Description
Book SynopsisTrade ReviewCharlene Burns synthesizes an astonishing body of current assessments of the causes of religious violence, incorporating perspectives from history, sociology, economics, philosophy and psychology to lay a solid foundation for her argument that the ultimate responsibility lies with individuals and that individuals can make a difference for the future. Burns’ carefully articulated review of Jungian theory in the context of contemporary challenges makes this book a significant contribution not only to the debate on religious violence but to the expansion of Jung’s psychology. -- D. Andrew Kille, director, Interfaith Space; author, Psychological Biblical Criticism
This interesting book focuses on the psychological and spiritual character of religious violence, and is a useful complement to political and social analyses of what has become a global problem. Rather than finding fault with religion, Burns rightly focuses on religious violence as a human creation, and searches for solutions in the spiritual dimensions of the human psyche. -- Mark Juergensmeyer, University of California, Santa Barbara
A psychologically informative account of religious violence. Recommended. * CHOICE, June 2009 *
In this vitally important new book, Charlene Burns challenges us to look beyond superficial explanations of religious violence to confront its deeper sources in personal psychological conflict. She carefully surveys the many forms of religiously-related violence around the world and, using the insights of archetypal psychology, shows how individual experiences of suffering, injustice, and deprivation can prompt these bursts of aggressive rage. Burns combines a bracing moral rigor with tremendous scholarly sophistication to analyze what may be the thorniest problem in an increasingly multi-cultural world. -- Kelly Bulkeley, Graduate Theological Union
Table of ContentsChapter 1 Preface Chapter 2 Does Religion Cause Violence? Chapter 3 A Brief History of Religious Violence Chapter 4 Searching for the Roots of Religious Violence Chapter 5 What Psychology Has to Offer Chapter 6 Religious Violence through the Lens of Psychoanalysis Chapter 7 Knowing God, Knowing Ourselves Chapter 8 Concluding Reflections: We Must Become More Moral than Our Gods
