Serie Piper: Die Rache Gottes

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In this translation of a best-selling French work, Gilles Kepel, a leading authority on Islamic societies, presents a compelling account of the resurgence of religious belief in the modern world, focusing on radical movements within Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. While much has been written about contemporary religious fundamentalisms, Kepel critiques the term as inadequate for understanding revivalist movements globally. He examines a spectrum of groups, from American Protestant televangelists to ultra-Orthodox Jews and Islamic militants, arguing that these movements resist modernity and secularism but are not merely reactions to them. Instead, they embody the complexities of contemporary society, with militant memberships comprised of young, educated individuals seeking to recreate society based on their sacred texts. Each group employs strategies from above, aiming to seize state power, and from below, working to influence the masses and control daily lives. Kepel posits that today's religious movements, much like historical workers' movements, reveal societal ills and provide a critical lens through which to examine our world at the millennium's end. Their insights, regardless of agreement, offer a significant critique of contemporary society.