Torn halves Book

This is one of the most seminal books I know from the second half of the twentieth century. As a religious person, a monk as it happens, and a yearner for peace, I have been perplexed by the intertwining of violence with religion, which supposedly preaches peace, and especially perplexed by the violence within Christianity itself in contradiction to Jesus' teaching in the Gospels. It is Girard who has pointed the way to how violence happens in religious contexts and where religions resources are to reverse violent trends. Anyone with anywhere near the same concerns as I have would do well to ponder this book and then ponder books by others developing his thought. For my own reflections on Girard & Christian spirituality as well as some interesting fantasy literature for readers young & old see