Dying for Heaven - by Ariel Glucklich (Paperback)

About the Book

A scholar and advisor to the Pentagon explains the religious motivations of terrorists, and tells why suicide missions may be rational and pleasurable for them.

Book Synopsis

In Dying for Heaven, Georgetown scholar and advisor to the defense community Ariel Glucklich explains the religious motivation of terrorism. This provocative work of political science argues that the very best qualities of religion--its ability to make people feel good and bring them together--are in fact its most dangerous. Glucklich, author of Sacred Pain and Climbing Chamundi Hill, offers a new understanding of religion and provides a vision for preventing further religiously-inspired violence.

From the Back Cover

Religion and the Motivation Behind Terrorism

Dying for Heaven reveals a groundbreaking theory of religion andreligious destructiveness, providing the key for understanding thereligious drive to self-destruct, and offering a new vision forpreventing further religiously inspired violence.

Review Quotes

In Dying for Heaven, Ariel Glucklich argues against the misconception that religious terrorists fight their enemies out of hatred. Rather, it is the positive aspects of religion that inspire the most heinous actions. -- Washington Post.com

"An important and enlightening book for a dangerous age." -- Booklist (starred review)

"Extremely well written, and at times quite funny, this book is an absolute necessity for a public seeking to understand religious nuance and zealotry; it deserves careful attention and a broad readership. Highly recommended." -- Library Journal

"This brilliant and gracefully written study sheds new light on religious behavior . . . Rich with examples and scholarly detail, this study should be read by policymakers, social scientists, and anyone fascinated with what lies behind the awesome power of religious faith." -- Mark Juergensmeyer, author of Terror in the Mind of God: The Global Rise of Religious Violence

"A new and major treatise on what it takes to become a suicide bomber and what it takes to counter it. Glucklich combines religion, terrorism, hope and despair in a breathtaking and highly readable manner." -- Ahmed Rashid, author of Taliban and Jihad

"Ariel Glucklich's Dying for Heaven offers a provocative explanation of religion and terrorism based on a Darwinian approach. Although not all readers will embrace this analysis, it provides absorbing food for thought and a surprisingly attractive solution for the problem it addresses." -- Carl W. Ernst, the William R. Kenan, Jr., Distinguished Professor of Religious Studies, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

"[Dying for Heaven] is more than 300 pages of gripping analysis about the inner motivations--the high-octane rocket fuel--within religion." -- Read the Spirit.com