Neil J. Kressel

This book is a disappointment. It is another of those works that want to act as if terrorism is uniquely the province of Islam, even while indicating that bad things have been done in the name of Christianity and Judaism. For a Jew to be so determined to see Christianity as the religion that has the most peaceful worldview seems a bit odd; for him to ignore half of what is in the New Testament in an attempt to paint his preferred picture of Jesus is just sloppy. To refuse to consider the murder of abortion clinic doctors as terrorism because they are targeted at a single person who is perceived as a wrongdoer is...weird. And when he misquotes Billy Joel, and doesn't attribute the quote except as "the singer", well, that's borderline blasphemy. The author continually states that the terrorism done in the name of religion is a corruption of religion, and insists that religion is important and good, because so many people use it to find meaning in their life (mistaking an "is" for an "ought"), but doesn't do much to support that argument. He often undermines his own arguments, giving the book a somewhat schizophrenic feeling. Not particularly a valuable resource for those who are interested in this topic. If all you are interested in is being assured that the way you believe is in no way responsible for the nastiness perpetrated in the name of your God, you might find this book to be for you, but if you actually want to comprehend the roots of religious terrorism, I would look to a more authoritative, more well researched, more in-depth and definitive source.… (más)