50 Great Myths About Religions - Couverture souple

Morreall, John; Sonn, Tamara

Couverture souple

ISBN 10 : 0470673508 ISBN 13 : 9780470673508

Editeur : Wiley-Blackwell, 2014

A propos du livre

Quatrième de couverture :

In the scholarly study of religion, myths are described as sacred stories that convey central religious beliefs and are not intended to be scrutinized for scientific or historic validity.  But in everyday language, myths are false beliefs. False beliefs about religions are the topic of this book. As with all areas of human life, religion is a realm where questionable ideas sometimes develop into widely held beliefs. Some are innocuous such as St Patrick driving snakes out of Ireland but others have been deadly, such as the medieval myths that fostered anti–Semitism. This lively and illuminating book looks at 50 widely held beliefs about religions, unpacking their origins, showing how they spread, and discussing why they can be questioned. Some of the myths are centuries old and others for example, that Barak Obama is a Muslim are more recent. Together, they provide a fascinating and sometimes surprising picture of the perceptions and misconceptions that circulate about religions.

The authors, respected religion scholars John Morreall and Tamara Sonn, focus on myths from Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, but also cover some Western perceptions of Eastern religions, as well as atheism. Carefully and lucidly, they examine 50 views drawing on commonly held misbeliefs, ideas found to be questionable in the light of historical research, and false beliefs about religions held by people outside those communities. There is also a fascinating discussion of the important role played by myth in religion, and its significance for human nature more generally.

Présentation de l'éditeur :

50 Great Myths about Religions is an intriguing, informative, and often humorous introduction to some of the long standing myths that surround religious belief. This engaging book will get its readers thinking about how and why certain myths have arisen, and their continuing influence on our personal and collective view of religion.

Offers a lively, informative, and thought–provoking  introduction to some of the common misbeliefs surrounding religions

• Discusses myths about religious belief in general, as well as specific ideas that surround Judaism, Christianity, Islam, atheism, and agnosticism
• Covers a wide range of myths, from ancient legends such as the Bible forbidding pork being eaten because it causes illness, to modern urban fables, such as Barack Obama being a Muslim
• Unpacks each myth in turn, explaining why it arose, how it spread, and why the beliefs that stem from it are questionable
• Includes a fascinating discussion about human nature, and the main characteristics that predispose us to create and circulate myths to begin with
• Underpinned by a wide knowledge of academic research, it is written by two respected religion scholars and experienced authors

À propos de cette édition

• Éditeur: Wiley-Blackwell
• Date d'édition: 2014
• ISBN 10: 0470673508
• ISBN 13: 9780470673508
• Reliure: Broché
• Nombre de pages: 256