50 Great Myths About Religions - Hardcover

The authors have a serious and deep purpose. Moreover, they have set about the task with some sagacity. Conscious that many people are unwittingly captive to damaging half-truths in religious belief, they set the record straight on key issues and ideas, and, in so doing, have produced a lively book with a bracing and pacey text. It deserves to be widely read. (Church Times, 21 August 2015) For the non-religious amongst you, this book will provide to hand a ready set of information to counter the door-to-door religion sellers. (SFCrowsnest.org.uk, 1 June 2014) "The Bonus Myths of the final section were mainly well known and very cleverly handled, with erudition and humour. The Apocalypse is the End of the World; Cherubs are Cute, Childlike Angels; There was a Female Pope Named Joan; and a whole series of fabled statements attributed to the Bible, e.g. Cleanliness is next to Godliness; Hate the Sin, Love the Sinner; Money is the root of all evil; This too shall pass ... and so on. Well worth reading whatever your faith or belief." (Nurturing Potential, 1 June 2014)

50 Great Myths about Religions is an intriguing, informative, and often humorous introduction to some of the long standing myths that surround religious belief. This engaging book will get its readers thinking about how and why certain myths have arisen, and their continuing influence on our personal and collective view of religion. Offers a lively, informative, and thought-provoking introduction to some of the common misbeliefs surrounding religions * Discusses myths about religious belief in general, as well as specific ideas that surround Judaism, Christianity, Islam, atheism, and agnosticism * Covers a wide range of myths, from ancient legends such as the Bible forbidding pork being eaten because it causes illness, to modern urban fables, such as Barack Obama being a Muslim * Unpacks each myth in turn, explaining why it arose, how it spread, and why the beliefs that stem from it are questionable * Includes a fascinating discussion about human nature, and the main characteristics that predispose us to create and circulate myths to begin with * Underpinned by a wide knowledge of academic research, it is written by two respected religion scholars and experienced authors