Fields of blood: religion and the history of violence
Countering the atheist claim that believers are by default violent fanatics and religion is the cause of all major wars, this book demonstrates that religious faith is not inherently violent. In fact, the world's major religions have throughout their history displayed ambivalent attitudes towar...
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| Format: | Print Book |
| Language: | English |
| Subito Delivery Service: | Order now. |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| WorldCat: | WorldCat |
| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
London
The Bodley Head
2014
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| In: | Year: 2014 |
| Reviews: | Recent books on violence and the Bible (2015) (McEntire, Mark Harold, 1960 -)
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| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Violence
B Girard, René 1923-2015 |
| Further subjects: | B
Violence
B Violence Religious aspects B Violence--Religious aspects B Religion |
| Online Access: |
Table of Contents |
| Summary: | Countering the atheist claim that believers are by default violent fanatics and religion is the cause of all major wars, this book 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, this book contrasts medieval crusaders and modern-day jihadists with the pacifism of the Buddha and Jesus' vision of a just and peaceful society; moreover, it 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, this book 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 Introduction -- Part 1. Beginnings: Farmers and herdsmen -- India: the noble path -- China: warriors and gentlemen -- The Hebrew dilemma -- Part 2. Keeping the peace: Jesus: not of this world? -- Byzantium: the tragedy of empire -- The Muslim dilemma -- Crusade and Jihad -- Part 3. Modernity: The arrival of "religion" -- The triumph of the secular -- Religion fights back -- Holy terror -- Global Jihad -- Afterword Paperback -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 |
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| Item Description: | Literaturverzeichnis: Seite 441-483 und Index |
| Physical Description: | 499 Seiten, 24 cm |
| ISBN: | 1-84792-187-6 1-84792-186-8 978-1-84792-186-4 978-1-84792-187-1 |
