Karen armstrong believes that religion "does lots of different things". It can inspire people to altruism or ruthless cruelty, and can have both effects at different times. Dissecting this paradox should come naturally to Ms Armstrong. British-born and a former Roman Catholic nun, she has written more than a dozen books on religious history at its broadest, expounding her view that faith is a legitimate, necessary part of human experience, whether or not its claims are true.
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