Global Terrorism: An Analysis of the Absolutism of Cosmological and Religious Belief in Mark Juergensmeyer's Terror in the Mind of God
(200)Juergensmeyer’s (2003) analysis of terrorism is defined through the context of global terrorism by an examination of religious fundamentalism from Christianity, Buddhism , Judaism, and Islam. In this religious context, Juergensmeyer (2003) defines the traditional methods of terrorism as a foundation for the public (the witnesses) and the individual (the terrorist) that is involved in “terrifying” the population as a militant strategy: “it is appropriate, then, that the definition of a terrorist act is provided by us, the witnesses—the ones terrified—and not by the party committing the act” (Juergensmeyer …show more content…
Usually, these beliefs form a logic that interprets religious scriptures or texts, which are perceived as being valid in the fight against secular forces that may threaten their way of life. In a secular perspective, Juergensmeyer (2003) defines the misinterpreted perception of religious terrorists as being “crazy”, which reveals the strategic importance of terrorism as a logical mental process: “acts of terrorism are usually the products of internal logic and not of random or crazy thinking” (Juergensmeyer 125). In this manner, the “symbolic” meaning of terrorism is conveyed by an absolutist belief in the religion that goes beyond mere militarism, but in conveying the logic of a larger religious view of the world: “”I mean they are intended to illustrate or refer to something beyond their immediate target” (125). This type of logic is a crucial way to understand the symbolic meaning of terrorism, which is meant to project a symbolically spiritual form of warfare through terrorist activities. Juergensmeyer (2003) defines the internal logic of the believer as part of the radical and absolutist tendency of terrorist objectives as an expression of faith and dedication to the …show more content…
In this religious mindset, the trend towards globalization is a direct threat to the cosmological “order” of the world, which is defined as a form of chaos to pre-existing religious concepts of the world: “When religious cultures portray warfare as something that is acknowledged and ultimately controlled, therefore, they are presenting an almost cosmological reenactment of the primacy of order over chaos” (Juergensmeyer 162). This religious perspective utilizes terrorism as a way to combat the larger secular culture of globalization, which threatens fundamentalist views of the world through scripture and other religious texts. More so, the absolutist trend in religious fundamentalism in many world religions perceives the secular world as a type of immoral and/or amoral “chaos” that threatens their way of life. This type of religious ideology is a major part of the rationalization of terrorist activities by religious fundamentalists that rely on a cosmological view of the world to validate their war against secularism in the world. Juergensmeyer (2003) defines the crucial link between the absolutism of cosmological beliefs and the rise of terror as a strategy to combat globalization trends of
(200)Juergensmeyer’s (2003) analysis of terrorism is defined through the context of global terrorism by an examination of religious fundamentalism from Christianity, Buddhism , Judaism, and Islam. In this religious context, Juergensmeyer (2003) defines the traditional methods of terrorism as a foundation for the public (the witnesses) and the individual (the terrorist) that is involved in “terrifying” the population as a militant strategy: “it is appropriate, then, that the definition of a terrorist act is provided by us, the witnesses—the ones terrified—and not by the party committing the act” (Juergensmeyer …show more content…
Usually, these beliefs form a logic that interprets religious scriptures or texts, which are perceived as being valid in the fight against secular forces that may threaten their way of life. In a secular perspective, Juergensmeyer (2003) defines the misinterpreted perception of religious terrorists as being “crazy”, which reveals the strategic importance of terrorism as a logical mental process: “acts of terrorism are usually the products of internal logic and not of random or crazy thinking” (Juergensmeyer 125). In this manner, the “symbolic” meaning of terrorism is conveyed by an absolutist belief in the religion that goes beyond mere militarism, but in conveying the logic of a larger religious view of the world: “”I mean they are intended to illustrate or refer to something beyond their immediate target” (125). This type of logic is a crucial way to understand the symbolic meaning of terrorism, which is meant to project a symbolically spiritual form of warfare through terrorist activities. Juergensmeyer (2003) defines the internal logic of the believer as part of the radical and absolutist tendency of terrorist objectives as an expression of faith and dedication to the …show more content…
In this religious mindset, the trend towards globalization is a direct threat to the cosmological “order” of the world, which is defined as a form of chaos to pre-existing religious concepts of the world: “When religious cultures portray warfare as something that is acknowledged and ultimately controlled, therefore, they are presenting an almost cosmological reenactment of the primacy of order over chaos” (Juergensmeyer 162). This religious perspective utilizes terrorism as a way to combat the larger secular culture of globalization, which threatens fundamentalist views of the world through scripture and other religious texts. More so, the absolutist trend in religious fundamentalism in many world religions perceives the secular world as a type of immoral and/or amoral “chaos” that threatens their way of life. This type of religious ideology is a major part of the rationalization of terrorist activities by religious fundamentalists that rely on a cosmological view of the world to validate their war against secularism in the world. Juergensmeyer (2003) defines the crucial link between the absolutism of cosmological beliefs and the rise of terror as a strategy to combat globalization trends of