Mimetic Theory and World Religions (Studies in Violence, Mimesis, & Culture)

Those who anticipated the demise of religion and the advent of a peaceful, secularized global village have seen the last two decades confound their predictions. René Girard’s mimetic theory is a key to understanding the new challenges posed by our world of resurgent violence and pluralistic cultures and traditions. Girard sought to explain how the Judeo-Christian narrative exposes a founding murder at the origin of human civilization and demystifies the bloody sacrifices of archaic religions. Meanwhile, his book Sacrifice, a reading of conflict and sacrificial resolution in the Vedic Brahmanas, suggests that mimetic theory’s insights also resonate with several non-Western religious and spiritual traditions. This volume collects engagements with Girard by scholars of Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism and situates them within contemporary theology, philosophy, and religious studies. Wolfgang Palaver is a Professor of Catholic Social Thought at the School of Catholic Theology at the University of Innsbruck, where he was also the Dean from 2013 to 2017. Richard Schenk, a Roman Catholic Priest of the Dominican Order, served as a Professor of Philosophy and Theology at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley from 1990 to 2011, and as the President of the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt from 2011 to 2014. Machine Generated Contents Note: Pt. 1 Mimetic Theory And Religion -- Neither Dawkins Nor Durkheim: On Rene Girard's Theory Of Religion / Jean-pierre Dupuy -- Sacrifice In Hegel And Girard / Anselm Tilman Ramelow -- Reason And Revelation: An Important Distinction? / John Ranieri -- The Messianic Moment: Bergson And Girard / Benoit Chantre -- Girard And Religion In The Age Of Secularism / Otto Kallscheuer -- Why Rousseau Cannot Laugh: Structuring Motif -- Achever / Jeremiah Alberg -- Girard And The Feminist Critique Of Religion: Intimate Mediation In Kristeva And Girard / Martha Reineke -- Pt. 2 Mimetic Theory, Christianity, And Interfaith (interreligious) Dialogue -- Girard And World Religions: The State Of The Question / Robert J. Daly -- Rene Girard And World Religions / Michael Kirwan -- The Ambivalence Of Interreligious Historiography: Foreign And Domestic Narratives / Richard Schenk -- Sacrifice As A Contested Concept Between R. Schwager And R. Girard And Its Significance For Interreligious Dialogue / Nikolaus Wandinger -- The Abrahamic Revolution / Wolfgang Palaver -- The Hellenic Rationality Of Interreligious Dialogue: Rene Girard, Simone Weil, And Pope Benedict Xvi / Ann Astell -- Pt. 3 Rivalry, Sacrifice, And World Religions -- Burning Desires, Burning Corpses: Girardian Reflections On Fire In Hinduism And Buddhism / Brian Collins -- Girard And Hindu Sacrifice / Noel Sheth -- The Roots Of Violence: Society And The Individual In Buddhism And Girard / Alexander Von Rospatt -- Religious Sacrifice, Social Scapegoating, And Self-justification / Ted Peters -- Judaism And The Exodus From Archaic Religion: Reading Rene Girard Among The World Religions / Sandor Goodhart -- Tawhid: The Oneness Of God And The Desire For The Good / Adam Ericksen -- Islam: Law And Violence (and Nonviolence) / Rudiger Lohlker -- Girard And The Analogy Of Desire / James Alison. Edited By Wolfgang Palaver And Richard Schenk. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. "Contents"--"Introduction" -- "Part 1. Mimetic Theory and Religion" -- "Neither Dawkins nor Durkheim: On René Girardâ#x80;#x99;s Theory of Religion, by Jean-Pierre Dupuy" -- "Sacrifice in Hegel and Girard, by Anselm Tilman Ramelow" -- "Reason and Revelation: An Important Distinction?, by John Ranieri" -- "The Messianic Moment: Bergson and Girard, by Benoît Chantre" -- "Girard and Religion in the Age of Secularism, by Otto Kallscheuer" -- "Why Rousseau Cannot Laugh: Structuring Motifâ#x80;#x94;â#x80;Achever, â#x80;#x9D; by Jeremiah Alberg" -- "Girard and the Feminist Critique of Religion: Intimate Mediation in Kristeva and Girard, by Martha Reineke" -- "Part 2. Mimetic Theory, Christianity, and Interfaith (Interreligious) Dialogue" -- "Girard and World Religions: The State of the Question, by Robert J. Daly" -- "René Girard and World Religions, by Michael Kirwan" -- "The Ambivalence of Interreligious Historiography: Foreign and Domestic Narratives, by Richard Schenk" -- "Sacrifice as a Contested Concept between R. Schwager and R. Girard and Its Significance for Interreligious Dialogue, by Nikolaus Wandinger" -- "The Abrahamic Revolution, by Wolfgang Palaver" -- "The â#x80;Hellenicâ#x80;#x9D; Rationality of Interreligious Dialogue: René Girard, Simone Weil, and Pope Benedict XVI, by Ann Astell" -- "Part 3. Rivalry, Sacrifice, and World Religions" -- "Burning Desires, Burning Corpses: Girardian Reflections on Fire in Hinduism and Buddhism, by Brian Collins" -- "Girard and Hindu Sacrifice, by Noel Sheth" -- "The Roots of Violence: Society and the Individual in Buddhism and Girard, by Jacob Dalton and Alexander von Rospatt" -- "Religious Sacrifice, Social Scapegoating, and Self-Justification, by Ted Peters" -- "Judaism and the Exodus from Archaic Religion: Reading René Girard among the World Religions, by Sandor Goodhart." Those who anticipated the demise of religion and the advent of a peaceful, secularized global village have seen the last two decades confound their predictions. Reň Girards mimetic theory is a key to understanding the new challenges posed by our world of resurgent violence and pluralistic cultures and traditions. Girard sought to explain how the Judeo-Christian narrative exposes a founding murder at the origin of human civilization and demystifies the bloody sacrifices of archaic religions. Meanwhile, his book Sacrifice, a reading of conflict and sacrificial resolution in the Vedic Brahmanas, suggests that mimetic theorys insights also resonate with several non-Western religious and spiritual traditions. This volume collects engagements with Girard by scholars of Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism and situates them within contemporary theology, philosophy, and religious studies