Fields of Blood

[Dicky Underpants]

This is the title of a recent book by Karen Armstrong. Now I have enjoyed and felt informed by a number of K.A's books, but I'm wondering whether she hasn't gone a bit too far in her defence of religion with this one. According to the blurb, she argues that religion has never been a cause of major violence or death throughout history. The trouble with such a thesis is that in many cases it is absolutely impossible to extricate the religious factor from the political and military elements which have been involved in the dissemination of various religions. This has certainly been the case with the early spread of Islam, and the consolidation of the Catholic Church into the Holy Roman Empire (the clue is in the last word). And as for the establishment of Catholicism in Latin America......

Anyway, the price of the book was prohibitive for me at £25 (or even £10 in Oxfam). Is there anyone who has read it and wishes to defend her thesis and tell me why I should buy the book?

I welcome the comments of anyone who wishes to expatiate on the theme in general.

[Brownie]

I too have enjoyed Karen Armstrong's books DU but can't say I've ever seen her as an apologist.  She retained a fondness for her old faith but she certainly left it behind, so I am surprised at the description of her latest book.

I'll wait until it is a second hand paperback on Amazon or ebay before reading it, unless I happen upon it in a charity shop.

She must be getting old now Dicky, maybe she had to write another book to shore up her pension and had run out of ideas!

[Nearly Sane]

The paperback is a tenner on Amazon, the Kindle edition 6 quid.

[Gonnagle]

Dear Dickie,

No I have not read Fields of Blood but I am a big fan of the good ladies writings, one reason you should buy it, it will be well researched, the lady knows her stuff.

I agree with Brownie I would never call her a apologist, she states the facts then gives valued reason why she supports her findings.

I agree with you that it is very difficult to extricate the religious factor from the political and military but Miss Armstrong would be the very lady to accomplish this, and your bit where you mention the Holy Roman Empire, I think the clue is in the second word

Gonnagle.

[Leonard James]

She must be getting old now Dicky, maybe she had to write another book to shore up her pension and had run out of ideas!

Or maybe she just wants to hedge her bets! 

[Walt Zingmatilder]

Wars and all the nasty stuff not necessarily the fault of religion in general and Christianity in particular. What is the world of the " Bright" coming to?

It is probably available behind the quivering hippy in a black t shirt shouting " Move along the Dawkins are over there".

[Nearly Sane]

Dear Dickie,

No I have not read Fields of Blood but I am a big fan of the good ladies writings, one reason you should buy it, it will be well researched, the lady knows her stuff.

I agree with Brownie I would never call her a apologist, she states the facts then gives valued reason why she supports her findings.

I agree with you that it is very difficult to extricate the religious factor from the political and military but Miss Armstrong would be the very lady to accomplish this, and your bit where you mention the Holy Roman Empire, I think the clue is in the second word

Gonnagle.

Indeed, you can never trust those Papes.

[Dicky Underpants]

Wars and all the nasty stuff not necessarily the fault of religion in general and Christianity in particular. What is the world of the " Bright" coming to?

It is probably available behind the quivering hippy in a black t shirt shouting " Move along the Dawkins are over there".

Well, I still haven't bought the book, but from what I can gather from the reviews, that isn't the Ms Armstrong's thesis anyway. I suppose you spoke in jest, but then you probably do like to believe that all agnostics and atheists think religion is the cause of all life's nasty bits. Most of the latter would probably think that religion has been involved in quite a bit of violence though, and it would take a pretty rigorous argument to persuade me otherwise.
One reviewer (you'll be pleased to hear) says that he got the impression that Ms Armstrong had written the book as a counter-blast to Dawkins' views on this matter, and almost felt she had The God Delusion in front of her whilst writing, in order to answer him point by point.
No doubt she had Sam Harris' "The End of Faith" in mind, too. That's another tome I did actually buy recently, but have yet to read, beyond noticing that it begins with some very pertinent observations on Islamic fundamentalism.

[Dicky Underpants]

I agree with you that it is very difficult to extricate the religious factor from the political and military but Miss Armstrong would be the very lady to accomplish this, and your bit where you mention the Holy Roman Empire, I think the clue is in the second word

Gonnagle.

Gonners,

I find her eminently readable and informative, even when I find her conclusions far-fetched. With this particular door-step, she's probably had half an eye on the world of moderate Islam (which has bestowed honours upon her for her work), which she no doubt feels is getting a bad press because of the lunatic fringe of Islamic terrorism. That, and trying to give Dickie D one in the eye.

Don't you be havin' a go at the Holy Faarther naow, at all at all. It takes two to tango. That bloody constipated monk of Wittenberg had a lot to answer for - thirty years of war after he nailed his screed to the church door, if I'm not mistaken, at all at all.

"The Great Whore rides astride the Beast" copyright Rev Ian Paisley

If only the Rev Richard Coles were on hand with cucumber sandwiches.