ABSTRACT
Richard Dawkins: no more deference to religious beliefs, guidance, and identity Christopher Hitchens: defending civilization from religion
Sam Harris: at war against the danger and irrationality of Western religion Comparison of critiques
Supporters: necessary benefits of religion Books for the faithful
Books that emphasize religion’s importance Calls for religious literacy
The study of religion includes a diverse array of perspectives that are critical of how religion has been studied, and of features of religion itself-including its institutions, interpretations, and ramifications for society. Feminist approaches are representative of cultural studies and postmodern critiques both of aspects of religion and its study. In this regard, feminists’ criticisms of patriarchal institutions, texts, interpretations, and assumptions have been important voices in a wider critique of socially constructed relationships and concepts of power, status, and identity. In addition to greater awareness of gender, there are critical perspectives that focus attention on socio-economic disparities, environmental degradation, and ongoing biases linked to race, sexual orientation, or colonial exploitation. Voices from the margins continually emerge to represent themselves, audit past records, and criticize
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should become.
