Worship and Sin: Religion-Related Crime in the United States raises provocative questions about the role of religion in crime and criminal behavior. Arguing that religion-related crime should be classified as a distinct subset of crime worthy of continued investigation by scholars, this book brings together for the first time the disparate scholarly research related to various types of religion-related crime, presents numerous examples, and considers the practical and legal issues facing practitioners of various disciplines. This ground-breaking work takes great care to present a comprehensive overview of the phenomenon and illustrates the complex and multidimensional nature of this crime category. A three-pronged typology is presented as a conceptual framework to distinguish the unique features of different types of religion-related crime and to highlight the dynamic historical, psychological, social, and cultural forces involved in each. The author opens the text with several introductory chapters which serve to define religion-related crime, explore the role of religion in society, and to provide an overview of legal and policy issues. The remaining chapters provide detailed examples of three different types of religion-related crime: theologically-based crimes, which are those which are a result of a particular religious custom, practice, or belief; while reactive/defensive crimes are those which come about more as a result of social or political tensions between the religious member or group and the broader secular community. The third type of religion-related crime identified is the abuse of religious authority. This category explores crimes committed by clergy who have taken advantage of their social, political, and religious status. To further broaden an understanding of religion-related crime, the author provides chapters which explore crimes against women and children, the use of illicit drugs in religious practice or to reach desired states of spiritual awareness, the nature and function of destructive religious groups, violence against reproductive health providers, hate crime, and crimes committed by clergy.
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"Worship and Sin is a comprehensive analytical study of religion-related crime in the United States. By pulling in vivid and often contemporary examples, Karel Kurst-Swanger is able to illustrate the different types of behaviors that fall within religion-related crime. Other books focus on one or two of the concepts in Kurst-Swanger's book; but no other book conceptualizes religion-related crime in a similar manner. Each chapter contains useful information to help the reader clearly understand Kurst-Swanger's conceptualization of religion-related crime. This . . . book is a must read for anyone interested in religion-related crime or criminal behavior in general."
Laura J. Moriarty, Vice Provost for Academic and Faculty Affairs, Virginia Commonwealth University
About the Author
Karel Kurst-Swanger is Associate Professor in the Department of Public Justice at the State University of New York at Oswego. She earned a Ph.D. in political science/public policy and administration from Binghamton University. She holds an Ms.Ed. in counseling from the State University of New York at Brockport. She is the co-author of Violence in the Home: Multidisciplinary Perspectives (2003).
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destructive religious groups, clergy misconduct, religious users, alternative religious groups, free exercise cases, religious followers, neglect statutes, federal drug laws, abortion providers Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
United States, Supreme Court, First Amendment, Catholic Church, Opus Dei, Native American, Crimes of the Cloth, Illicit Drugs, Jim Jones, Army of God, Christian Scientists, Religion-Related Crime, Paul Hill, Jon Krakauer, Court of Appeals, Fourteenth Amendment, Christian Science, Conference of Catholic Bishops, Roman Catholic, Peoples Temple, Controlled Substances Act, Department of Justice, Centro Espirita Beneficente Uniao Do Vegetal, Joseph Smith, New York Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Surprise Me!
destructive religious groups, clergy misconduct, religious users, alternative religious groups, free exercise cases, religious followers, neglect statutes, federal drug laws, abortion providers Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
United States, Supreme Court, First Amendment, Catholic Church, Opus Dei, Native American, Crimes of the Cloth, Illicit Drugs, Jim Jones, Army of God, Christian Scientists, Religion-Related Crime, Paul Hill, Jon Krakauer, Court of Appeals, Fourteenth Amendment, Christian Science, Conference of Catholic Bishops, Roman Catholic, Peoples Temple, Controlled Substances Act, Department of Justice, Centro Espirita Beneficente Uniao Do Vegetal, Joseph Smith, New York Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Surprise Me!
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