50 Great Myths About Religions

John Morreall is Professor of Religious Studies at the College of William & Mary, Virginia. His publications include Comedy, Tragedy, and Religion (1999, winner of the Choice Outstanding Academic Book in 2000), Comic Relief: A Comprehensive Philosophy of Humor (Wiley-Blackwell, 2009), and The Religion Toolkit: A Complete Guide to Studying Religion (with Tamara Sonn, Wiley-Blackwell, 2011). Tamara Sonn is the William R. Kenan Distinguished Professor of Humanities in the Department of Religious Studies at the College of William and Mary. Her books include Interpreting Islam: Bandali Jawzi's Islamic Intellectual History(1996), Islam: A Brief History (2nd edition, Wiley-Blackwell, 2009), and The Religion Toolkit: A Complete Guide to Studying Religion (with John Morreall, Wiley-Blackwell, 2011). She is currently an editor of Oxford Islamic Studies Online and co-editor-in-chief of Wiley-Blackwell's Religion Compass.

"...The authors have a serious and deep purpose. Moreover, they have set about the task with some sagacity. Conscious that many people are unwittingly captive to damaging half-truths in religious belief, they set the record straight on key issues and ideas, and, in so doing, have produced a lively book with a bracing and pacey text. It deserves to be widely read." (Church Times, 21 August 2015)"For the non-religious amongst you, this book will provide to hand a ready set of information to counter the door-to-door religion sellers." (SFCrowsnest.org.uk, 1 June 2014)"The Bonus Myths of the final section were mainly well – known and very cleverly handled, with erudition and humour. The Apocalypse is the End of the World; Cherubs are Cute, Childlike Angels; There was a Female Pope Named Joan; and a whole series of fabled statements attributed to the Bible, e.g. Cleanliness is next to Godliness; Hate the Sin, Love the Sinner; Money is the root of all evil; This too shall pass . . . and so on. Well worth reading whatever your faith or belief." (Nurturing Potential, 1 June 2014)

• 1 Introduction: Myths and Misbelieving 12 Myths About Religions in General 9Introduction 91. All Societies Have Religions 122. Religion Is about the Spiritual 183. Religion Is about the Supernatural 214. Religion Is about Faith or Belief 235. Worship Is an Essential Part of Religion 286. Religion Is a Personal Matter 317. Science Will Eventually Replace Religion 348. Religion Causes Violence 393 Myths About Judaism, Jews, and Jewish Scripture 45Introduction 451. The Ancient Israelites Believed in One God 462. Moses Wrote the First Five Books of the Bible 503. The Book of Genesis Is Incompatible with the Theory of Evolution 534. Jews Believe They Were Chosen by God to Receive Special Privileges 605. The Jews Killed Jesus 636. Blood Libel: Jews Use Christian Blood in Their Rituals 687. Benjamin Franklin Advised the US Government to Expel Jews 708. The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion: Jewish Leaders Plot Global Takeover 739. Hanukkah Is for Jews What Christmas Is for Christians 774 Myths About Christianity, Christians, and Christian Scripture 80Introduction 801. The Four Gospels Are Eyewitnesses' Accounts of the Life of Jesus 812. The Bible Says that When We Die, Our Souls Go to Heaven or Hell 863. Jesus Was Born on December 25 in a Stable in Bethlehem 894. Jesus Was a Christian 935. Jesus Preached Family Values 976. The Image of the Crucified Jesus Has Always Been Sacred to Christians 1017. The Church Suppressed Science in the Middle Ages 1058. Catholics Are Not Christians 1109. The United States Was Founded as a Christian Country 1155 Myths About Islam, Muslims, and the Qur'an 123Introduction 1231. Most Muslims Are Arabs and All Arabs Are Muslim 1242. Muslims Worship a Different God 1263. The Qur’an Condemns Judaism and Christianity 1294. “Jihad” Means Holy War 1355. The Qur’an Encourages Violence 1386. The Qur’an Condones Mistreatment of Women 1427. The Qur’an Promises Suicide Bombers 72 Heavenly Virgins 1478. Muslims Reject Democracy 1509. Muslims Fail to Speak Out against Terrorism 15310. American Muslims Want to Impose Islamic Law on the United States 1586 Myths About Other Western Traditions 163Introduction 1631. Zoroastrians Worship Fire 1632. Voodoo Is Black Magic 1663. Witches Worship Satan 1694. Rastafarians Are Marijuana Abusers 1755. Unitarian Universalists May Believe Whatever They Want 1787 Myths About Eastern Traditions 181Introduction 1811. Hinduism Is a Single Religious Tradition 1812. Hinduism Promotes the Caste System 1853. Hindus Worship Idols 1874. Buddha Is a God for Buddhists 1905. The Laughing Buddha (Budai, Ho-Ti) Is Buddha 1938 Myths About Nonbelievers 196Introduction 1961. Nonbelievers Are Ignorant about Religion 1962. Nonbelievers Have no Basis for Morality 1983. Without Religious Belief, Life Has No Purpose 2024. Atheism Is Just as Much a Matter of Faith as Religion Is 207Bonus Myths 2101. The Bible says, "Cleanliness is next to Godliness," "The Lord works in mysterious ways," "Hate the sin, love the sinner," "God helps those who help themselves," "Money is the root of all evil," "Spare the rod and spoil the child," "To thine own self be true," "This too shall pass," "To err is human, to forgive divine," and "Idle hands are the Devil's workshop" 2112. The Bible Forbids Eating Pork Because It Causes Illness 2163. The Apocalypse Is the End of the World Foretold in Scripture 2204. Satan and His Devils Torture Humans in Hell 2245. Cherubs Are Cute, Childlike Angels 2266. Christians Were Systematically Persecuted by the Romans 2297. There Was a Female Pope Named Joan 2338. Saint Patrick Drove the Snakes out of Ireland 238Index 242