Mark Juergensmeyer Bücher

Based on the author's thirty years of fieldwork interviewing activists involved in religious-related terrorist movements around the world, this book explains why desperate social conflict and personal fears lead to extremes of both religion and war, and why invariably God is thought to be engaged in battle. Virtually every religious tradition leaves behind it a bloody trail of stories, legends, and images of war, and most wars call upon the divine for blessings in battle. This book probes the remarkably similar alternative realities that are created in the human imagination by both religious ideas and images of war in response to crises both personal and social.

Why has the turn of the twenty-first century been rocked by a new religious rebellion? From al Qaeda to Christian militias to insurgents in Iraq, a strident new religious activism has seized the imaginations of political rebels around the world. Building on his groundbreaking book, The New Cold War?: Religious Nationalism Confronts the Secular State, Mark Juergensmeyer here provides an up-to-date road map through this complex new religious terrain. Basing his discussion on interviews with militant activists and case studies of rebellious movements, Juergensmeyer puts a human face on conflicts that have become increasingly abstract. He revises our notions of religious revolution and offers positive proposals for responding to religious activism in ways that will diminish the violence and lead to an accommodation between radical religion and the secular world.

Beneath the histories of religious traditions, violence has persistently lurked as a shadowy presence. Mark Juergensmeyer explores a critical question: Why do religious individuals commit violent acts in the name of their god, targeting innocent victims and terrorizing populations? This comparative study of religious terrorism examines significant incidents, including the World Trade Center explosion, Hamas suicide bombings, and the Tokyo subway nerve gas attack. Juergensmeyer incorporates personal interviews with key figures such as World Trade Center bomber Mahmud Abouhalima and Hamas leaders Sheik Yassin and Abdul Azis Rantisi, providing insight into the mindset of those who perpetrate and support violence. He contextualizes these acts within global political and social changes, suggesting they are attempts to empower cultures of violence. The analysis delves into economic, ideological, and gender-related dimensions of cultures that embrace a central sacred concept—cosmic war—and use religion to demonize enemies. Juergensmeyer’s narrative is engaging and sweeping in scope, demonstrating that while religion often provides the ideology and motivation for violence, it also holds the potential for peace. This work was recognized as a Best Nonfiction Book of 2000 by the Los Angeles Times.

Preface -- The trajectory of imagined wars -- The apocalyptic war of the Islamic State -- The militant struggle of Mindanao Muslims -- The fight for Khalistan in India's Punjab -- How imagined wars end -- Interviews.

Kniha Teror v mysli Boží renomovaného amerického sociologa Marka Juergensmeyera vzbudila po svém prvním vydání v roce 2000 celosvětovou pozornost odborníků i širší veřejnosti. Nabízí totiž originální pohled na temnou alianci náboženství a násilí, jenž objasňuje vnitřní logiku náboženského terorismu. Prostřednictvím analýzy současných „kultur násilí“ shromážděných okolo různých náboženských idejí a komunit autor odhaluje symbolickou a pseudomorální strukturu násilných akcí, které si z náboženství vypůjčují spirituální scénáře boje proti Zlu a které posilují sebevědomí zdeptaných společenství. České vydání vychází z poslední, přepracované verze z roku 2003, jež zohledňuje nové události, především útok na Světové obchodní středisko a Pentagon z 11. září 2001. Juergensmeyerova práce je nepostradatelným titulem pro ty čtenáře, kteří se chtějí vážně zabývat fenoménem terorismu, kteří si kladou otázku po vztahu náboženství a politiky, i pro všechny, kdo cítí potřebu lépe se vyznat v současném světě.