Validating violence--violating faith?

William W. Emilsen, John T. Squires

"12 scholars from Jewish, Christian and Muslim traditions look at violence in the scriptures. They all grapple with the problem of how to deal with the phenomenon of violence when it appears within the scriptures and within the traditions of their particular faiths. They all recognize the extent of violent language, of imagery, story and ideology which are hidden deep within the texts. Discussion begins with a description of what is in the text, noting and detailing what violence is there and where it is present. This is followed by an evaluation, in terms of how to make sense of this presence of violence in the texts, trying to find pointers and clues in how to handle and understand the texts. The editors bring the threads together the range of ideas presented and come to some conclusions as to the use of violence, or the abuse of violence, in scripture and in the faith tradition of...