Religious Fundamentalism Book Review by cee-cee

The paper examines Karen Armstrong's "Holy War", Mark Juergensmeyer's "Terror in the Mind of God" and Malise Ruthven's "Fundamentalism: The Search for Meaning". The paper discusses Armstrong's theory that fundamentalist religion is essentially a response to and a product of modern culture, Juergensmeyer's belief that cultures of violence, and not the religion itself, cause terrorism within fundamental believers and Ruthven's explanation of fundamentalism. The paper shows how the three authors each offer important insight into understanding both the history and current status of religious fundamentalism.