Terror in the Mind of God: The Global Rise of Religious Violence, Updated Edition with a New Preface: Amazon.ca: Mark Juergensmeyer: Books

Product Description

From Publishers Weekly

This dark, enthralling book not only documents the global rise of religious terrorism but seeks to understand the "odd attraction of religion and violence." Juergensmeyer bases his study on scholarly sources, media accounts and personal interviews with convicted terrorists. He exercises caution with the term "terrorist," preferring to emphasize the large religious community of supporters who make violent acts possible rather than the relatively small number who carry them out. Juergensmeyer identifies certain "cultures of violence" via case studies along the spectrum of Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism and Buddhism. Such religious communities often perceive themselves and their way of life as under attack. In Japan, for example, a new branch of "socially prophetic" Buddhists released toxic sarin gas in the Tokyo subway system in 1995, shattering their own nonviolent ethic and harming thousands because they had adopted millenarian prophecies about an imminent end to the world. Juergensmeyer is a powerful, skillful writer whose deeply empathic interviewing techniques allow readers to enter the minds of some of the late 20th century's most feared religious terrorists. Yet he is also a sensitive scholar who aptly dissects religious terrorism as a sociological phenomenon. Later chapters pay special attention to issues of "performance violence," enemy formation, martyrology, satanization and "images of cosmic confrontation." (Feb.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"...documents the global rise of religious terrorism (and) seeks to understand the 'odd attraction of religion and violence.'" -- Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"An unsettling book but also a courageous one." -- Jonathan Kirsch, Los Angeles Times

"How can the word of God sanction acts of terror against human beings ?" -- Michael Ignatieff, author of The Warrior's Honour: Ethnic War and the Modern Conscience

"No one who truly cares about matters of faith can afford to ignore the dangers that lurk within religious extremism." -- Jonathan Kirsch, Los Angeles Times

"Takes an academic approach to its subject, but readers outside the academy will find it quite accessible." -- Ft. Worth Star-Telegram

"This . . . enthralling book . . . documents the . . . rise of religious terrorism [and] seeks to understand the 'odd attraction of religion and violence'." -- Publishers Weekly

"This is an important contribution to our knowledge of the relationship between religion and violence." -- Martha Crenshaw, editor of Terrorism in Context

"Written well and engagingly for a popular audience." -- Jonathan Groner, Washington Post Book World

"[Juergensmeyer] builds a powerful case for the common elements in five terrorist movements." -- Baltimore Sun

See all Product Description

Inside This Book (Learn More)

First Sentence
When plastic explosives attached to a Hamas suicide bomber ripped through the gentrified Ben Yehuda shopping mall in Jerusalem in September 1997, the blast damaged not only lives and property but also the confidence with which most people view the world. Read the first page

Explore More
Concordance

Tag this product

(What's this?)

Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items.

Customer Reviews

25 Reviews

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

Average Customer Review

4.2 out of 5 stars (25 customer reviews)

Share your thoughts with other customers:

Create your own review

Most helpful customer reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Mission from God, April 3 2004

By

Charles Miller (San Jose, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Terror in the Mind of God: The Global Rise of Religious Violence, Third Edition, Completely Revised (Paperback)

Juergensmeyer attempts in this book to find common ground in religious terrorists of many different stripes. His begins by looking at terrorists from five religious groups--Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Sikhism, and Buddhism. His Buddhist example, the Aum Shinrikyo cult attack on the Tokyo subway system is probably the weakest example. He may have been better served to have a separate section on cults such as this and others like the Branch Davidians. They seem to have as much in common with each other as with other groups within their religions.

He next looks for common themes from all of his examples. He does well when he explains how all of the terrorists believe they are warriors in a larger cosmic drama of good and evil. He does less well in separating the parts played by religion and politics. For example, was Timothy McVeigh a religious terrorist or a political terrorist?

All in all, this is an engrossing, if disturbing study. We are left feeling that there will be little relief from religious terrorism in the near future. Those seeking more insight on this subject should read "Under the Banner of Heaven" by Jon Krakauer, which examines these topics among Mormon Fundamentalists.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Report abuse

4.0 out of 5 stars Not all-inclusive, but still very important, Mar 28 2004

By

Lee L. (Washington DC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Terror in the Mind of God: The Global Rise of Religious Violence, Third Edition, Completely Revised (Paperback)

I'll keep this review short as the thoughts below cover a wide range of relevant points about this book...

First of all...no single book will be able to adequately cover the topic of terrorism. That in mind, this book has its flaws and misses some things, but I think it is a valuable part of the literature on terrorism. This shouldn't be the only book on terrorism you read, but it should be one of them.

Lastly, this book is written as a political science book. It is a comparative case study approach to terrorism. That's what separates it from a lot of the books on terrorism that are out there these days, so you shouldn't expect ideology-based writing here. The author starts of with some assumptions, and works towards explaining them. That said...this is a very good book. I hope many people get the chance to read it.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Report abuse

5.0 out of 5 stars Corrects the Neglect of Sikh Religious Violence, Dec 18 2003

By

Puneet S. Lamba (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Terror in the Mind of God: The Global Rise of Religious Violence, Third Edition, Completely Revised (Paperback)

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 author 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."

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Report abuse

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review

› See all 25 customer reviews on Amazon.ca

Want to see more reviews on this item?

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 34 reviews 4.2 out of 5 stars

Most recent customer reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars Misses the Mark
Focusing on so-called "religious" violence is a bit off the mark in the twenty-first century. Read more

Published on Nov 29 2003

4.0 out of 5 stars Postmodern Terror?
This is an excercise in sociology to analyze the "logic" and objectives of terrorists in a comparative perspective. Read more

Published on Sep 5 2003 by big_operator