Fields of Blood Religion and the History of Violence

For the first time in American history, religious self-identification is on the decline. Some have cited a perception that began to grow after September 11: that faith in general is a source of aggression, intolerance and divisiveness -- something bad for society. But how accurate is that view? And does it apply equally to all faiths? In these troubled times, we risk basing decisions of real and dangerous consequence on mistaken understandings of the faiths subscribed around us, in our immediate community as well as globally. Karen Armstrong examines the impulse toward violence in each of the world's great religions, including Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Confucianism, and Daoism, taking us on a journey from prehistoric times to the present.