Religious self-identification is on the decline in the United States. Some analysts have cited the cause as being a post-9/11 perception that faith in general is a source of aggression, intolerance, and divisiveness. But how accurate is that view? In her new book, Fields of Blood: Religion and the History of Violence, Karen Armstrong sets out to discover the truth about religion and violence in each of the world’s great traditions, taking us on an astonishing journey from prehistoric times to the present. While many historians have looked at violence in connection with particular religious manifestations (jihad in Islam or Christianity’s Crusades), Armstrong looks at not only Christianity and Islam, but also Buddhism, Hinduism, Confucianism, Daoism, and Judaism. Karen Armstrong is one of the most original and inclusive speakers on the role of religion in the modern world. In her public speaking and bestselling books, including A History of God, she examines the differences and profound similarities between Christianity, Islam, and Judaism, and their impact on world events. A former Catholic nun who left the convent to study literature, Armstrong is an authority on world faiths, religious fundamentalism, and monotheism. She was a key advisor on Bill Moyers' landmark PBS series on religion, has addressed members of the U.S. Congress, and was one of three scholars to speak at the UN's first ever session on religion. Select Bibliography: Fields of Blood: Religion and the History of Violence A History of God The Battle for God The Great Transformation: The Beginning of Our Religious Traditions The Bible: A Biography