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This book examines the misuse of history in New Atheism and
militant anti-religion. It looks at how episodes such as the
Witch-hunt, the Inquisition, and the Holocaust are mythologized to
present religion as inescapably prone to violence and
discrimination, whilst the darker side of atheist history, such as
its involvement in Stalinism, is denied. At the same time, another
constructed history-that of a perpetual and one-sided conflict
between religion and science/rationalism-is commonly used by
militant atheists to suggest the innate superiority of the
non-religious mind. In a number of detailed case studies, the book
traces how these myths have long been overturned by historians, and
argues that the New Atheism's cavalier use of history is indicative
of a troubling approach to the humanities in general. Nathan
Johnstone engages directly with the God debate at an academic level
and contributes to the emerging study of non-religion as a culture
and an identity.
An original book examining the concept of the Devil in English
culture between the Reformation and the end of the English Civil
War. Nathan Johnstone looks at the ways in which beliefs about the
nature of the Devil and his power in human affairs changed as a
consequence of the Reformation, and its impact on religious,
literary and political culture. He moves away from the established
focus on demonology as a component of the belief in witchcraft and
examines a wide range of religious and political milieux, such as
practical divinity, the interiority of Puritan godliness,
anti-popery, polemic and propaganda, and popular culture. The
concept of the Devil that emerged from the Reformation had a
profound impact on the beliefs and practices of committed
Protestants, but it also influenced both the political debates of
the reigns of Elizabeth I, James I and Charles I, and in popular
culture more widely.
This book examines the misuse of history in New Atheism and
militant anti-religion. It looks at how episodes such as the
Witch-hunt, the Inquisition, and the Holocaust are mythologized to
present religion as inescapably prone to violence and
discrimination, whilst the darker side of atheist history, such as
its involvement in Stalinism, is denied. At the same time, another
constructed history-that of a perpetual and one-sided conflict
between religion and science/rationalism-is commonly used by
militant atheists to suggest the innate superiority of the
non-religious mind. In a number of detailed case studies, the book
traces how these myths have long been overturned by historians, and
argues that the New Atheism's cavalier use of history is indicative
of a troubling approach to the humanities in general. Nathan
Johnstone engages directly with the God debate at an academic level
and contributes to the emerging study of non-religion as a culture
and an identity.
An original book examining the concept of the Devil in English
culture between the Reformation and the end of the English Civil
War. Nathan Johnstone looks at the ways in which beliefs about the
nature of the Devil and his power in human affairs changed as a
consequence of the Reformation, and its impact on religious,
literary and political culture. He moves away from the established
focus on demonology as a component of the belief in witchcraft and
examines a wide range of religious and political milieux, such as
practical divinity, the interiority of Puritan godliness,
anti-popery, polemic and propaganda, and popular culture. The
concept of the Devil that emerged from the Reformation had a
profound impact on the beliefs and practices of committed
Protestants, but it also influenced both the political debates of
the reigns of Elizabeth I, James I and Charles I, and in popular
culture more widely.
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