Stereotyping Religion: Critiquing Cliches

Description

Our culture is full of popular stereotypes about religion, both positive and negative. Many people uncritically assume that religion is intrinsically violent, or that religion makes people moral, or that it is simply "bullshit". This concise volume tackles 10 of these stereotypes, addresses why scholars of religion find them to be cliched, describes their origins, and explains the social or political work they rhetorically accomplish in the present. Cliches addressed include the following: - Religions are belief systems - I'm spiritual but not religious - Religion concerns the transcendent - Learning about religions leads to tolerance and understanding - Religion is a private matter. Written in an easy and accessible style, Stereotyping Religion: Critiquing Cliches will be of interest to all readers looking to clear away unsophisticated assumptions in preparation for more critical studies.

Brad Stoddard is Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at McDaniel College, USA. Craig Martin is Associate Professor of Religious Studies at St Thomas Aquinas College, USA.

This short work should function as an excellent resource to challenge students in an introduction to religion course. * Nova Religio * I have high regard for this project and can't wait to assign it in all the courses I teach. * Willi Braun, Professor of Religion, University of Alberta, Canada * This book promises to be challenging and provocative. It will be a valuable resource that belongs in libraries and on reading lists. * Nathan Rein, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, Ursinus College, USA * An excellent combination of established scholars and like-minded early-career scholars. The volume helps students and scholars alike to critically reflect on the familiar cliches about religion and thus become more skilled in analyzing public discourse concerning religion. This is one of the most important skills in the discipline. Therefore I regard this volume as highly relevant. * Teemu Taira, Senior Lecturer of the Study of Religion, University of Helsinki, Finland * This book addresses an issue that would be of interest to many students. There is nothing like this published that I know of. * Steven Engler, Professor of Religious Studies, Mount Royal University, Canada *