Stereotyping Religion: Critiquing Clichés (Critiquing Religion: Discourse, Culture, Power)

"Our culture is full of popular stereotypes about religion, both positive and negative. Many people uncritically assume that religion is intrinsically violent, or that religion makes people moral, or that it is simply "bullshit". This concise volume tackles 10 of these stereotypes, addresses why scholars of religion find them to be cliched, describes their origins, and explains the social or political work they rhetorically accomplish in the present. Cliches addressed include the following: - Religions are belief systems - I'm spiritual but not religious - Religion concerns the transcendent - Learning about religions leads to tolerance and understanding - Religion is a private matter. Written in an easy and accessible style, Stereotyping Religion: Critiquing Cliches will be of interest to all readers looking to clear away unsophisticated assumptions in preparation for more critical studies."--Bloomsbury Publishing. Cover Half Title Series Title Copyright Dedication Contents Contributors Acknowledgments Introduction 1 “Religions are belief systems” The problems with belief The problem with “religions are belief systems”: The case of American religions Conclusion 2 “Religions are intrinsically violent” Some brief historical background Religions are intrinsically peaceful clichés Some examples of the cliché in popular culture Conclusion 3 “Religion makes people moral” What is morality? What is religion? Gods, morality, and cognitive evolution Modes of religiosity Behaving badly with God on your side Big gods and surveillance Conclusion 4 “Religion concerns the transcendent” Otto and Eliade: Manufacturers of “the sacred” Scholars and the sacred The sacred is everywhere: Modern uses of the sacred concept 5 “Religion is a private matter” Clarifying this cliché A caveat The history behind the cliché Religion as “private” in the study of religion Historicizing the present 6 “Religions are mutually exclusive” The unstated cliché Development of the cliché The power of the cliché 7 “I’m spiritual but not religious” Making meaning Situated meaning Not Taking Meaning for Granted Applications to claims of being “spiritual but not religious” 8 “Learning about religion leads to tolerance” Christian ecumenical origins Modern developments Popular success and critique Conclusion 9 “Everyone has a faith” Hidden assumptions of the cliché Inventing “faith” as human nature James Fowler and the Stages of Faith The stereotype in American popular culture Conclusion: The power of cliché in everyday life 10 “Religion is bullshit” Social contexts: Bullshiters and bullshitees Modality one—skepticism: Religion is bullshit because it is “false” Modality two – dissent and disdain: Religion is bullshit because it is “morally wrong” Modality three – despair: Religion is bullshit because it is “terrible” Notes Bibliography Introduction Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Index