I have looked back at the
recorded wars of mankind, and few if any were fought by atheistic
countries. Or can I find any groups of atheists that would, because first
I would have to find atheists that agree on the same interpretation as to what
atheism is. I know some might point to Communist countries, but in the
USSR the Russian Orthodox worked hand in hand with the government to keep all
other religions restricted or eliminated (an example of how religion and
government using each other for their own advantage)
I have found so-called
Christian-god fearing countries even fighting against countries that claim to
serve the Christian god.
(Islam), Shiites against
Sunnis against Wahabis (Saudia Arabia).
and others all claiming to follow the teachings of Muhammad.
Hindus say they practice
non-violence (except in regard to Muslims) see division of India or
In Sri Lanka
the 20th century civil war between the mostly Buddhist Sinhalese majority and
the Hindu Tamil minority has cost 50,000 lives.
Buddhists
But Buddhism,
like the other great faiths, has not always lived up to its principles - there
are numerous examples of Buddhists engaging in violence and even war.
·
in the 14th century Buddhist fighters led the uprising that
evicted the Mongols from China
·
in Japan, Buddhist monks trained Samurai warriors in meditation
that made them better fighters
In the
twentieth century Japanese Zen masters wrote in support of Japan's wars of
aggression. For example, Sawaki Kodo (1880–1965) wrote this in 1942: (pardon
the formatting of the quote, can’t seem to change it)
It is just to punish those who disturb the public order. Whether
one kills or does not kill, the precept forbidding killing [is preserved]. It
is the precept forbidding killing that wields the sword. It is the precept that
throws the bomb.
Sawaki Kodo
My take on this: The real motivation for governments
to rise up against religion would be
1) religion no longer supports the governments
goals or worse yet, works against them,
2) economically pressed the governments
takeover the assets of seemingly wealthy religions.
Both religion and government and even business use each
other for their own advantage. It is not
based on religious beliefs, just a way to manipulate others.