Download or read book Stereotyping Religion written by Brad Stoddard and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2017-11-02 with total page 201 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.