ABSTRACT
The idea that religion has a peculiar tendency toward violence has inspired a host of scholarly books exploring this thesis. The work of sociologist Mark Juergensmeyer is perhaps the most prominent contemporary scholarship on the question of religion and violence. The first part of Juergensmeyer's book consists of case studies of what he takes to be religious violence. Abortion clinic bombers, Timothy McVeigh, Protestants and Catholics in Belfast, Zionists, Muslim fundamentalists, Sikh militants and the Japanese Aum Shinrikyo all come under scrutiny. In the second part of the book, Juergensmeyer attempts to explain the underlying logic of religious violence. One thing that distinguishes religious violence from secular violence is the former's tendency to pursue symbolic targets, defined as those 'intended to illustrate or refer to something beyond their immediate target', rather than those with long-term strategic value. As such, acts of religious violence can be analyzed as one would any other symbol, ritual, or sacred drama.
