Discussion Questions
Use our LitLovers Book Club Resources; they can help with discussions for any book:
• How to Discuss a Book (helpful discussion tips)
• Generic Discussion Questions—Fiction and Nonfiction
• Read-Think-Talk (a guided reading chart)
Also, consider these LitLovers talking points to help start a discussion for Fields of Blood:
1. Talk about Karen Armstrong's central theory that economics and politics have been the underlying causes of religious violence throughout history. Is her argument persuasive? Does her premise hold true today?
2. What have you learned about the various faiths that Armstrong covers—the three Abrahamic religions, as well as the Eastern religions? What surprised you or struck you as particularly noteworthy?
3. Discuss Armstrong's concept of the three different evolutionary stages of the human brain: "limbic," emotional, and reasoning. How does each of those stages play out in responses to violence and/or religion.
4. Is the Western world's belief in the separation of church and state a viable model for other cultures around the globe?
5. Does Fields of Blood give you cause for hope of peace?
(Questions by LitLovers. Please feel free to use them, on and off line, with attribution. And if you have developed questions for your book club and would like to share them, we'd love to include them here—and give you credit. Thanks.)