Fields of Blood by Karen Armstrong


ISBN
9781847921871
Published
Released
01 / 03 / 2016
Binding
Paperback
Pages
512
Dimensions
153 x 234 x 38mm

Countering the atheist claim that believers are by default violent fanatics and religion is the cause of all major wars, Karen Armstrong demonstrates that religious faith is not inherently violent. In fact, the world's major religions have throughout their history displayed ambivalent attitudes towards aggression and warfare. At times they have allied themselves with states and empires for protection or to further their influence; at others they have tried to curb state oppression and aggression and worked for peace and justice.

Taking us on a journey from prehistoric times to the present, Karen Armstrong contrasts medieval crusaders and modern-day jihadists with the pacifism of the Buddha and Jesus' vision of a just and peaceful society; moreover, she demonstrates that the underlying reasons – social, economic, political – for war and violence in our history often had very little to do with religion.

While human beings have a natural propensity for aggression, collective violence and warfare emerged at a certain point in history when the invention of agriculture created a society and a state based on the accumulation of wealth. For most of history our destructive potential could be contained but with the industrialised warfare and all-powerful state of the modern age, humanity is on the brink of destroying itself.

Vast in scope, impeccably researched and passionately argued, Fields of Blood is more than a corrective to the prevailing view that religion is to blame for most of the bloodshed throughout human history: it is a celebration of those religious ideas and movements that have opposed war and aggression and promoted peace and reconciliation.
8.99
RRP: $35.00
74% off RRP


This product is unable to be ordered online. Please check in-store availability.
Enter your Postcode or Suburb to view availability and delivery times.

Other Titles by Karen Armstrong

A History Of God
27.99
22.39
20% Off
Buddha
23.99
7.99
67% Off
Sacred Nature
29.99
23.99
20% Off
The Great Transformation
34.99
27.99
20% Off
Sacred Nature
35.00
28.00
20% Off

You might also like

NIV New Testament Paperback
6.99
5.59
20% Off
NIV Floral Pocket Notebook Bible
39.99
31.99
20% Off
The Koran
22.99
18.39
20% Off
Penguin Classics Tao Te Ching
17.99
14.39
20% Off
KJV Standard Christening Bible
29.99
23.99
20% Off

RRP refers to the Recommended Retail Price as set out by the original publisher at time of release.
The RRP set by overseas publishers may vary to those set by local publishers due to exchange rates and shipping costs.
Due to our competitive pricing, we may have not sold all products at their original RRP.