Holy Terror Understanding Religion and Violence in Popular Culture

To what degree does violent rhetoric shape belief and values? How might we understand the social function of violence in popular discourses? What is the significance of violence being associated with particular religious groups or ideas in the media? This collection of essays arose from an international conference investigating those questions.

The authors of religious scriptures had little difficulty enhancing sacred narratives with the rhetoric of violence. The phenomenon continues in the habitual linkage of violence and religion in contemporary film, music and literature. 'Holy Terror' brings together scholars of religious studies, biblical studies, film studies and sociology to examine the social function of violence in popular discourse. The book questions how violent rhetoric shapes belief and values, how audience empathy with violent protagonists can be understood, and the significance of the association of violence with particular religious groups and ideas. A range of phenomena are analysed, including terrorism in Scripture, apocalyptic texts in film and violence in sport.

Introduction, Eric Christianson and Christopher Partridge Part I In the Discourse of Terrorism 1. Seeing Beyond Fear of Terrorism on the Web, Jolyon Mitchell 2. Violent Superwomen: Super Heroes or Super Villains? Judith, Wonder Woman and Lynndie England, Emma England Part II In Cinema 3. Biblical Epic and the American State: The Traitor and Sanctified Violence inEsther and the King (1960), Jo Carruthers 4. Cease to Exist: Manson Family Movies and Mysticism, Gerry Carlin and Mark Jones 5. The End is...a Blockbuster: The Use and Abuse of the Apocalypse in Contemporary film, John Walliss Part III A Case Study: The Violence of The Passion of the Christ 7. Counterfictional Suffering: Authenticity and Artistry in The Passion of the Christ,Steven Allen 8. Controlling Passions: The Regulation, Censorship and Classification of the Violence in The Passion of the Christ within Britian, Shaun Kimber 9. The Passion as Media Spectacle, Oluyinka Esan 10. Protest as Reaction, Reaction as Text: The (Con)Textual Logics of The Last Temptation of Christ and The Passion of the Christ, Leighton Grist Part IV In Sport11. The Religious Significance of Violence in Football, Rina Arya 12. Cultivated Outrage: World Wrestling Entertainment and the Religious Excess of Violence, Hugh S. Pyper

Eric Christianson and Christopher Partridge, both University of Chester