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

Building on the success of Stereotyping Religion: Critiquing Clichés, this follow up volume dismantles a further 10 widespread stereotypes and clichés about religion, focusing on clichés that a new generation of students are most familiar with. Each chapter includes: - A description of a particular cliché - Discussion of where it appears in popular culture or popular media - Discussion of where it appears in scholarly literature - A historical contextualization of its use in the past - An analysis of the social or rhetorical work the cliché accomplishes in the present Clichés addressed include: - "Religion and science naturally conflict" - "All religions are against LGBTQ rights" - "Eastern religions are more spiritual than Western religions" - "Religion is personal and not subject to government regulation" - "Religious pluralism gives everyone a voice" Written in an easy and accessible style, Stereotyping Religion II: Critiquing Clichés is suitable for all readers looking to clear away unsophisticated assumptions in preparation for more critical studies.

Table of Contents:
Contributor Bios Acknowledgments Introduction 1. “Religion is personal and not subject to government regulation,” Savannah Finver (Ohio State University, USA) 2. “Religious freedom is about religious freedom,” Rita Lester (Nebraska Wesleyan University, USA) and Jacob Barrett (University of Alabama, USA) 3. “All religions are against LGBTQ rights,” James Crossley (St. Mary's University, UK) 4. “Spirituality is about spirituality,” Brad Stoddard (McDaniel College, USA) and Craig Martin (St. Thomas Aquinas College, USA) 5. “Eastern religions are more spiritual than Western religions,” Ting Guo (The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong) 6. “Each religion has an authentic, unchanging core,” David G. Robertson (The Open University, UK) 7. “Religion and science naturally conflict,” Donovan Schaefer (University of Pennsylvania, USA) 8. “Conservative religions oppress women (while liberal religions don’t),” Leslie Dorrough Smith (Avila University, USA) 9. “Religious pluralism gives everyone a voice,” Martha Smith Roberts (Denison University, USA) 10. “Cults are not real religions,” Matthew Baldwin (Mars Hill University, USA) Notes Bibliography Index

About the Author :
Craig Martin is Professor of Religious Studies, St. Thomas Aquinas College, USA. He is co-editor of Stereotyping Religion: Critiquing Clichés (Bloomsbury, 2018), and author of Capitalizing Religion (Bloomsbury, 2014) and Discourse and Ideology (Bloomsbury, 2022). Brad Stoddard is Associate Professor of Religious Studies, McDaniel College, USA. He is co-editor of Stereotyping Religion: Critiquing Clichés (Bloomsbury, 2018) and Race, Ethnicity, and New Religious Movements (Bloomsbury, 2019).

Review :
Stereotyping Religion II shows, in clear straightforward examples, how the way we think about things limits what we can see. The authors of these chapters demonstrate how stereotypes erase some possibilities and make other seem inevitable, rooted in the very nature of reality. Even more, they show how stereotypes held across the political spectrum are incompatible, opening up new ways of thinking through some of our most vexing issues. Another set of popular conceptions are challenged in this fine volume, demonstrating forcefully the need to continue shaking common assumptions about religion.