Terror in the Mind of God: The Global Rise of Religious Violence
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Product Description
Beneath the histories of religious traditions–from biblical wars to crusading ventures and fantastic acts of martyrdom–violence has lurked as a dark presence. Images of death have never been far from the heart of religion’s power to stir the imagination. In this wide-ranging and erudite book, Mark Juergensmeyer questions one of the most vital and perplexing questions of our age: Why do religious people commit violent acts in the name of their god, taking the lives of innocent victims and terrorizing entire populations?
This, the first comparative study of religious terrorism, explores incidents such as the World Trade Center explosion, Hamas suicide bombings, the Tokyo subway nerve gas attack, and the killing of abortion clinic doctors in the United States. Incorporating personal interviews with World Trade Center bomber Mahmud Abouhalima, Christian Right liberal Mike Bray, Hamas leaders Sheik Yassin and Abdul Azis Rantisi, and Sikh political leader Simranjit Singh Mann, among others, Juergensmeyer takes us into the mindset of persons who perpetrate and support violent acts. In the process, he helps us know why these acts are regularly linked with religious causes and why they occur with such frequency at this moment in history.
Terror in the Mind of God places these acts of violence in the context of global political and social changes, and posits them as attempts to empower the cultures of violence that support them. Juergensmeyer analyzes the economic, ideological, and gender-related dimensions of cultures that embrace a central sacred concept–cosmic war–and that use religion to demonize their enemies.
Juergensmeyer’s narrative is engaging, sharp, and sweeping in scope. 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.
Los Angeles Times Best Nonfiction Book of 2000
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Focusing on so-called “religious” violence is a bit off the mark in the twenty-first century. In the past 100 years, Atheist/Darwinist/Socialist/Humanist political pogroms have produced more corpses than all of the so-called “religious wars” of all previous centuries combined.
Reader’s Rating: 1 / 5
Mr. Jurgensmeyer’s “Terror in the Mind of God,” comes to conclusions on the basis of perfect naiveté. He attempts to correlate Islamic Terrorism with that of Christians and Jews, placing the three on equal levels. He tends to forget the fact that Islamic Terrorism is funded by at least a dozen nations world wide, while Christian and Jewish terrorism are rare occurrences and are completely condemned, BY NAME, by the communities for which they pretend to belong to. He places some of the blame of Islamic Terrorism on desperation, but most educated persons conclude otherwise. All of the 9/11 hijackers came from wealthy backgrounds and were thriving in the United States. Palestinians were offered their own state copious times, yet rejected. There are millions of people world wide who are suffering far worse than Palestinians (who have been generally treated better than most of their Arab brothers). Yet none utilize terrorism, this is no coincidence. Jurgensmeyer fails to know that terrorism occurs because it works, the European community let it work. Trying to find lame excuses to terrorism only plays in the hands of terrorists… this is exactly what Jurgensmeyer does. He fails to comprehend that terrorism is taught at young ages at publicly funded schools -people are brainwashed. Giving in to terrorism may lead to a superficial peace for a few months, but the hatred still exists and terrorism will not stop. Tranquility must be taught for peace to exist.
Reader’s Rating: 2 / 5
The thesis of this book is that religion and violence are permanently linked and that all religions are the same in having a violent strain and that all religions have violence in them naturally because religion is violent.
This is blatently and historically untrue. In attempting, like so many works, to not single out Islam as violent this book wants the reader to beleive that Buddhism, Sikhism, Hinduism, Christianity, Judaism and all religions are equally violent and a study of each reveals a strain of despise. Timothy Mcveigh is the Christian, the Sikh Kalistan fighters are the Sikhs, The Tamils are the Hindus, Osama is the Muslims, The weird terror cell in Japan is the Buddhist. This is simple. Rather tahn doing a comprehensive study this book establish one murderer from each religion that led a sect and said “see this religion has a strain of violence”. But Timothy Mcveigh was one man as were the Buddhist extremists in Japan. The Tamils are not religious, there ware is based on ethnicity. Where are the Jewish terrorists, well there must be Baruch Goldstien and recall persons Jewish Zealots 2000 years ago.
This is sheer lunacy. Different religions did indeed engage is certain levels of violence throughout history. THat is right. THere are also different forms of religions and religions change. Religions that were once violent or state controlled like Christianity and Buddhism, have become peaceful. Religions like Sikhism are naturally warrior based religions, but not neccesarily violent. Hinduism has never manifested itself violently, and Judaism hasnt been violent since the time of the revolt and that was a national revolt. This is just a gigantic scam. Islam has violent passages in the Koran. But this doesnt mean Bin Laden is timothy Mcveigh.
It is also not right that religion is ‘more’ violent than secular societies. Hitler and Stalin killed more people in 5 years than any religion has ever done. If anything religion may work as a hand holding violence back but helping unify it when it takes place.
Seth J. Frantzman
Reader’s Rating: 3 / 5
Terror in the Mind of God authored by Mark Juergensmeyer has a major flaw. It seems as though the leader did not fully research all aspects about which he wrote. Specifically, Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindrawale was NOT a Sikh terrorist. When researching, one needs to examine all points of view. At that time, the Indian government labeled Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindrawale as a terrorist and evidently, this is what most people judge. But, at the time when he was labeled as such ONLY BY THE INDIAN GOVERNMENT was a period of turmoil in India. The Golden Temple, the holiest of Sikh shrines had just been attacked by the Indian army lacking cause. People in prayer were killed, a bullet was even place through The Holy Sri Guru Granth Sahib, etc. Because of the attack, Sant Jarnail Singh was mostly permanently armed; but, he was not a terrorist. He is regularly referred to as a saint soldier;his philosophy was only to use weapons when defending oneself and others when all additional peaceful means failed. Sikhs are supposed to carry a dagger permanently on them after they have taken holy water; the purpose of this is strictly for defense when all additional peaceful means have failed. I want to conclude by asserting that as a Sikh, I am very much disappointed by this book. Not only does it take the biased opinion of the Indian government(even now Sikhs are being killed in India and no information is unrestricted by the Indian government), but it also intentionally or not insults the Sikh religion. Sikhs have confirmed Bhindrawale a saint soldier, who died fighting for what he believed and it is sad that this book does him such injustice.
Reader’s Rating: 1 / 5
Juergensmeyer’s book serves to remedy the undeserved neglect Sikh religious violence has received from the plethora of books on religious extremism published since 9/11.
The leader views these acts of violence as “forms of public performance rather than aspects of political strategy . . . symbolic statements aimed at providing a sense of empowerment to desperate communities.”
Reader’s Rating: 5 / 5