Islamic
Law on the United States 158 6 Myths About Other Western Traditions 163
Introduction 163 1. Zoroastrians Worship Fire 163 2. Voodoo Is Black Magic
166 3. Witches Worship Satan 169 4. Rastafarians Are Marijuana Abusers 175
5. Unitarian Universalists May Believe Whatever They Want 178 7 Myths About
Eastern Traditions 181 Introduction 181 1. Hinduism Is a Single Religious
Tradition 181 2. Hinduism Promotes the Caste System 185 3. Hindus Worship
Idols 187 4. Buddha Is a God for Buddhists 190 5. The Laughing Buddha
(Budai, Ho-Ti) Is Buddha 193 8 Myths About Nonbelievers 196 Introduction
196 1. Nonbelievers Are Ignorant about Religion 196 2. Nonbelievers Have no
Basis for Morality 198 3. Without Religious Belief, Life Has No Purpose 202
4. Atheism Is Just as Much a Matter of Faith as Religion Is 207 Bonus Myths
210 1. The Bible says, "Cleanliness is next to Godliness," "The Lord works
in mysterious ways," "Hate the sin, love the sinner," "God helps those who
help themselves," "Money is the root of all evil," "Spare the rod and spoil
the child," "To thine own self be true," "This too shall pass," "To err is
human, to forgive divine," and "Idle hands are the Devil's workshop." 211
2. The Bible Forbids Eating Pork Because It Causes Illness 216 3. The
Apocalypse Is the End of the World Foretold in Scripture 220 4. Satan and
His Devils Torture Humans in Hell 224 5. Cherubs Are Cute, Childlike Angels
226 6. Christians Were Systematically Persecuted by the Romans 229 7. There
Was a Female Pope Named Joan 233 8. Saint Patrick Drove the Snakes out of
Ireland 238 Index 242

Rezensionen

"For the non-religious amongst you, this book will provide to hand a ready set of information to counter the door-to-door religion sellers." (SFCrowsnest.org.uk, 1 June 2014)

"The Bonus Myths of the final section were mainly well - known and very cleverly handled, with erudition and humour. The Apocalypse is the End of the World; Cherubs are Cute, Childlike Angels; There was a Female Pope Named Joan; and a whole series of fabled statements attributed to the Bible, e.g. Cleanliness is next to Godliness; Hate the Sin, Love the Sinner; Money is the root of all evil; This too shall pass . . . and so on. Well worth reading whatever your faith or belief." (Nurturing Potential, 1 June 2014)