The Destructive Power of Religion ― Violence in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam

The fundamental problem this extensive work addresses is described as the core metaphor of a violent cosmic contest between good and evil, in terms of which all reality is consciously viewed by Western culture. The four volumes, all considering the Abrahamic desert religions, focus each on a range of topics and provide distinctive perspectives. The first looks at roots and sources of violence in sacred scriptures and ideology. In the second, scholars from Latin America and the US deal with religion, psychology, and violence. Psychotherapists, university professors, and research scholars from the US and South Africa explore models and cases in the third volume. The final volume surveys contemporary views in psychology, religion, history, and jurisprudence. They are paged and indexed separately. Annotation c2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

J. HAROLD ELLENS is a Research Scholar in the Origins of Judaism and Christianity at the University of Michigan Department of Near Eastern Studies. He is also a licensed psychotherapist in clinical practice, a retired Presbyterian theologian and ordained minister, a retired U.S. Army Colonel and a retired Professor of Psychology, Philosophy, and Theology.