Is religion the real reason for many wars? (page 4)

LittleToe

So, here's a thought:
Do you think that generations of political intrigue may have contributed to the "us and them" mentality of fundamentalist religion?

of course. so does racism and nationalism. but religion can amplify this mentality when fighting against "unbelievers". people may start to question the cause, if they fight against their "brothers". not so, if they are "sectarians" or "pagans". it justifies the killing.

Fe2O3Girl

Northern Ireland - Protestant vs Catholic

Do you really think that the war in Northern Ireland was about transubstantiation, status of Mary, authority of the Pope, etc.? And if it was, why aren't there the same conflicts in other regions where both Protestants and Roman Catholics live? I am convinced that the conflict is really between "Loyalists" and "Republicans".

LittleToe

I follow what you're saying, google, and it's been stated many times before. However I'm attempting to turn the question on it's head, to see if there is another angle to look at it from.

Has religion been influenced by the wars and politics, to perhaps mold it into something that is far more judgemental than it might otherwise have been?

(And I would include even the OT religion in this question)

googlemagoogle

you mean from the very beginning, huh?

i'm sure religion was changed to fit political needs. OT is a great example. we need that country, so we make god say "destroy these people, let nobody live"...

Pole

Has religion been influenced by the wars and politics, to perhaps mold it into something that is far more judgemental than it might otherwise have been?

Interesting question.

Certainly. Some forms of religious extremism were cynically designed for military pruposes (see the Kamikaze pilots example I posted above). Most religious beligerence however evolved naturally due to the violent social and polititcal conditions. Same goes for nationalism.

Pole

LittleToe

So do you feel there was generally a kind of symbiosis, with both extremes also being experienced?

googlemagoogle

which extremes? i feel, organized religion is just a tool for power. and after all, spiritual leaders/priests and politicians have more in common than they might admit.

LittleToe

Those are the two extremes that immediately come to mind - religion and politics. They certainly make strange bedfellows.

While religion often gets the rap for wars, I just wonder that it doesn't cut a few different ways. Some being started by politics, using religion as a tool, some being started by religion, politics being a tool, and some where it's a con-joined effort. I suspect that it's not that clear cut, either, with global variation, etc.

eyeslice

Religion is one way to make people who usually would not think of murdering their neigobors follow the lead of those planning the war by de-humanizeing those being planned for the slaughter. Convince them that if the neighbor is not a believer that they are, evil, sinners, unworthy of life, have something that 'god' wants you to have because you are faithful, yada, yada, yada.

I think JeannieBeanz has it here - shades of how the Holocaust was allowed to happen. Religion is only one way of dividing people into factions.

Another is tribe/race. One of the most sickening episodes of the late 20th century ws the genocide in Rwanda carried out by so called Christians but purely tribal.

Northern Ireland has been mentioned but that is tribal as much as religious. Yes, they are Catholics v Protestants but there is no valid religious arguement put forward.

Like many here, I do worry about Islam though. The potential for violence seems ingrained in many of its followers.

Eyeslice

Is religion the real reason for many wars?

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