This compelling book argues that American patriotism is a civil religion of blood sacrifice, which periodically kills its children to keep the group together. The flag is the sacred object of this religion; its sacrificial imperative is a secret which the group keeps from itself to survive. Expanding Durkheim's theory of the totem taboo as the organizing principle of enduring groups, Carolyn Marvin uncovers the system of sacrifice and regeneration which constitutes American nationalism, shows why historical instances of these rituals succeed or fail in unifying the group, and explains how mass media are essential to the process. American culture is depicted as ritually structured by a fertile center and sacrificial borders of death. Violence plays a key part in its identity. In essence, nationalism is neither quaint historical residue nor atavistic extremism, but a living tradition which defines American life.

Blood Sacrifices contributors: - Dawn Perlmutter, Ph.D. - Robert J. Bunker, Ph.D. - Marc W.D. Tyrrell, Ph.D. - Paul Rexton Kan, Ph.D. - Lt.Col. Lisa J. Campbell, B.A., SME Beheadings - Tony M. Kail, B.A., SME Esoteric Religions - Pamela Ligouri Bunker, M.Litt., M.A. - Charles Cameron, B.A., SME Religious Violence - SA Andrew Bringuel, II, M.A., SME Criminal Extremism - Jo?se de Arimate?ia da Cruz, Ph.D. - Mark Safranski, M.A., M.Ed. - Alma Keshavarz, M.P.P., Ph.D. Student - Pauletta Otis, Ph.D. The acknowledgment that blood sacrifice, particularly human sacrifice, actively occurs in the 21st century is a pivotal triumph in scholarly research. Twenty years ago, this book could not have been published. In most universities, think tanks, and government research facilities, characterizing any type of murder as sacrificial was viewed at best as a secondary motive and at worst as junk science. - Dr. Dawn Perlmutter

"Blood Sacrifice" is the fifth book in Lima's critically acclaimed urban fantasy series. Original.

What would you give up in order to follow your dreams? In his thrilling debut author David Sullivan takes you along the journey of Corey, a man that has overcome the odds of his home life and realized his gift when it comes to music, but what will be the price of his pursuit of fame and fortune? Will everyone he knows and loves become collateral damage on his way to the top? Taking you into the studio and the streets and the homes of characters you won't be able to forget, BLOOD SACRIFICE is a reminder for all of us that our actions have consequences and sometimes the cost of what we say we want is more than we are really willing to pay.

The history of the Aztecs has been haunted by the spectre of human sacrifice. Reinvesting the Aztecs with a humanity frequently denied to them, and exploring their spectacular religious violence as a comprehensible element of life, this book integrates a fresh interpretation of gender with an innovative study of the everyday life of the Aztecs.

Publisher Description

A reprint of Loeb's 1923 book, including maps.

Will Smith in I Am Legend. Leonardo DiCaprio in Titanic. Charlton Heston in just about everything. Viewers of Hollywood action films are no doubt familiar with the sacrificial victim-hero, the male protagonist who nobly gives up his life so that others may be saved. Washed in Blood argues that such sacrificial films are especially prominent in eras when the nation—and American manhood—is thought to be in crisis. The sacrificial victim-hero, continually imperiled and frequently exhibiting classic symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, thus bears the trauma of the nation. Claire Sisco King offers an in-depth study of three prominent cycles of Hollywood films that follow the sacrificial narrative: the early–to–mid 1970s, the mid–to–late 1990s, and the mid–to–late 2000s. From Vietnam-era disaster movies to post-9/11 apocalyptic thrillers, she examines how each film represents traumatized American masculinity and national identity. What she uncovers is a cinematic tendency to position straight white men as America’s most valuable citizens—and its noblest victims.

All’s fair in blood and war. . . . Talk about wedding crashers from hell. Keira Kelly and her sexy vampire king, Adam, are about to tie the proverbial knot—sort of—when an uninvited blood relative shows up to cast a long, dark shadow over the happy occasion. Adam’s brother Gideon comes bearing the one-size-fits-all gift of bad news: an ancient, convoluted Challenge thrown down upon the entire Kelly clan. It seems the dreaded forces of the Dark Fae have declared war on Keira’s family, and at stake is the land that is rightfully theirs. But while the Kellys gather their troops in a historic San Antonio hotel to strategize, there’s mayhem back in Rio Seco. The old cemetery is vandalized, fires break out, and—worst of all—the Kelly clan matriarch and leader, Keira’s great-great-grandmother Minerva, goes missing. Should Keira risk breaking the Challenge rules by returning to her beloved home, or should she continue the waiting game that seems the only other option? With everything she loves and maybe even her life on the line, she has only one chance to get the answer right.