Karen Armstrong is a former Catholic nun, historian, and English author best known for her non-fiction books on comparative religion. Armstrong became disillusioned with her faith after a visit to Jerusalem in 1984 and subsequently changed her beliefs to reflect the idea that all the the main religions are fundamentally the same.
Armstrong's first book, Jerusalem One City, Three Faiths, was based on her comparative religion views and was published in 1996. Since that time her focus has shifted to Islamic issues and some credit the author with bringing a more objective view of Islam to European and American audiences. Armstrong's insights into the Islamic faith along with her connections to Bill Moyers, the United Nations, and the U.S. Congress have made her a popular speaker.
For an introduction into Armstrong's works, try the audio book download of The Bible A Biography, in which the author discusses the history of the world's most powerful book in captivating detail. Armstrong also offers readers a portrait of Asian religion in Buddha, which is conveniently available for audio download. Her live presentation of The Future of God, also available in audiobook download format, explores Armstrong's ideas on how our concept of God has evolved and what it will mean to us in the future.