Is Religion Killing Us?: Violence in the Bible and the Quran - Hardcover

Nelson-Pallmeyer, Jack

3.25

40 ratings by Goodreads

9781563384080: Is Religion Killing Us?: Violence in the Bible and the Quran

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1563384086 ISBN 13: 9781563384080

Publisher: Trinity Pr Intl, 2003

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Coverage of recent world events has focused on violence associated with Islam. In this courageous and controversial book, Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer claims that this narrow view ignores the broader and unfortunate relationship between human violence and the sacred texts of Jews, Christians, and Muslims. Both the Bible and the Quran, he believes, are riddled with violent images of God and with passages that can be reasonably interpreted to justify violence against enemies in service to God’s will.According to Nelson-Pallmeyer, many wondered how Muslims could in God’s name kill innocent civilians by flying airplanes into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Few, however, questioned U.S. leaders and citizens invoking God’s name, or assuming God’s favor, to fight the responsive “war against terrorism.” And in the Middle East, the roots of the continuing and seemingly unsolvable conflict and violence are to be found in both the Torah and the Quran.Nelson-Pallmeyer challenges the understanding of power that lies at the heart of the sacred texts of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. He argues that nonviolence is powerful and necessary and that a viable future for human beings and the planet depends on challenging the ways in which sacred texts reinforce visions of power that are largely abusive. A viable future, he says, depends on re-visioning God’s power.Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer is Assistant Professor of Justice and Peace Studies at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota. For more than twenty years he has studied and written about the relationship of religion, violence, and peace, and his books include Jesus Against Christianity: Reclaiming the Missing Jesus (Trinity Press International) and School of Assassins: Guns, Greed, and Globalization.

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About the Author:

Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer is Assistant Professor of Justice and Peace Studies at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota. For more than twenty years he has studied and written about the relationship of religion, violence, and peace and his books include Jesus Against Christianity: Reclaiming the Missing Jesus and School of Assassins: Guns, Greed, and Globalization.

Review:

"In a post 9/11 world, Nelson-Pallmeyer offers a challenging and disturbing reading of "violence-of-God" language in both Scriptures. If we are to find nonviolent alternatives for our world, he argues, we must find a new relationship to our sacred texts and a new vision of God's power."—The Other Side, July/August, 2003

"Drawing from his extensive previous work in religion and public policy and in historical Jesus research, Nelson-Pallmeyer seeks as a Christian to retrieve the God of Jesus as a symbol of peace and shalom, and as a religious person to be saved by one's enemies within and without one's tradition. The author's courage to proceed with such a provocative thesis, especially regarding Islam, is matched only by the carefulness with which he engages the texts, including the Quram. There will be many who will take issue with Nelson-Pallmeyer's radical pacifism and exegetical choices, but those who do so will still need to reread their religious texts with an eye toward the hastening of a just and nonviolent global village."—Religious Studies Review, Volume 29, Number 4, October 2003. (Amos Yong)

“The book’s strength lies in its frank discussion of the texts and religious doctrines of the three religions discussed...This book would be a useful resource for anyone interested in a better understanding of religious violence stemming from religious texts.” –Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith, Vol. 55, No. 4, December 2003 (Gary De Boer Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith)

“...challenges us to look squarely at the pervasive violence of God traditions in Scripture....presents a series of examples of Jesus confronting the violence of his God tradition. The examples alone are worth the price of the book.” –Christian*New Age Quarterly, 17.1, 1-2/05

-mention (The Bible Today)

"Drawing from his extensive previous work in religion and public policy and in historical Jesus research, Nelson-Pallmeyer seeks as a Christian to retrieve the God of Jesus as a symbol of peace and shalom, and as a religious person to be saved by one's enemies within and without one's tradition. The author's courage to proceed with such a provocative thesis, especially regarding Islam, is matched only by the carefulness with which he engages the texts, including the Quram. There will be many who will take issue with Nelson-Pallmeyer's radical pacifism and exegetical choices, but those who do so will still need to reread their religious texts with an eye toward the hastening of a just and nonviolent global village."—Religious Studies Review, Volume 29, Number 4, October 2003. (Sanford Lakoff)

-mention (Sanford Lakoff)

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