Karen Armstrong is een gerenommeerd specialist in vergelijkende religie, wiens uitgebreide werken ingaan op de essentie van geloof en de historische ontwikkeling ervan. Door haar inzichtelijke analyses onthult ze de complexe relaties tussen religieuze tradities en hun impact op menselijke samenlevingen. Armstrong blinkt uit in het verbinden van theologische concepten met actuele gebeurtenissen, waardoor lezers een diepgaand begrip krijgen van de spirituele landschappen van de wereld. Haar schrijfstijl wordt geprezen om zijn helderheid en zijn vermogen om dialoog tussen culturen en overtuigingen te bevorderen.
In dit belangrijke en controversiële boek beschrijft Karen Armstrong niet een geschiedenis van God zoals hij 'is', maar zoals de mens in hem geloofd heeft. Zij onderzoekt het ontstaan en de ontwikkeling van de idee van de ene God in het jodendom, het christendom en de islam. Wat is God tegenwoordig? Heeft hij toekomst? En, zo niet, hebben we een vervanging nodig?
Beschrijving van het leven van de historische Boeddha in de culturele en spirituele omgeving waarin hij leefde.
De geschiedenis van de mythe is de geschiedenis van de mensheid: onze verhalen, onze overtuigingen, ons verlangen naar kennis, onze pogingen om de wereld te begrijpen, maken dat wij verbonden zijn met onze voorouders en met elkaar. Mythen helpen ons om de schepping te doorgronden. ‘Mensen zijn altijd mythevertellers geweest.’ Met deze woorden begint Karen Armstrong haar beknopte, maar uiterst boeiende onderzoek naar de mythe. Mythen, een beknopte geschiedenis is een fascinerende reis door de millennia waarin de mens mythen heeft geschapen en zelf door mythen gevormd is. Armstrong laat zien dat ook de moderne mens nog altijd niet zonder mythen kan. Zij besluit met een pleidooi voor de priesterlijke rol van kunstenaars en schrijvers, die beter dan religieuze leiders in staat zijn de functie van de vroegere mythe in de maatschappij over te nemen, en ons te helpen de wereld op een andere manier te bezien.
`A History of Jerusalem should be read, not only by travellers and potential travellers in Jerusalem, but by all of us.' Stephen Tummin, Daily Telegraph
A Family's Story of Displacement during and after the Finnish Wars
Set against the backdrop of June 1944, the narrative explores the profound impact of the loss of Karelia on the Finnish population, particularly the forced relocation of nearly 11% of Finns. Through a family's memoirs, it delves into the struggles faced during the war years, the emotional and physical toll of resettlement, and the broader societal repercussions experienced by Finns from 1939 to the late 1950s. The book highlights resilience amidst trauma, revealing how individuals navigated the challenges of a changing landscape.
The narrative explores the transformative journey of a man recovering from a brain injury, emphasizing the crucial role of family support and personal determination. Chris candidly shares his pre-accident struggles, illustrating that true strength lies not in intellectual prowess but in faith, forgiveness, and resilience. Told also from his mother's viewpoint, the story highlights the importance of embracing one's flaws while striving for independence and acceptance. Ultimately, it celebrates the triumph of the human spirit and offers readers a renewed belief in themselves and their connections with others.
Read and cherished by thousands all over the world since it was first published in 1981, Through the Narrow Gate takes the reader on a spiritual journey that began one September day in 1962 when Karen Armstrong said good-bye to her family at London's King's Cross station and journeyed on to the convent in Tripton to become a nun. Through the Narrow Gate is by turns a book of spiritual revelation and an intimate look at life inside the cloistered walls of the convent.
The memoir offers an intimate glimpse into Karen Armstrong's experience in a Catholic convent, capturing her spiritual journey with honesty and clarity. It explores her decision to enter religious life and provides a unique perspective on the complexities of convent life. Through her vivid storytelling, Armstrong reflects on her spiritual awakening and the challenges she faced, ultimately revealing insights that contribute to her reputation as a respected interpreter of religion.
It is the most persistent myth of our time: religion is the cause of all violence. But history suggests otherwise. Karen Armstrong, former Roman Catholic nun and one of our foremost scholars of religion, speaks out to disprove the link between religion and bloodshed. * Religion is as old as humanity: Fields of Blood goes back to the Stone Age hunter-gatherers and traces religion through the centuries, from medieval crusaders to modern-day jihadists. * The West today has a warped concept of religion: we regard faith as a personal and private matter, but for most of history faith has informed peopleâe(tm)s entire outlook on life, and often been inseparable from politics. * Humans undoubtedly have a natural propensity for aggression: the founders of the largest religions âe" Jesus, Buddha, the rabbis of early Judaism, the prophet Muhammad âe" aimed to curb violence and build a more peaceful and just society, but with our growing greed for money and wealth came collective violence and warfare. * With the arrival of the modern all-powerful, secular state humanityâe(tm)s destructive potential has begun to spiral out of control. Is humanity on the brink of destroying itself? Fields of Blood is a celebration of the ancient religious ideas and movements that have promoted peace and reconciliation across millennia of civilization.
St Paul is known throughout the world as the first Christian writer, authoring fourteen of the twenty-seven books in the New Testament. But as Karen Armstrong demonstrates in this book, he also exerted a more significant influence on the spread of Christianity throughout the world than any other figure in history. It was Paul who established the first Christian churches in Europe and Asia in the first century, Paul who transformed a minor sect into the largest religion produced by Western civilization, and Paul who advanced the revolutionary idea that Christ could serve as a model for the possibility of transcendence