Religion and Violence: What Everyone Needs to Know®

by Juergensmeyer, Mark

• ISBN13: 9780197813058
• ISBN10: 0197813054
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2027-01-04
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
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Summary

Is religion inherently violent? A clear and accessible introduction to understanding the roots of religious violence and its impact on the modern world.

Religion and violence often dominate headlines, yet the connection between them is frequently misunderstood. From the war in Gaza, where religion is often seen as a driving force, to the split within the Orthodox Church in Ukraine where the Patriarch of Moscow is an ardent Putin supporter who blesses the invasion, and Islamist militias fighting for control of Sudan. These headlines often raise more questions than they answer. Is religion violent by nature? Are some religions more violent than others? Why are symbols of violence and death ubiquitous in religious traditions? And what role does faith play in modern warfare and terrorism?

In this book, Mark Juergensmeyer, one of the world's leading experts on religion and violence, offers authoritative answers to these pressing questions. Drawing on decades of research, case studies, and firsthand experience with groups ranging from ISIS and Hamas to Christian militias and Buddhist extremists in Myanmar, Juergensmeyer provides a nuanced, evidence-based introduction to a topic that shapes global politics and everyday life. Written in an engaging question-and-answer format, this book equips readers to understand the roots of religious violence and its impact on the modern world.

Author Biography

Mark Juergensmeyer is distinguished professor emeritus of sociology and global studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and a pioneer in global studies, focusing on religious violence, religious nationalism, and conflict resolution. He has published more than three hundred articles and thirty books, including Why God Needs War and War Needs God (Oxford 2025) and the Oxford Handbook of Religion and Violence (Oxford 2013, co-edited with Margo Kitts and Michael Jerryson). His award-winning Terror in the Mind of God: The Global Rise of Religious Violence is in its 4th edition.