Abstract
The concept of religion was invented as part of the political mythology of liberalism and now has emerged as a universal concept applicable to other cultures and civilizations. This understanding of religion is used to legitimate a form of liberal politics that considers the mixing of politics and religion to be violent and dangerous to reason, freedom, and political stability. The global resurgence of religion, however, challenges the concepts of social theory that interpret public religion in this way. It challenges the idea that secular reason can provide a neutral stance from which to interpret religion, and it opens up the possibility of multiple ways of being “modern,” making “progress,” or being “developed” consistent with a variety of cultural and religious traditions.
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Notes
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© 2005 Scott M. Thomas
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Thomas, S.M. (2005). “The Revenge of God?” the Twentieth Century as the “Last Modern Century”. In: The Global Resurgence of Religion and the Transformation of International Relations. Culture and Religion in International Relations. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781403973993_2
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