BOOK
Exploring Moral Injury in Sacred Texts
Joseph McDonald | Rita Nakashima Brock | Amir Hussain | Brad Kelle | Daniel C. Maguire | Kelly Denton-Borhaug | Michael Yandell | Warren Carter | John Thompson | David R. Blumenthal | Nancy Bowen
(2017)
Additional Information
Book Details
Abstract
Moral injury is a profound violation of a human being's core moral identity through experiences of violence or trauma. This is the first book in which scholars from different faith and academic backgrounds consider the concept of moral injury not merely from a pastoral or philosophical point of view but through critical engagement with the sacred texts of Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism and American Civil Religion.
This collection of essays explores the ambiguities of personal culpability among both perpetrators and victims of violence and the suffering involved in accepting personal agency in trauma. Contributors provide fresh and compelling readings of texts from different faith traditions and use their findings to reflect on real-life strategies for recovery from violations of core moral beliefs and their consequences such as shame, depression and addiction. With interpretations of the sacred texts, contributors reflect on the concerns of the morally-injured today and offer particular aspects of healing from their communities as support, making this a groundbreaking contribution to the study of moral injury and trauma.
A highly valuable collection for those engaging with religion and trauma studies.
Karen L. King, Harvard Divinity School
This may be the most important, authentic, and enjoyable volume yet written on moral injury. Each deliciously crafted essay explores new territory in the moral injury landscape using passages from ancient and revered writings as guides. The whole powerfully affirms the role of moral living-and its sometimes heartbreaking challenges-in the center of human experience.
William P. Nash, MD, Director of Psychological Health for the U.S. Marine Corps
This book is a powerful impetus to understanding the full spectrum of moral injury and moral rehabilitation.
John Dominic Crossan, Emeritus Professor of Religious Studies, DePaul University, Chicago, IL.
Table of Contents
| Section Title | Page | Action | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exploring Moral Injury in Sacred Texts, Edited by Joseph McDonald | 5 | ||
| Foreword by Rita Nakashima Brock | 9 | ||
| Introduction by Joseph McDonald | 13 | ||
| 1. Soul Repair: A Jewish View - David R. Blumenthal | 33 | ||
| 2. Sodom and Lot’s Family: Moral Injury in Genesis 19 - Nancy R. Bowen | 47 | ||
| 3. “The Most Beautiful of Stories”: A Muslim Reflection on the Qur’an and Moral Injury - Amir Hussain | 69 | ||
| 4. Moral Injury and the Division of Spoils after Battle in the Hebrew Bible - Brad E. Kelle | 83 | ||
| 5. Civil Religion and the Moral Wounds of War - Daniel C. Maguire | 103 | ||
| 6. “Like Acid Seeping into Your Soul”: Religio-Cultural Violence in Moral Injury - Kelly Denton-Borhaug | 111 | ||
| 7. “Do Not Torment Me”: The Morally Injured Gerasene Demoniac - Michael Yandell | 135 | ||
| 8. Peter and Judas: Moral Injury and Repair - Warren Carter | 151 | ||
| Buddhist Scripture and Moral Injury: Reflections on the Story of Aṅgulimāla - John M. Thompson | 169 | ||
| Bibliography | 191 | ||
| Contributors | 202 | ||
| Subject Index | 205 | ||
| Author Index | 208 | ||
| Blank Page |