Religion At Ground Zero

'The world will never be the same!' How many times have human beings uttered this cry after a tragic event? This book analyzes how such emotive reactions impact on the way religion is understood, exploring theological responses to human tragedy and cultural shock by focusing on reactions to the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and 7/7, the two World Wars and the Holocaust, the 2004 South-East Asian tsunami, Hurricane Katrina and the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. It discusses themes such as the theodicy question, the function of religious discourse in the face of tragedy, and the relationship between religion and politics. The book explores the tension between religion's capacity to both cause and enhance the suffering and destruction surrounding historical tragedies, but also its potential to serve as a powerful resource for responding to such disasters. Analyzing this dialectic, it engages with the work of Slavoj Žižek, Karl Barth, Theodor Adorno, Emil Fackenheim and Rowan Williams, examining the role of belief, difficulties of overcoming the influence of ideology, and the significance of trust and humility.

'The world will never be the same!' How many times have human beings uttered this cry after a tragic event? This book analyzes how such emotive reactions impact on the way religion is understood, exploring theological responses to human tragedy and cultural shock by focusing on reactions to the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and 7/7, the two World Wars and the Holocaust, the 2004 South-East Asian tsunami, Hurricane Katrina and the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. It discusses themes such as the theodicy question, the function of religious discourse in the face of tragedy, and the relationship between religion and politics. The book explores the tension between religion's capacity to both cause and enhance the suffering and destruction surrounding historical tragedies, but also its potential to serve as a powerful resource for responding to such disasters. Analyzing this dialectic, it engages with the work of Slavoj Žižek, Karl Barth, Theodor Adorno, Emil Fackenheim and Rowan Williams, examining the role of belief, difficulties of overcoming the influence of ideology, and the significance of trust and humility.

Drawing on a decade of research into the community that proposed the so-called "Ground Zero Mosque," this book refutes the idea that current demands for Muslim moderation have primarily arisen in response to the events of 9/11, or to the violence often depicted in the media as unique to Muslims. Instead, it looks at a century of pressures on religious minorities to conform to dominant American frameworks for race, gender, and political economy. These include the encouraging of community groups to provide social services to the dispossessed in compensation for the government's lack of welfare provisions in an aggressively capitalist environment. Calls for Muslim moderation in particular are also colored by racist and orientalist stereotypes about the inherent pacifism of Sufis with respect to other groups. The first investigation of the assumptions behind moderate Islam in our country, Making Moderate Islam is also the first to look closely at the history, lives, and ambitions of the those involved in Manhattan's contested project for an Islamic community center.

Calvin Baxter was living his dream. Annie was the perfect wife, and Taylor was his beautiful infant daughter. He loved his job as the pastor of a thriving community church in Archdale, a typical small North Carolina town where no secrets were ever kept. It didn't matter because Cal and Annie had no secrets to keep. Until on a warm Spring afternoon when Annie and Taylor died in a tragic accident. It was Cal's fault. How could a loving God allow such a tragedy to happen? Relentless anger festered into deep resentment. Self-loathing eventually drove Cal to the edge of suicide, but he never could muster the courage to end it all. Cal declared a ruthless, secret war that raged for ten grueling years. The terrible battles gradually destroyed his faith. It was too late when his congregation discovered their pastor harbored a dark secret that would force Tabernacle Baptist Church to close its doors forever. On the Sunday Cal preached his final sermon, he announced he was stepping away from the ministry. He had no idea what to do with the rest of his life, or where to do it. All that mattered, it had to be far away from Archdale. Cal drove out of town in a very special vehicle named for Annie. He had to make one final stop, to visit Gabby, his mother-in-law, who had long since forgiven Cal for Annie's and Taylor's deaths. Even though Gabby knew it was a waste of time, she encouraged Cal to forgive himself. When they hugged good-bye both Cal and Gabby were certain they would never see each other again. Cal had no destination in mind as he turned south on Highway 109, toward a sparsely settled section of the state. Ahead were clear skies, fresh air and winding country roads. There were no more sermons to prepare. No more prayer requests he doubted would even be heard, let alone answered. He had left behind God, religion and all false pretense of belief. Confident he had begun a brand new chapter in his life, Cal was about to discover he had actually entered a challenging odyssey that would rock him to his very core. He may have lost his faith, but Evil wasn't about to cut him any slack. Cal only thought he had lost it all, until he actually lost it all. As his unexpected journey unfolds, Cal is forced to accept that the man he used to be no longer exists. He is still inside the same body, but is a man he must learn to accept and become. As Cal struggles with his new identity, he may have stepped on the path that returns him to the Faith he abandoned in Archdale.

A Jesuit priest recounts his experiences working among firefighters, rescue workers, and police officers at Ground Zero during the weeks following September 11, 2001 and tells of the hope, grace, and charity he found in those who suffered and in those who worked to console.

Where are you? Life is uncertain. Skyscrapers crash and so do stock markets. Bodies get broken, and so do relationships. Our health declines and marriages fail. Ground Zero brings us to places where we see how little is in our control, and how God still gives people a second chance to bounce back in life.

The instant #1 New York Times bestseller. In time for the twentieth anniversary of 9/11, master storyteller Alan Gratz (Refugee) delivers a pulse-pounding and unforgettable take on history and hope, revenge and fear -- and the stunning links between the past and present. September 11, 2001, New York City: Brandon is visiting his dad at work, on the 107th floor of the World Trade Center. Out of nowhere, an airplane slams into the tower, creating a fiery nightmare of terror and confusion. And Brandon is in the middle of it all. Can he survive -- and escape? September 11, 2019, Afghanistan: Reshmina has grown up in the shadow of war, but she dreams of peace and progress. When a battle erupts in her village, Reshmina stumbles upon a wounded American soldier named Taz. Should she help Taz -- and put herself and her family in mortal danger? Two kids. One devastating day. Nothing will ever be the same.