Summary
Michael Jordan: In the Name of God: Violence and Destruction in World Religions
excerpt from the library
"Kill them all, God will recognize His own". This was supposedly the battle cry of the crusader Arnaud-Amalric before the destruction of the city of Beziers in 1209. Although it is anyone's guess whether he uttered those exact words, there is no doubt that he was personally responsible for the atrocities that followed and that he was not alone in his violence against "infidels". Over the centuries, the powerful influence of religion has not only been a force for good, it has also encouraged bloodshed.
This book is a factual and comparative history of religious warfare focused on the three great monotheisms: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Incidentally, it includes other religions as well, but only incidentally.
The change that has occurred in contemporary religious violence compared to what happened in previous centuries consists in the fact that fanatical elements on the fringes of religious movements are becoming "braver", attacking established authorities out of the belief that they are fighting for a morally justified cause. This impulse becomes so strong that they are ready to kill and die for it, and they continue their attempts even when it is clear that they have absolutely no chance.
Michael Jordan is the author of books in the fields of history, religion and anthropology, among others the following: Gods of the Earth, Myths of the World, Islam, Cults, The Great Abolition Sham: The True Story of the End of the British Slave Trade.
Biblos Newsletter
New titles, special copies and quiet recommendations from the antiquarian bookshop.