Karen Armstrong
(Great Britain, 1944) is one of the leading and most widely read writers on religion. Her work has been translated into 40 languages and includes bestsellers sch as A History of God (1995), The Battle for God (2000), Islam (2001), and The Case for God (2009). Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life (2011) came about as a result of Armstrong's win of one of three TED prizes; she used the prize money to initiate the now globally supported Charter for Compassion. In October of 2014 she published Fields of Blood, dealing with the entanglement of religion and violence. In it, she bluntly states that all through the ages, wars have often been fought on behalf of a god. But she also shows that, alongside the crusaders and the jihadists, there has always been a Jesus or a Buddha advocating for peace and reconciliation. She also shows that the underlying motives for the use of force are usually social, economic or political in nature.
Past events
Karen Armstrong Meets Bas Heijne
Where does the deep-seated need to believe in something come from? Why do people go so far as to carry out holy wars in the name of religion? Karen Armstrong, an expert on Christianity, Judaism and Islam, investigates the sometimes bloody, sometimes peacful history of these religions in her latest book, The Fields of Blood. Essayist Bas Heijne will be in conversation with her.
Violence and Religion - Opening Lecture by Karen Armstrong
British author Karen Armstrong starts off with the 9th Winternachten Lecture. Her subject is violence and religion. What are the factors that lead to eruptions of violence and war? How can we live together peacefully despite religious and cultural differences? Is religion really a motive for the use of force? After the lecture, Sheila Sitalsing will be in conversation with Karen Armstrong. Dutch essayist Paul Scheffer and Egyptian writer Muhammad Aladdin will also take part in the discussion.
In search of the soul. Part 2: Religion
Is the soul purely religious? A conversation with the Indian writer Pankaj Mishra and the British writer Karen Armstrong. Presented by Michaël Zeeman. English spoken.
