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<p><b>1 Introduction: Myths and Misbelieving 1</b></p> <p><b>2 Myths About Religions in General 9</b></p> <p>Introduction 9</p> <p>1. All Societies Have Religions 12</p> <p>2. Religion Is about the Spiritual 18</p> <p>3. Religion Is about the Supernatural 21</p> <p>4. Religion Is about Faith or Belief 23</p> <p>5. Worship Is an Essential Part of Religion 28</p> <p>6. Religion Is a Personal Matter 31</p> <p>7. Science Will Eventually Replace Religion 34</p> <p>8. Religion Causes Violence 39</p> <p><b>3 Myths About Judaism, Jews, and Jewish Scripture 45</b></p> <p>Introduction 45</p> <p>1. The Ancient Israelites Believed in One God 46</p> <p>2. Moses Wrote the First Five Books of the Bible 50</p> <p>3. The Book of Genesis Is Incompatible with the Theory of Evolution 53</p> <p>4. Jews Believe They Were Chosen by God to Receive Special Privileges 60</p> <p>5. The Jews Killed Jesus 63</p> <p>6. Blood Libel: Jews Use Christian Blood in Their Rituals 68</p> <p>7. Benjamin Franklin Advised the US Government to Expel Jews 70</p> <p>8. The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion: Jewish Leaders Plot Global Takeover 73</p> <p>9. Hanukkah Is for Jews What Christmas Is for Christians 77</p> <p><b>4 Myths About Christianity, Christians, and Christian Scripture 80</b></p> <p>Introduction 80</p> <p>1. The Four Gospels Are Eyewitnesses' Accounts of the Life of Jesus 81</p> <p>2. The Bible Says that When We Die, Our Souls Go to Heaven or Hell 86</p> <p>3. Jesus Was Born on December 25 in a Stable in Bethlehem 89</p> <p>4. Jesus Was a Christian 93</p> <p>5. Jesus Preached Family Values 97</p> <p>6. The Image of the Crucified Jesus Has Always Been Sacred to Christians 101</p> <p>7. The Church Suppressed Science in the Middle Ages 105</p> <p>8. Catholics Are Not Christians 110</p> <p>9. The United States Was Founded as a Christian Country 115</p> <p><b>5 Myths About Islam, Muslims, and the Qur'an 123</b></p> <p>Introduction 123</p> <p>1. Most Muslims Are Arabs and All Arabs Are Muslim 124</p> <p>2. Muslims Worship a Different God 126</p> <p>3. The Qur’an Condemns Judaism and Christianity 129</p> <p>4. “Jihad” Means Holy War 135</p> <p>5. The Qur’an Encourages Violence 138</p> <p>6. The Qur’an Condones Mistreatment of Women 142</p> <p>7. The Qur’an Promises Suicide Bombers 72 Heavenly Virgins 147</p> <p>8. Muslims Reject Democracy 150</p> <p>9. Muslims Fail to Speak Out against Terrorism 153</p> <p>10. American Muslims Want to Impose Islamic Law on the United States 158</p> <p><b>6 Myths About Other Western Traditions 163</b></p> <p>Introduction 163</p> <p>1. Zoroastrians Worship Fire 163</p> <p>2. Voodoo Is Black Magic 166</p> <p>3. Witches Worship Satan 169</p> <p>4. Rastafarians Are Marijuana Abusers 175</p> <p>5. Unitarian Universalists May Believe Whatever They Want 178</p> <p><b>7 Myths About Eastern Traditions 181</b></p> <p>Introduction 181</p> <p>1. Hinduism Is a Single Religious Tradition 181</p> <p>2. Hinduism Promotes the Caste System 185</p> <p>3. Hindus Worship Idols 187</p> <p>4. Buddha Is a God for Buddhists 190</p> <p>5. The Laughing Buddha (Budai, Ho-Ti) Is Buddha 193</p> <p><b>8 Myths About Nonbelievers 196</b></p> <p>Introduction 196</p> <p>1. Nonbelievers Are Ignorant about Religion 196</p> <p>2. Nonbelievers Have no Basis for Morality 198</p> <p>3. Without Religious Belief, Life Has No Purpose 202</p> <p>4. Atheism Is Just as Much a Matter of Faith as Religion Is 207</p> <p><b>Bonus Myths 210</b></p> <p>1. 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" 211</p> <p>2. The Bible Forbids Eating Pork Because It Causes Illness 216</p> <p>3. The Apocalypse Is the End of the World Foretold in Scripture 220</p> <p>4. Satan and His Devils Torture Humans in Hell 224</p> <p>5. Cherubs Are Cute, Childlike Angels 226</p> <p>6. Christians Were Systematically Persecuted by the Romans 229</p> <p>7. There Was a Female Pope Named Joan 233</p> <p>8. Saint Patrick Drove the Snakes out of Ireland 238</p> <p>Index 242</p>

<p>"...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." (<i>Church Times</i>, 21 August 2015)</p> <p>"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." (<i>SFCrowsnest.org.uk</i>, 1 June 2014)</p> <p>"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." (<i>Nurturing Potential</i>, 1 June 2014)</p>

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

<p>In the scholarly study of religion, myths are described as sacred stories that convey central religious beliefs and are not intended to be scrutinized for scientific or historic validity.  But in everyday language, myths are false beliefs. False beliefs about religions are the topic of this book. As with all areas of human life, religion is a realm where questionable ideas sometimes develop into widely held beliefs. Some are innocuous – such as St Patrick driving snakes out of Ireland – but others have been deadly, such as the medieval myths that fostered anti-Semitism. This lively and illuminating book looks at 50 widely held beliefs about religions, unpacking their origins, showing how they spread, and discussing why they can be questioned. Some of the myths are centuries old and others – for example, that Barak Obama is a Muslim – are more recent. Together, they provide a fascinating and sometimes surprising picture of the perceptions and misconceptions that circulate about religions.</p> <p>The authors<i>,</i> respected religion scholars John Morreall and Tamara Sonn, focus on myths from Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, but also cover some Western perceptions of Eastern religions, as well as atheism. Carefully and lucidly, they examine 50 views drawing on commonly held misbeliefs, ideas found to be questionable in the light of historical research, and false beliefs about religions held by people outside those communities. There is also a fascinating discussion of the important role played by myth in religion, and its significance for human nature more generally.</p>

<p>"Morreall and Sonn show how many of the things that people think they know about religion are not, in reality, accurate. The specialist in religious studies will find this book helpful in identifying popular misconceptions about religion, which they may share, and the general reader will gain new perspectives from this persuasive and non-polemical discussion."<br />—<b>John Voll, Georgetown University</b></p> <p>"Morreall and Sonn's 50 Myths about Religion will enjoy a wide readership. It is a masterful study, enormously engaging and provocative, of the origins, historicity, meaning and function of common beliefs and misbeliefs in Judaism, Christianity and Islam. - should enjoy wide distribution."<br />—<b>John L. Esposito, Past President of AAR</b></p>

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