The Twenty-first Century Confronts Its Gods

Globalization, Technology, and War

David J. Hawkin

• Publisher: SUNY Press
• Year: 2012
• Print ISBN: 9780791461822, 9780791461815
• eBook ISBN: 9780791484616
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Comparative Religion

Maintains that the secular West has its gods—such as market capitalism—and that veneration of these contributes to the cultural and religious unrest of our time.

This book penetrates the assumptions of Western technological society and exposes the powers that govern it. The contributors argue that it is a mistake to think that religion and belief have been relegated to the private sphere and are no longer important in the public and political domains. They assert that the twenty-first century has a set of new godsthe powers of globalization, technology, the market, and military mightthat reign alongside those of traditional religions. These are the forces to which the modern era has granted ultimacy. This book looks at how major religions such as Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, and Buddhism play an important role in politics and society on both the global and local levels. The new gods of technology, globalization, and war are shown to exacerbate the existing cultural divisions and religious strife that mark our time. By understanding the importance of that which is held sacred, whether traditional belief or modern practice not acknowledged as belief, the contributors help us to comprehend our present situation and challenges.

Table of contents

• THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY CONFRONTS ITS GODS
• Contents
• PART ONE: New Gods for Old?
• Introduction
• 1. The Origins of Modernity and the Technological Society DAVID J. HAWKIN
• 2. Religion, Risk, and the Technological Society CONRAD G. BRUNK
• 3. Nature and Community in the Global Market ROSEMARY E. OMMER
• 4. Media Technology and the Future of Religions JAY NEWMAN
• 5. The West Against the Rest? A Buddhist Response to The Clash of Civilizations DAVID R. LOY
• PART TWO: Gods of War?
• 6. Terrorism: Some Theological Reflections TIMOTHY GORRINGE
• 7. Islam and the Politics of Violence: Defining the Muslim Community ANDREW RIPPIN
• 8. Disarming Phineas: Rabbinic Confrontations with Biblical Militancy ELIEZER SEGAL
• 9. Hindutva and the Rhetoric of Violence: Interpreting the Past, Designing the Future RONALD NEUFELDT
• 10. Buddhism and Violence in Modernity ROBERT E. FLORIDA
• Conclusion: The Ascension of Mars and the Salvation of the Modern World MICHAEL L. HADLEY
• Contributors
• Index