"Having destabilized dominant assumptions about the nature of religion, there is now a need to develop new ways of thinking about this ever-present phenomenon in global politics. This book outlines a new approach to understanding religion and its relationship with politics in the West and globally for international relations"--Publisher's website. Recent critiques have challenged the dominance of secularism in International Relations and public policy discourses ₆ but what comes next? Having destabilized prominent assumptions about the nature of religion, it becomes vital to develop new ways of thinking about this ever-present phenomenon in global politics. Erin Wilson outlines a new approach to understanding religion in the West and globally and shows how secularism has limited our perceptions of religion's relationship with politics and the nature of religion itself. Combining insights from theology with reflectivist International Relations theories and methods, she draws out religious themes, narratives, images and rhetoric that are implicit in the collective subconscious of the West ₆ ideas that have become so culturally embedded that they are seen as 'normal' and 'natural' ₆ and examines how these assumptions impact on everyday political discourse and policy justification in the USA.