November 19, 2005
Origins of Religious Violence
Book of the Day: Fighting Words: The Origins of Religious Violence, by Hector Avalos. Publisher: Prometheus Books
Most religions depict themselves as forces for peace and harmony; in reality, most religions have been intimately involved in some of the worst violence that humanity has ever experienced. How and why does this contradiction exist? It’s true that religions preach peace overtly, but perhaps there is something going on in the background which people don’t notice consciously.
Supreme Court of the United States
Book of the Day: The Oxford Companion to the Supreme Court of the United States, edited by Kermit L. Hall, James W. Ely, Joel B. Grossman. Publisher: Oxford University Press.
The Supreme Court is one of the most influential political institutions in the United States of America. It’s also a relatively unique institution: other nations have their own high courts, but these courts don’t typically have the same broad power to strike down laws as the Supreme Court does. The key role which the Court plays in American politics, law, and culture means that it is important for people to have a sound understanding of it.
Spiritual Clarity
Book of the Day: Spiritual Clarity, by Jackie Wellman. Publisher: PublishAmerica
The popularity of religion is undeniable, but why does religion have such a hold on people, and is its appeal justified? Many try to better understand the nature of religion and whether there is anything of substance behind the curtain - but not enough, frankly. Most people seem content to accept what religious leaders tell them and don't invest serious effort in questioning traditional beliefs.
New Religious Movements
Book of the Day: New Religious Movements: A Documentary Reader, edited by Dereck Daschke, W. Michael Ashcraft. Publisher: New York University Press.
Commonly referred to as cults, new religious movements have been exerting a significant influence on the American religious landscape for more than a century. This influence has not translated into understanding or respect, though, as evinced by the fact that people describe them as cults in a pejorative sense. Even the oldest groups continue to be thought of as cults, in part because people simply don't make the effort to learn about them.
Understanding the Crusades
Book of the Day: The Crusades: A History; Second Edition, by Jonathan Riley-Smith. Publisher: Yale University Press.
The Crusades helped define the Middle Ages: its politics, its external relations, and its religion. A fundamental component of Crusader theology was that violence for the defense or establishment of a Christian state was a moral imperative - something which God desired and which Christians owed God because of their sin. How and why did this theology develop, and what, if anything, does it mean for us today?