Six myths lie at the heart of the American experience. Taken as aspirational, four of those myths remind us of our noblest ideals, challenging us to realize our nation's promise while galvanizing the sense of hope and unity we need to reach our goals. Misused, these myths allow for illusions of innocence that fly in the face of white supremacy, the primal American myth that stands at the heart of all the others.

Regarded as the second most important book to come out of Nazi Germany, Alfred Rosenberg's Der Mythus des zwanzigsten Jahrhunderts is a philosophical and political map which outlines the ideological background to the Nazi Party and maps out how that party viewed society, other races, social ordering, religion, art, aesthetics and the structure of the state. The "Mythus" to which Rosenberg (who was also editor of the Nazi Party newspaper) refers was the concept of blood, which, according to the preface, "unchains the racial world-revolution." Rosenberg's no-hold barred depiction of the history of Christianity earned it the accusation that it was anti-Christian, and that unjustified controversy overshadowed the most interesting sections of the book which deal with the world racial situation and the demand for racially homogenous states as the only method to preserve individual world cultures. Rosenberg was hanged at Nuremberg on charges of "waging wars of aggression" even though he had never served in the military, and it is likely that he was hanged purely because of this book. Contents Preface Book One: The Conflict of Values Chapter I. Race and Race Soul Chapter II. Love and Honour Chapter III. Mysticism and Action Book Two: Nature of Germanic Art Chapter I. Racial Aesthetics Chapter II. Will And Instinct Chapter III. Personality And Style Chapter IV. The Aesthetic Will Book Three: The Coming Reich Chapter I. Myth And Type Chapter II. The State And The Sexes Chapter III. Folk And State Chapter IV. Nordic German Law Chapter V. Church And School Chapter VI. A New System Of State Chapter VII. The Essential Unit

This wide-ranging book contains twelve chapters by scholars who explore aspects of the fascinating field of Celtic mythology – from myth and the medieval to comparative mythology, and the new cosmological approach. Examples of the innovative research represented here lead the reader into an exploration of the possible use of hallucinogenic mushrooms in Celtic Ireland, to mental mapping in the interpretation of the Irish legend Táin Bó Cuailgne, and to the integration of established perspectives with broader findings now emerging at the Indo-European level and its potential to open up the whole field of mythology in a new way.

Myths of the Tribe illustrates the negative historical impact of our major religions, which have created unending conflicts that obscure clear thinking and continue hazardous to our health today. More than two centuries after the Age of Reason culminated in the French Revolution, modern society still operates on the basis of assumptions and attitudes that originated in the ancient myths propagated by organized religion. These myths hamper efforts to apply reason to our problems and foster violent conflicts that threaten global security. Myths of the Tribe illustrates how the belief systems of all major religions have become a detriment to clear thinking, rational conduct, and wise public policy, suggesting we substitute a rational analysis of all problems in the light of objective scientific evidence, a system of ethics that allows complete individual liberty constrained only by the principle of harming no one else, taking personal responsibility for one’s own welfare and actions, and the absence of government control over the pursuit of happiness. As relevant today as it was when first published by Prometheus Books in 1993, Myths of the Tribe has been updated in its second edition with new data reflecting our views on religion and social mores in the twenty-first century.

In the battles over religion and politics in America, both liberals and conservatives often appeal to history. Liberals claim that the Founders separated church and state. But for much of American history, David Sehat writes, Protestant Christianity was intimately intertwined with the state. Yet the past was not the Christian utopia that conservatives imagine either. Instead, a Protestant moral establishment prevailed, using government power to punish free thinkers and religious dissidents. In The Myth of American Religious Freedom, Sehat provides an eye-opening history of religion in public life, overturning our most cherished myths. Originally, the First Amendment applied only to the federal government, which had limited authority. The Protestant moral establishment ruled on the state level. Using moral laws to uphold religious power, religious partisans enforced a moral and religious orthodoxy against Catholics, Jews, Mormons, agnostics, and others. Not until 1940 did the U.S. Supreme Court extend the First Amendment to the states. As the Supreme Court began to dismantle the connections between religion and government, Sehat argues, religious conservatives mobilized to maintain their power and began the culture wars of the last fifty years. To trace the rise and fall of this Protestant establishment, Sehat focuses on a series of dissenters--abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison, suffragist Elizabeth Cady Stanton, socialist Eugene V. Debs, and many others. Shattering myths held by both the left and right, David Sehat forces us to rethink some of our most deeply held beliefs. By showing the bad history used on both sides, he denies partisans a safe refuge with the Founders.

Myths of the Tribe illustrates the negative historical impact of our major religions, which have created unending conflicts that obscure clear thinking and continue hazardous to our health today.More than two centuries after the Age of Reason culminated in the French Revolution, modern society still operates on the basis of assumptions and attitudes that originated in the ancient myths propagated by organized religion. These myths hamper efforts to apply reason to our problems and foster violent conflicts that threaten global security. Myths of the Tribe illustrates how the belief systems of all major religions have become a detriment to clear thinking, rational conduct, and wise public policy, suggesting we substitute a rational analysis of all problems in the light of objective scientific evidence, a system of ethics that allows complete individual liberty constrained only by the principle of harming no one else, taking personal responsibility for one's own welfare and actions, and the absence of government control over the pursuit of happiness. As relevant today as it was when first published by Prometheus Books in 1993, Myths of the Tribe has been updated in its second edition with new data reflecting our views on religion and social mores in the twenty-first century.

What are myths? How have they evolved? And why do we still so desperately need them? A history of myth is a history of humanity, Karen Armstrong argues in this insightful and eloquent book: our stories and beliefs, our curiosity and attempts to understand the world, link us to our ancestors and each other. This is a brilliant and thought-provoking introduction to myth in the broadest sense–from Palaeolithic times to the “Great Western Transformation” of the last 500 years–and why we dismiss it only at our peril.

50 Great Myths about Religions is an intriguing, informative, and often humorous introduction to some of the long standing myths that surround religious belief. This engaging book will get its readers thinking about how and why certain myths have arisen, and their continuing influence on our personal and collective view of religion. Offers a lively, informative, and thought-provoking introduction to some of the common misbeliefs surrounding religions Discusses myths about religious belief in general, as well as specific ideas that surround Judaism, Christianity, Islam, atheism, and agnosticism Covers a wide range of myths, from ancient legends such as the Bible forbidding pork being eaten because it causes illness, to modern urban fables, such as Barack Obama being a Muslim Unpacks each myth in turn, explaining why it arose, how it spread, and why the beliefs that stem from it are questionable Includes a fascinating discussion about human nature, and the main characteristics that predispose us to create and circulate myths to begin with Underpinned by a wide knowledge of academic research, it is written by two respected religion scholars and experienced authors

Vernacular religion is religion as people experience, understand, and practice it. It shapes everyday culture and disrupts the traditional boundaries between 'official' and 'folk' religion. The book analyses vernacular religion in a range of Christian denominations as well as in indigenous and New Age religion from the nineteenth century to today. How these differing expressions of belief are shaped by their individual, communal and national contexts is also explored. What is revealed is the consistency of genres, the persistence of certain key issues, and how globalization in all its cultural and technological forms is shaping contemporary faith practice. The book will be valuable to students of ethnology, folklore, religious studies, and anthropology.