In the Name of Heaven: 3,000 Years of Religious PersecutionReligion--the source of inspiration, hope, and basic values for most of humanity throughout history--has also been the motive for atrocious persecutions from antiquity to the present. In the Name of Heaven is a wide-ranging historical survey of religious persecution encompassing three millennia and a great diversity of cultures worldwide. Defining religious persecution as "repressive actions initiated or condoned by authorities against their own people on religious grounds," author Mary Jane Engh begins with ancient Egypt, followed by the biblical history of Israel with its accounts of divinely ordered genocides and capital punishment for worshipers of other deities. Chapters are devoted to ancient Greece (Socrates, Alcibiades, and Aristotle, among others, clashed with the religious establishment); the Roman Empire (persecutions of Jews, Christians, and Manichaeans, and the later persecution of pagans and heretics by a Christianized Rome); the Islamic Empire (persecutions of polytheists and dissident Muslims); and medieval and Reformation Europe (where Protestants and Catholics persecuted each other and both persecuted heretics). The twenty-two chapters also cover Asia, Africa, the Americas, and the Pacific area. In an epilogue Engh reviews the new forms of religious persecution from the 20th century to the present--from major genocides and militant forms of polytheism to persecution of all religion by atheistic governments. Complete with references to further reading, this sobering but factually indisputable survey of religion's dark side enlightens while serving as a warning for the future. |
Common terms and phrases
accepted African Ahura Mazda Akhenaten altars American ancient Antiochus Arian army arrested Aten Athens attacked authorities Bacchanalia Bible bishops Buddhism burned Byzantine Byzantine Empire caliphs Catholic Church century chapter Chris Christians civil clergy confiscated conquest Constantine converts death declared decree deities destroyed dhimmis divine doctrine dynasty Egypt emperor English European executed exiled expelled force foreign France French FURTHER READING gods Hawaiian heresy heretics holy Huguenots hundred images imperial impiety imprisoned Islam Israel Israelites Japanese Jewish Jews Joseph Smith Judah Judea Kartir killed king kingdom land later leaders Manichaeans Manichaeism massacred ment missionaries monasteries Mormons Muhammad Muslim native officials pagan Paulicians Persia pope practice preached priests Protestant punishment Reformation reign religion revolt Roman Empire Rome ruled rulers sacred sacrifice shrines Socrates SOURCES AND FURTHER suppress Taiping territory thousand tian tion toleration took translation troops Umayyad University Press Vandal Waldensians Western women worship Yahweh Zoroastrians