This book focuses on the power of the ‘ordinary’, ‘everydayness’ and ‘embodiment’ as keys to exploring the intersection of trauma and the everyday reality of religion. It critically investigates traumatic experiences from a perspective of lived religion, and therefore, examines how trauma is articulated and lived in the foreground of people’s concrete, material actualities. Trauma and Lived Religion seeks to demonstrate the vital relevance between the concept of lived religion and the study of trauma, and the reciprocal relationship between the two. A central question in this volume therefore focuses on the key dimensions of body, language, memory, testimony, and ritual. It will be of interest to academics in the fields of sociology, psychology, and religious studies with a focus on lived religion and trauma studies, across various religions and cultural contexts.

This book is an interdisciplinary exploration of the intertwining impact of violent trauma, culture, and power through case studies of two ministries serving in different demographic contexts within the United States. Mass shootings continue to rise in the United States, including in religious and school contexts, and the U.S. also is ground zero for the now international Black Lives Matter movement. The author shows how all forms of violent trauma impact more than individuals –devastating communal relationships and practices of religious or spiritual meaning-making in the aftermath, and assesses how these impacts differ according to lived experiences with culture and power. Looking at the two ministries, an urban grassroots lay ministry organization that serves surviving family members in the aftermath of homicide, and a denominational ministry that served a church in the aftermath of a political and religiously motivated shooting, the author develops trauma-specific interdisciplinary tools for lived religion studies. "This book powerfully utilizes an intersectional lens to highlight the inter-interconnections to be found for those working in faith communities, as well as mental health. Walsh provides the reader with an opportunity to explore and develop theoretical and practice perspectives that include: race and ethnicity, religion and spirituality, social class and ability, sexual orientation, immigration and refugee status, and explores the impact that oppression and discrimination have on our communities and society. I highly recommend this book for those who are engaged in working to combat domination at the local, national and global levels." - Gary Bailey, Simmons College, USA

RTS is a to the point, self-help guide on recovering from religion. Unlike any other book of its kind, RTS was written to rattle your conscience, and awaken your logic. Being written by someone who was born deep into religion gives it a personal connection and a realistic view on what someone goes through after leaving their faith. Most people, who were blessed with never having to be held back by belief would never understand the inner struggle one goes through in finding meaning in this world after being deceived their entire life. Too long have you been brainwashed and beguiled by those that would rob you of living life while taking you on a never ending exodus to some false promised land. This is why this book was written short, to the point, and was designed to not waste your time. So, if you have gone through this terrible transition, and need help through your time of trauma, then this is the book for you.

This volume explores the ways in which lived religion encourages and contributes to conflicts, as well as fosters tolerance, in the interlocking rural, urban, and virtual social spheres. Through ten case studies with vast geographical and religious variation, the contributors address some of the shortcomings in analyses of the relationship between religion and (in)tolerance and offers a theoretically and empirically more nuanced understanding of the micro-politics of (in)tolerance and the roles of lived religion in it. The book argues that (in)tolerance and its connection to religion cannot be fully understood unless analyzed from below, which means that the focus needs to be not only on public institutions or religio-political spaces but also on (in)tolerance of ordinary people and their performativity, practices, and interests in non-institutionalized spaces. This showcases the ambiguous interconnectedness of lived religion and (in)tolerance. Lived Religion and the Politics of (In)Tolerance will be of interest to students and scholars interested in lived religion, the relationship between politics and religion, and those working in cross-cultural dialogue and through an anti-racism, and anti-violence lens.

Simultaneously published in St. Louis, Missouri by Chalice Press, 2015.

Have you been harmed by toxic religion? Learn how to recover and reclaim your life. Psychologist Marlene Winell is uniquely qualified to address the subject of this book. In addition to her personal experience with leaving fundamentalist religion, she has worked with clients recovering from religion for 28 years. She is known for coining the term Religious Trauma Syndrome. Leaving the Fold is a self-help book that examines the effects of authoritarian religion (fundamentalist Christianity in particular) on individuals who leave the faith. The concrete steps for healing are useful for anyone in recovery from toxic religion. In this book you'll discover: - what you can expect about stages of religious recovery - information about the key issues of recovery - relevant family dynamics - the power of manipulations - motivations for belonging and for leaving religion - specific steps for healing and reclaiming life - further steps for rebuilding life in the present Leaving the Fold is the only self-help psychology book on the subject of religious recovery. The accessible, compassionate writing is ideal for the reader who needs clear information and concrete help. Buy Leaving the Fold and begin your healing journey today

How can we grasp the complex religious lives of individuals such as Peter, an ordained Protestant minister who has little attachment to any church but centers his highly committed religious practice on peace-and-justice activism? Or Hannah, a devout Jew whose rich spiritual life revolves around her women's spirituality group and the daily practice of meditative dance? Or Laura, who identifies as Catholic but rarely attends Mass, and engages daily in Buddhist-style meditation at her home altar arranged with symbols of Mexican American popular religion? Diverse religious practices such as these have long baffled scholars, whose research often starts with the assumption that individuals commit, or refuse to commit, to an entire institutionally framed package of beliefs and practices. Meredith McGuire points the way forward toward a new way of understanding religion. She argues that scholars must study religion not as it is defined by religious organizations, but as it is actually lived in people's everyday lives. Drawing on her own extensive fieldwork, as well as recent work by others, McGuire explores the many, seemingly mundane, ways that individuals practice their religions and develop their spiritual lives. By examining the many eclectic and creative practices -- of body, mind, emotion, and spirit -- that have been invisible to researchers, she offers a fuller and more nuanced understanding of contemporary religion.