If thereâ??s a single historical moment that captures what the author Karen Armstrong wants to convey in her new book, â??Fields of Blood: Religion and the History of Violence,â? itâ??s the Christmas-Day coronation of Charlemagne in 800. â??Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne â??Holy Roman Emperorâ?? in the Basilica of St. Peter,â? she writes. â??The congregation acclaimed him as â??Augustusâ?? and Leo prostrated himself at Charlemagneâ??s feet.â? If you want to blame the human raceâ??s long, ghastly history of bloodshed on religion, Armstrong argues, be aware that faith is more often the servant than the master of politics.
â??Fields of Bloodâ? is panoramic work, even at a judicious 400 pages (excluding notes). It takes in the ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia, India and China before settling down for a good long look at the Abrahamic traditions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam, with the occasional side trip back to India when sectarian clashes heat up there. Throughout, Armstrong deploys the confident, even-handed and congenial voice that made â??A History of Godâ? (1993) and â??The Battle for Godâ? (2000) bestsellers. And her points are eminently reasonable. Religion, she insists, takes many different forms and â??to claim that it has a single, unchanging and inherently violent essence is not accurate. Identical religious beliefs and practices have inspired diametrically opposed courses of action.â?
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