Is religion the real reason for many wars? (page 2)

frenchbabyface

to me it's more a question of community and personnal mentality ... (religion is a part of it)

I would say that I agree that many wars are fought because of religious differences and ideologies. However, the modern day secularist leaders have killed tens of millions of people. It seems to me that their quest was to expand the boundaries of their land and to strengthen their power. When such leaders gain victories over various countries and employ the secret police to do his dirty work and terrorize the populace, then the religious authorities become putty in his hands. My point is that secularists can no longer point to the religious fundamentalists in their countries and claim that they are the sole reason for wars and conflicts. Each side is equally guilty when it comes to the slaughter of their people.

Mr. Shakita

frenchbabyface

well said shakita !!!

czarofmischief

but it was still a war fueled by religious fervor, making me only a partial moron.

I didn't mean to make you sound like a moron. I just wanted to help put the Crusades in a historical context. Everyone makes them out to be the Big Bad West steamrolling over hapless brown people, but in reality it was a clash that had been building for generations.

But you are absolutely correct in that religion provided the motivating force for the vast majority all participants, including the nobility and the enemy.

CZAR

seedy3

Up until the "Christian era, wars were not based on any religious ferver, but an expansion of an empire. Most of the pagan religions really didn't care what or who you worshipped until the Christians said you had to worship the only "True" god of the bible.

Seedy

Xena

My personal opinion is that religion is just an excuse to wage war....usually the underlying reason is a quest for power, money and/or to annex territory. Religion is just used to whip people up into a frenzy. Unfortunately it works extremely well.

Deputy Dog

Pole

Some have even implied that if religion was "banned" the number of wars would be reduced.

Are they ready to go to war for that ideal?

D Dog

LittleToe

Seedy:

Up until the "Christian era, wars were not based on any religious ferver, but an expansion of an empire. Most of the pagan religions really didn't care what or who you worshipped until the Christians said you had to worship the only "True" god of the bible.

That's an interesting claim.
Can you support that in a way that's demonstrably different from the way wars have been conducted during the "Christian" era?

Since religion has been inextricably linked to the ethics and morals of people for as long as history has been recorded, it would seem to me that trying to separate it from war would be as difficult as refuting the statement "an army marches on it's belly!". People eat, therefore it must be a contributing factor in war!!! Excuse the hyperbole, but I suspect you see my point.

I suspect that in the majority of cases war has been decided with very little religious influence (notwithstanding what I previously wrote). Religion has often been used as the banner underwhich to rally some really destructive fervor, though

stillajwexelder

Yes - no question in my mind that religion is a major cause but not the only one

M.J.

I agree...an ideology is the tool of leadership to rally everyone to be like-minded toward an objective. Religion is sometimes then conveniently interpreted to lend support to such an ideology, along with all other manners of propaganda. Think of Hitler.

Is religion the real reason for many wars?

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