Our  culture is full of popular stereotypes about religion, both positive and negative. Many people uncritically assume that religion is intrinsically violent, or that religion makes people moral, or that it is simply “bullshit”. This concise volume tackles 10 of these stereotypes, addresses why scholars of religion find them to be cliched, describes their origins, and explains the social or political work they rhetorically accomplish in the present.

Cliches addressed include the following:

– Religions are belief systems
– I’m spiritual but not religious
– Religion concerns the transcendent
– Learning about religions leads to tolerance and understanding
– Religion is a private matter.

Written in an easy and accessible style, Stereotyping Religion: Critiquing Cliches will be of interest to all readers looking to clear away unsophisticated assumptions in preparation for more critical studies.

Table of contents

Contributors
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. Religions are Belief Systems, Sean McCloud (University of North Carolina, USA)
2. Religions are Intrinsically Violent, Matt Sheedy (University of Manitoba, Canada) 
3. Religion Makes People Moral, Jennifer Eyl (Tufts University, USA)
4. Religion Concerns the Transcendent, Leslie Dorrough Smith(Avila University, USA)
5. Religion is a Private Matter, Robyn Faith Walsh(University of Miami, USA)
6. Religions are Mutually Exclusive, Steven W. Ramey(The University of Alabama, USA)
7. I’m Spiritual but Not Religious, Andie Alexander (Emory University, USA) and Russell T. McCutcheon (University of Alabama, USA)
8. Learning about Religion Leads to Tolerance, Tenzan Eaghll (University of Toronto, Canada)
9. Everyone has a Faith, James Dennis LoRusso (Princeton University, USA)
10. Religion is Bullshit, Rebekka King (Middle Tennessee State University, USA)
Bibliography
Index

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