false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172176906m/145926.jpg 145926 1 Is religion inherently violent? If not, what provokes violence in the name of religion? Do we mischaracterize religion by focusing too much on its violent side? <P>In this intriguing, original study of religious violence, Prof. Hector Avalos offers a new theory for the role of religion in violent conflicts. Starting with the premise that most violence is the result of real or perceived scarce resources, Avalos persuasively argues that religion creates new scarcities on the basis of unverifiable or illusory criteria. Through a careful analysis of the fundamental texts of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, Dr. Avalos explains how four "scarce" resources have figured repeatedly in creating religious violence: sacred space (churches, temples, holy cities); the creation of holy scriptures (exclusive revelations); group privilege (chosen people, the predestined select few); and salvation (only some are saved). Thus, Avalos shows, religious violence is often the most unnecessary violence of all since the scarce resources over which religious conflicts ensue are not actually scarce or need not be scarce. <P>Comparing violence in religious and nonreligious contexts, Avalos makes the compelling argument that if we condemn violence caused by scarce resources as morally objectionable, then we must consider even more objectionable violence provoked by alleged scarcities that cannot be proven to exist. <P>Moreover, he shows how many modern academic biblical scholars and scholars of religion maintain the value of sacred texts despite their violence. <P>This serious philosophical examination of the roots of religious violence adds much to our understanding of a perennial source of widespread human suffering. 140822 8 4 2005 Fighting Words: The Origins Of Religious Violence total:2|5:2| 2 10 17 1 145926 1591022843 9781591022848 2 1 5.00 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172176906m/145926.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/145926.Fighting_Words_The_Origins_Of_Religious_Violence 5 0 false Fri Jan 30 09:35:45 -0800 2009 Fri Aug 22 13:59:55 -0700 2008 Fri Jan 30 09:35:45 -0800 2009 145926 1591022843 9781591022848 2 1 5.00 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172176906m/145926.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/145926.Fighting_Words_The_Origins_Of_Religious_Violence 0 0 false Mon Dec 14 11:32:57 -0800 2009 Mon Dec 14 11:32:57 -0800 2009 145926 1591022843 9781591022848 2 1 5.00 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172176906m/145926.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/145926.Fighting_Words_The_Origins_Of_Religious_Violence 0 0 false Fri Oct 23 18:21:47 -0700 2009 Fri Oct 23 18:21:47 -0700 2009 145926 1591022843 9781591022848 2 1 5.00 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172176906m/145926.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/145926.Fighting_Words_The_Origins_Of_Religious_Violence 0 0 false Sun Oct 04 13:41:17 -0700 2009 Sun Oct 04 13:41:22 -0700 2009 145926 1591022843 9781591022848 2 1 5.00 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172176906m/145926.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/145926.Fighting_Words_The_Origins_Of_Religious_Violence 0 0 false Sun Sep 27 19:43:29 -0700 2009 Sun Sep 27 19:43:29 -0700 2009 145926 1591022843 9781591022848 2 1 5.00 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172176906m/145926.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/145926.Fighting_Words_The_Origins_Of_Religious_Violence 0 0 false Sun Sep 13 15:06:23 -0700 2009 Sun Sep 13 15:35:54 -0700 2009 145926 1591022843 9781591022848 2 1 5.00 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172176906m/145926.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/145926.Fighting_Words_The_Origins_Of_Religious_Violence 0 0 false Fri Aug 21 01:52:43 -0700 2009 Tue Sep 08 09:02:38 -0700 2009 145926 1591022843 9781591022848 2 1 5.00 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172176906m/145926.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/145926.Fighting_Words_The_Origins_Of_Religious_Violence 0 0 false Thu Apr 09 18:41:15 -0700 2009 Thu Apr 09 18:41:15 -0700 2009 145926 1591022843 9781591022848 2 1 5.00 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172176906m/145926.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/145926.Fighting_Words_The_Origins_Of_Religious_Violence 0 0 false Fri Mar 27 11:34:08 -0700 2009 Fri Mar 27 11:34:08 -0700 2009 145926 1591022843 9781591022848 2 1 5.00 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172176906m/145926.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/145926.Fighting_Words_The_Origins_Of_Religious_Violence 0 0 false Sun Mar 08 01:58:59 -0800 2009 Sun Mar 08 01:58:59 -0800 2009 145926 1591022843 9781591022848 2 1 5.00 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172176906m/145926.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/145926.Fighting_Words_The_Origins_Of_Religious_Violence 0 0 false Thu Mar 05 06:48:43 -0800 2009 Thu Mar 05 06:48:43 -0800 2009 145926 1591022843 9781591022848 2 1 5.00 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172176906m/145926.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/145926.Fighting_Words_The_Origins_Of_Religious_Violence 0 0 false Thu Mar 05 05:52:23 -0800 2009 Thu Mar 05 05:52:23 -0800 2009 145926 1591022843 9781591022848 2 1 5.00 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172176906m/145926.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/145926.Fighting_Words_The_Origins_Of_Religious_Violence 0 0 false Wed Mar 04 20:37:06 -0800 2009 Wed Mar 04 20:37:06 -0800 2009 145926 1591022843 9781591022848 2 1 5.00 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172176906m/145926.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/145926.Fighting_Words_The_Origins_Of_Religious_Violence 0 0 false Wed Mar 04 11:43:59 -0800 2009 Wed Mar 04 11:43:59 -0800 2009 145926 1591022843 9781591022848 2 1 5.00 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172176906m/145926.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/145926.Fighting_Words_The_Origins_Of_Religious_Violence 0 0 false Wed Feb 18 16:10:39 -0800 2009 Wed Feb 18 16:10:41 -0800 2009 145926 1591022843 9781591022848 2 1 5.00 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172176906m/145926.jpg 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