Violence, Terror, Genocide, and War in the Holy Books and in the Decades Ahead

In the last few decades, dozens of books have been published about whether, and how, the “holy books” and specific passages in the “holy books” inspire, promote, and justify acts of terrorism and war. Many of the authors of these books are scholars of religion, religious leaders, journalists, and people who have a limited point of view, a particular theory to support, or a political purpose that limits their objectivity and thoroughness. Some authors contend that one or more of the holy books essentially are violent books, or that they are books of terror or books of war. Many of these authors focus on a limited number of passages that seem to them to be violent, terroristic, and bellicose. By contrast, other authors focus on a limited number of passages that seem to them to be anti-violent and pacifistic. Some of these authors contend that one or more of the holy books essentially are books of peace.  A few authors compare two or more of the holy books regarding the number of violent passages. Often they do so by presenting a few dozen verses that are consistent with their particular point of view.  Most authors focus on violent events in the past, and most authors do not provide very specific recommendations for reducing possible acts of “holy book violence” in the decades ahead.

This book goes beyond these other books in a number of ways. In order to be as objective and as empirical as possible, it is based on four years of research that uses systematic content analysis to examine every verse in widely available versions of the Old Testament, the New Testament, and the Qur’an. It reports the numbers of verses in each holy book—and their corresponding chapters—which portray or refer to acts of physical violence against humans, including acts of interpersonal violence, terror, genocide, battles, and wars.  More importantly, this book examines the qualities of the violent acts that are portrayed. Who is portrayed as committing, advocating, threatening, and predicting what kinds of violence? Against whom? When? For what reasons? With what consequences? 

Written in an engaging and unpretentious style, the results of this most objective and systematic analysis of portrayals of violence in Old Testament, the New Testament, and the Qur’an ever undertaken are  highly important if not astonishing. This book is must reading  for anyone concerned with religious violence or terrorism.